Airborne Surveillance Platform - Integration, Trials & Crash

Integration, Trials & Crash

System integration began in the late 1980s and by 1989 HAL had modified three HS 748 aeroplanes with pylons as well as an additional APU to power the rotodome hydraulics, computers, communications and the experimental gear aboard. Trials began in 1989 and the complete aircraft flew for the first time in November 1990.

The trials lasted for approximately 3 years until the ARDPs had to be replaced with a newer variant and the trials were suspended pending completion of the upgrade. In 1995 when the tests resumed, the platform was meeting most of the program goals. At the same time however, the Air Headquarters staff re-affirmed previous doubts about the specifications meeting their requirements. This led to the Defence Ministry informing the Air Headquarters & Air Force that the ASP was not expected to meet their requirements, but rather to study the possibility of providing an airborne EW platform and gain development experience. Though observers point to these differences as the reasons contributing to the handing over of the ASP to the Indian Navy rather than the IAF, both the Indian Navy and Air Force originally helped define the requirements.

After this clarification, the project progressed with renewed vigour, only to be set-back again on 12 January 1999 when the second prototype crashed. The first prototype being just a test-bed for pylon studies. Two crew, four scientists and two IAF engineers died in the crash, a total of eight people, with no survivors.