India, Oct. 6 -- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully flight-tested an indigenously developed High-Altitude Platform (HAPS).

During the experimental flight, the platform climbed to an altitude of 21 km above mean sea level (AMSL) and subsequently maintained an altitude of 20 km for more than 30 minutes. It was later instructed to return to the ground and was successfully recovered, the ministry of defence said on Tuesday.

The flight generated performance data that was analysed by the DRDO team to assess the platform's capabilities and identify areas for further development.

HAPS stands for High-Altitude Platform Station. It refers to an unmanned aircraft, airship or balloon that operates in the stra...