IIT Delhi unveils indigenous AI-enabled aerostat system for surveillance, disaster response

The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi has demonstrated an indigenous AI-enabled aerostat surveillance system developed under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Industry Academia-Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) research programmes.

According to an IITDelhi, the aerostat system has been developed to strengthen India’s indigenous aerospace and surveillance capabilities while supporting both defence and civilian applications.

The institute said aerostats offer several advantages over drones, including significantly longer endurance, lower operating costs, continuous monitoring capability, higher payload capacity and enhanced reliability. These features make them suitable for border surveillance, disaster management, infrastructure monitoring, environmental observation, traffic management and emergency response.

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The technology was developed under the DRDO-funded SITEX-I and SITEX-II research programmes at IIT Delhi. Under the guidance of Mangala Joshi and B S Butola from the Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, researchers created indigenous aerostat hull materials and engineering technologies aimed at reducing dependence on imported strategic materials.

IIT Delhi said the research has helped establish a foundation for India’s lighter-than-air systems ecosystem.

IIT Delhi startups support aerostat development

Building on the academic research, GB Texcoat Solution Pvt. Ltd., a FITT-IIT Delhi-incubated deep-tech startup, developed and fabricated the complete aerostat system.

The startup used proprietary coated textile materials designed for improved helium retention, lightweight construction, durability and all-weather operations, the institute said.

During the demonstration, the aerostat carried a high-definition surveillance payload, validating the performance of the indigenous platform.

At the same time, CYRAN AI, an IIT Delhi faculty-led deep-tech startup, deployed advanced Edge AI algorithms to analyse live aerial imagery in real time.

According to the press release of IIT Delhi, the AI system enabled intelligent object detection, classification, activity recognition and automated alerts.

Indigenous technology for defence and civilian use

The institute said the demonstration reflects the collaboration between government-supported research, academia and startups in developing strategic technologies within India.

Apart from defence preparedness, IIT Delhi said indigenous aerostat systems can also support disaster response, public safety, agriculture, environmental management, smart-city applications and critical infrastructure monitoring.

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“The successful demonstration represents another important step toward realising the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’,” IIT Delhi said.

The institute added that the project positions India as an emerging global player in advanced surveillance and lighter-than-air technologies.