HAPS
- DEFENCE AND SECURITY
News:
Why India wants to
develop high-altitude pseudo-satellite vehicles, powered by the Sun
What's
in the news?
●
National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) has
successfully tested an unmanned aerial vehicle, called High Altitude Pseudo
Satellite (HAPS) at Challakere, Karnataka, earlier this month.
Key
takeaways:
●
The 5-metre-long system, with a wingspan
of 11 metres and weighing 23 kg, rose to about 3 km and stayed put for about
eight hours.
●
A series of tests have been planned and
they are expected to culminate in a full-bodied craft – with a wingspan of 30m
(nearly as much as a Boeing 737) – by 2027.
●
It will be able to rise to 23 km and stay airborne for at least 90 days.
Aim of NAL:
●
NAL aims to design and build the HAPS’
propellers, battery management system, carbon-composite airframe,
flight-control system and the high-powered electric motors that can withstand
extreme temperature ranges.
High
Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS):
●
Since the 1990s, a number of initiatives
have been launched worldwide to explore the potential applications of High
Altitude Pseudo Satellites, also called High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS).
●
HAPS are aircraft positioned above 20 km altitude, in the stratosphere,
for very-long-duration flights counted in months and even years.
●
These unmanned aircraft may be airplanes,
airships or balloons.
Key
Features and Capabilities:
1.
Persistent presence:
●
Can continuously fly for months providing
uninterrupted services.
2.
Large coverage area:
●
A single HAPS can cover areas up to 250 km
in diameter.
3.
Lower costs:
●
HAPS operate at 20-30% of the cost of
satellites.
4.
Versatility:
●
Payloads can be changed based on
application – comms, remote sensing, navigation etc.
5.
Rapid deployment:
●
It can be deployed from conventional
airfields within existing infrastructure
Types
of HAPS:
1.
Balloon Based Platforms:
●
Use helium/hydrogen balloons deployed
18-25 km above sea level.
●
It has a payload capacity of 60-200 kg
2.
Solar Planes:
●
Fixed wing UAVs powered by solar panels
and batteries.
●
Wingspan of 20-80 meters, payload of
15-100 kg.
●
Flight endurance over a month.
3.
Conventional Aircrafts:
●
Conventional aircraft like Boeing 737
modified to serve as HAPS.
●
Carries 250-2000 kg payload for 2 weeks
continuously.
Benefits
of HAPS:
●
These solar-powered
vehicles have been designed to plug the missing link between unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying in lower altitudes and conventional satellites in
space.
●
The use of HAPS is considered for a variety of applications such as:
○
Telecommunications
○
Emergency and public safety communications
○
Intelligent transportation systems
○
Maritime surveillance
○
Environmental monitoring
○
Land border control applications, etc.
HAPS
and India:
●
In India, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in 2022 announced that it is
developing a “futuristic” high altitude pseudo satellite in collaboration with
a start-up company.
●
With a long and complex land border of about 15,000 km and a coastline of
about 7,500 km, safeguarding the borders is crucial for India and
necessitates varied solutions.
●
Hovering at the edge of the Earth’s
atmosphere, HAPS can provide services towards efficient border patrolling, tracking movements deep into the enemy
territory or in the deep seas with their sharp focus on one area.
●
Equipped with high-definition optical and infra-red cameras, state-of-the-art
sensors, these aerial platforms are suitable for round-the-clock missions,
border patrolling, target tracking, maritime surveillance and navigational, and
even missile detection.
Go
back to basics:
●
China’s
state-owned aerospace and defence conglomerate, Aviation Industry Corporation
of China (AVIC), has been working on varied HAPS platforms for surveillance
purposes.
●
In 2018, it successfully tested its
solar-powered Morning Star drone
which can reportedly stay airborne for months.