India has tested a new military parachute at extreme height. The DRDO carried out the first live jump of its Advanced High-Altitude Parachute at Nyoma in Ladakh.

The jump took place from 16,000 feet above mean sea level. The parachute opened at 15,500 feet. The paratrooper landed at the Nyoma drop zone, which sits at 13,700 feet.

The system is called AHAP. It is a static-line parachute made for the mass drop of soldiers. It can work at altitudes up to 18,000 feet. It has several deployment modes and a safe rate of descent.

Jumps at such heights are risky. The air is thin. The shock when the canopy opens is strong. The descent is fast. The test shows the system can handle these conditions.

The parachute was designed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment in Agra. It was made by the Ordnance Parachute Factory in Kanpur. It was checked by the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance and certified by CEMILAC.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the teams. He called it another step towards self-reliance in defence.