DRDO tests high-speed escape system to help fighter pilots bail out safely | Watch

In a rocket-sled test, the system coupled with a rocket propulsion mechanism is run at a high speed on a pair of rails to simulate a moving aircraft in mid-air, a senior official said.

The DRDO has successfully carried out a high-speed rocket-sled test of a fighter aircraft escape system, validating crucial safety features including canopy severance, ejection sequencing and complete aircrew recovery, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. The achievement places India in “an elite club of nations” with advanced indigenous capability to test escape systems.

In this rocket-sled evaluation, the escape mechanism—integrated with a rocket propulsion setup—was accelerated along dual rails at high speed to replicate a fighter aircraft in flight, a senior official explained.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the Indian Air Force, the Aeronautical Development Agency and HAL for the milestone, calling it a significant step forward in strengthening India’s self-reliance in defence technologies.

According to the minister’s office, “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.”

Raksha Mantri, Shri @rajnathsingh has complimented DRDO, IAF, ADA, HAL and industry on successful conduct of High-Speed Rocket Sled Test of Fighter Aircraft Escape System and described it as a significant milestone for India’s indigenous defence capability towards self-reliance. https://t.co/hNddBxM2Yt

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— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) December 2, 2025

The complex dynamic trial—conducted at DRDO’s rail track rocket sled facility in Chandigarh—was carried out in collaboration with the Aeronautical Development Agency and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The ministry noted that the test reinforces India’s standing among a small group of countries capable of in-house escape system validation.

As part of the evaluation, “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 said. Officials from the Indian Air Force and the Institute of Aerospace Medicine were present during the trial.

The ministry added 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 ejection sequence was captured using both onboard and ground-based imaging systems. Terming such dynamic trials substantially more complex than static evaluations like the “net test” or “zero-zero test,” the ministry described them as the true benchmark for assessing ejection seat and canopy severance performance.

Secretary of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Samir V. Kamat also congratulated the team involved in the successful demonstration.