The Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘SAHAYAK-NG’ India’s first indigenously designed and developed Air Dropped Container from IL 38SD aircraft (Indian Navy) off the coast of Goa. The trial was conducted by Indian Navy to enhance its operational logistics capabilities and provide critical engineering stores to ships which are deployed more than 2000 km from the coast. It reduces the requirement of ships to come close to the coast to collect spares and stores.
Two DRDO laboratories i.e. NSTL, Visakhapatnam and ADRDE, Agra were involved in the development of SAHAYAK-NG container along the industry partner M/s Avantel for GPS integration. SAHAYAK-NG is an advanced version of SAHAYAK Mk I. The newly developed GPS aided air dropped container is having the capability to carry a payload that weighs upto 50 kg and can be dropped from heavy aircraft. Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated DRDO scientists, Indian Navy and the associated industry partners involved in the successful maiden trial.
On January 8, 2019 the Indian Navy dropped the Sahayak air-droppable containers, which descended to the sea with the help of a parachute. The cylindrical containers have been indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India’s state-owned military research body. A test payload of 50kg in the container deploying them from IL-38 aircraft off Goa in the Arabian Sea. The navy said it would proceed with serial production of the containers following the successful trials.
Sahayak Containers will enhance the operational logistics capability of the navy, allowing it to supply spares and stores to ships which are deployed more than 2000 kilometers from coast.This will reduce the requirement of ships to come close to coast for collecting spares and stores, thereby increasing the deployment duration. These cylindrical containers are indigenously developed by Naval Science and Technological Laboratory and Aeronautical Development Establishment of DRDO.