New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has carried out the first live jump of its Advanced High-Altitude Parachute (AHAP) at Nyoma (Mudh) drop zone, one of the highest in the country, the Press Information Bureau said on October 6, 2026.
The jump was made from 16,000 feet above mean sea level. The parachute was deployed at 15,500 feet, and the jumper landed at Nyoma, which lies at 13,700 feet. The defence ministry said the trial proved the parachute's efficacy and its tactical use in extremely high-altitude terrain. Nyoma is in eastern Ladakh, where troops operate in thin air.
AHAP is a static line parachute system meant for the mass drop of paratroopers. In such a system, the canopy opens automatically through a line attached to the aircraft. The Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Agra designed and developed it, and the Ordnance Parachute Factory in Kanpur manufactured it. The Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance inspected the system, while the Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness in Kanpur, under the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (Cemilac), certified it.
According to the ministry, AHAP offers several deployment modes and works across a very wide altitude range, up to 18,000 feet. It also has a rate of descent the ministry described as the safest, suited to the needs of the Indian armed forces in high-altitude areas. Static line jumps at such heights are complex and inherently risky because of very high opening shock and rate of descent.
The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, complimented DRDO, the armed forces, defence public sector undertakings and industry on the maiden live jump. He called the indigenous system another big step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
The defence secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh, who is secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development and chairman of DRDO, congratulated the team that designed and developed the system.
