Technology Developed Under DRDO Supported Project in Collaboration with Deep-Tech Startups

New Delhi: In a significant step towards strengthening India's indigenous aerospace and surveillance capabilities, IIT Delhi successfully demonstrated an AI-enabled tethered Aerostat surveillance system developed through a unique collaboration between academia, industry, and deep-tech startups. The demonstration marks an important milestone in translating advanced research into deployable technologies for national security and civilian applications.

During the technology demonstration, a tactical aerostat balloon of about 24 m3 volume was deployed up to a height of 30 meters, carrying a payload of up to 10 kg for different applications like surveillance, security and remote communications.

Aerostats are lighter-than-air platforms that remain airborne for extended durations using helium, carrying cameras and sensors to provide persistent aerial surveillance. Compared with drones, aerostats offer significantly longer endurance, lower operating costs, continuous monitoring, higher payload capacity, and enhanced reliability, making them an ideal solution for border surveillance, disaster management, infrastructure monitoring, environmental observation, traffic management, and emergency response.

The breakthrough technology originates from the DRDO Industry Academia-Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) funded SITEX-I and SITEX-II research programmes at IIT Delhi. Under the guidance of Prof. Mangala Joshi and Prof. B. S. Butola from the Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, researchers developed advanced indigenous aerostat hull materials and engineering technologies, reducing dependence on imported strategic materials and establishing a strong foundation for India's lighter-than-air systems.

Building upon this research, GB Texcoat Solution Pvt. Ltd., a FITT-IIT Delhi-incubated deep-tech startup, industrialized the technology by developing and fabricating the complete aerostat system using its proprietary high-performance coated textile materials designed for superior helium retention, lightweight construction, durability, and all-weather operation.

                          
                    (Photo: Image taken by camera in Aerostat and further analysed by an AI model to identify object and get analytics)

During the demonstration, the aerostat successfully carried a high-definition surveillance payload, validating the performance of the indigenous platform. Simultaneously, CYRAN AI, an IIT Delhi faculty-led deep-tech startup, deployed advanced Edge AI algorithms to analyse live aerial imagery in real time, enabling intelligent object detection, classification, activity recognition, and automated alerts.

This demonstration highlights the power of India's innovation ecosystem, where government-supported research, academia, and startups collaborate to create globally competitive strategic technologies. Beyond strengthening defence preparedness, indigenous aerostat systems can significantly benefit society through improved disaster response, public safety, critical infrastructure monitoring, agriculture, environmental management, and smart-city applications.

The successful demonstration represents another important step toward realizing the vision of "Atmanirbhar Bharat", positioning India as a global leader in advanced surveillance and lighter-than-air technologies.

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