By Staff Correspondent
Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra, conducted a flight demonstration of a Controlled Aerial Delivery System of 500 kg capacity (CADS-500) on December 18, 2021. ADRDE, Agra is an R&D laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the flight demonstration is part of a series of activities organized towards celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, commemorating 75 years of Independence.
The CADS-500 is used for precise delivery of payloads up to 500 kgs at a predetermined location by using manoeuvrable capabilities of the Ram Air Parachute (RAP). It uses the Global Positioning System for the coordinates, altitude and heading sensors for the heading information during its flight. With its onboard electronics unit, the CADS autonomously steers its flight path using waypoint navigation towards the target location by operating controls.
System performance was demonstrated at Drop Zone, Malpura, from an altitude of 5000m. The system was para-dropped from AN32 aircraft then steered to the predesignated landing point in autonomous mode. Eleven paratroopers of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force chased the CADS-500 in the air and landed simultaneously.
