Controlled 800 km/hr rocket-sled test puts India in advanced escape-system league

India on Tuesday moved into what the defence ministry described as “an elite club of nations” after the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a high-speed rocket-sled test of a fighter aircraft escape system at a controlled velocity.

The test validated critical safety parameters, including canopy severance, ejection sequencing, and complete aircrew recovery, marking a major step in India’s in-house capability to test escape systems for fighter jets. The defence ministry said the complex dynamic trial demonstrated the country’s advanced escape-system testing capacity.

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… pic.twitter.com/G19PJOV6yD

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

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the achievement, calling it a significant milestone for indigenous defence development and 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,” the defence minister’s office said in a post on X.

The test was carried out at the rail track rocket sled facility in Chandigarh, in collaboration with ADA and HAL. According to a senior official, a rocket-sled test uses a propulsion mechanism mounted on rails to simulate the high-speed motion of an aircraft in mid-air.

“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 ministry said.

Officials from the IAF and the Institute of Aerospace Medicine witnessed the demonstration. The DRDO said the test simulated the canopy fragilisation pattern, ejection sequencing and complete aircrew recovery process using an instrumented anthropomorphic test dummy that recorded loads, moments, and accelerations experienced during ejection.

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

The ministry noted that “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”.

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

(With inputs from agencies)