The Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for flight test-bed services to support the airborne evaluation of its indigenous Long-Range Detection and Tracking System (LRDTS), marking a significant step in the maturation of India's airborne infrared sensing capabilities.

The evaluation program will focus on two LRDTS hardware prototypes, designated SB1 and SB2, both of which are scheduled to undergo extensive airborne testing under operationally representative conditions.

A modified British Aerospace BAE 125-800A, widely known as the Hawker-800 series, has been selected as the primary flight test platform for the campaign.

The test program calls for approximately 45 flying hours on the Hawker testbed. An Aero L-39 Albatros aircraft will serve as the airborne target for around 30 hours of the planned trials, enabling the system's target detection and tracking performance to be assessed against a manoeuvring aircraft.

Testing will be conducted across a broad altitude envelope ranging from 5,000 ft to 29,000 ft to validate system performance under varying atmospheric and operational conditions.

The flight campaign will also expose the system to a wide range of backgrounds, including maritime, land and industrial environments, during both daytime and night-time sorties.

Such diverse testing conditions are particularly important for infrared search-and-track (IRST) systems, whose performance can be influenced by background clutter, temperature variations and environmental conditions.

Unlike conventional radar systems, IRST technology passively detects and tracks aircraft through their infrared emissions without transmitting radar energy, allowing operators to monitor airborne targets while maintaining a lower electromagnetic signature.

According to the technical architecture outlined for the program, the LRDTS incorporates a nose-mounted Sensor Head Unit weighing approximately 25 kg and consuming around 350 watts of power. A separate Processing Unit weighing about 14 kg requires roughly 250 watts.

The sensor suite will be integrated with onboard aircraft test systems using ARINC 818 Fibre Channel video links, MIL-STD-1553B interfaces and Ethernet connectivity linked to a Mission Computer Simulator installed within the aircraft cabin.

The planned trials are intended to generate comprehensive performance data on the indigenous system's ability to detect, acquire and track airborne targets across multiple operational scenarios.

IRDE, which belongs to DRDO's Electronics and Communication Systems cluster, specialises in the development of electronic, electro-optical and laser-based systems for defence applications and has been a key contributor to India's indigenous sensor development efforts.

The airborne evaluation project is scheduled to run over a 45-month period, with the flight test campaign being conducted from Bangalore.

The program is expected to contribute to future indigenous airborne sensor solutions for advanced combat aircraft and other military aviation platforms, supporting India's broader objective of reducing reliance on imported electro-optical surveillance and targeting technologies.

Agencies