India Achieves Milestone with High-Speed Rocket-Sled Test for Fighter Aircraft Ejection Systems

The high-speed rocket-sled test was witnessed by representatives from the Indian Air Force and Institute of Aerospace Medicine.

New Delhi:

DRDO has successfully executed a high-speed rocket-sled test for a fighter aircraft escape system at precisely controlled velocity, confirming several critical safety parameters including complete aircrew recovery.

According to the defense ministry's Tuesday statement, this achievement places India among "an elite club of nations" possessing advanced in-house escape system testing capabilities.

A senior official explained that during a rocket-sled test, the system coupled with rocket propulsion runs at high speed on rail tracks to simulate an aircraft in mid-air motion.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, IAF, Aeronautical Development Agency, and HAL for the successful test. He emphasized this achievement as a significant milestone advancing India's indigenous defense capabilities toward self-reliance.

"Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has successfully conducted a high-speed rocket-sled test of fighter aircraft escape system at precisely controlled velocity of 800 km/h- validating canopy severance, ejection sequencing and complete aircrew-recovery at Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh," stated the defense minister's office on X.

The defense ministry reported that this complex dynamic test was performed at Chandigarh's rail track rocket sled facility in collaboration with Aeronautical Development Agency and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, propelling India into "an elite club of nations" with sophisticated in-house escape system testing capability.

"A dual-sled system with the LCA aircraft forebody was propelled to precisely controlled velocity through phased firing of multiple solid propellant rocket motors," the statement detailed.

Officials from the Indian Air Force and the Institute of Aerospace Medicine observed the test.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has "conducted a successful high-speed rocket-sled test of fighter aircraft escape system at controlled velocity," confirmed the ministry.

"The test at rail track rocket sled facility of the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh, validated canopy severance, ejection sequencing and complete aircrew-recovery," the ministry added.

The ministry further explained that "the canopy fragilisation pattern, ejection sequencing and complete aircrew recovery process was simulated using an instrumented anthropomorphic test dummy, which recorded critical loads, moments, and accelerations that would be experienced by ejected pilots".

The entire sequence was documented through onboard and ground-based imaging systems.

"Dynamic ejection tests are significantly more complex than static tests such as 'net test' or 'zero-zero test', and real measure for evaluating ejection seat performance and efficacy of canopy severance system," stated the ministry. Department of Defence R&D Secretary and DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat also congratulated the DRDO team involved in this successful demonstration.