Which organisation carried out a high-speed rocket-sled test for a fighter jet…
2026
Which organisation carried out a high-speed rocket-sled test for a fighter jet escape system in December 2025?
Answer: D. Defence Research and Development Organisation — ConceptIndia's defence establishment divides its work by mandate: Research, development and ground evaluation of new defence technology belong to the Ministry…
- A.
Bharat Electronics Limited
- B.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
- C.
Indian Space Research Organisation
- D.
Defence Research and Development Organisation
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Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
India's defence establishment divides its work by mandate:
Research, development and ground evaluation of new defence technology belong to the Ministry of Defence's own research-and-development organisation.
Series production of platforms and equipment belongs to the defence public-sector undertakings.
Civil space activity belongs to the national space agency under the Department of Space.
So when a question asks which body carried out a developmental trial of a defence technology, the answer follows the research-and-development mandate, not the manufacturing mandate and not the space mandate.
Application
The trial described is a rocket-sled test of a fighter aircraft crew escape system, that is, the ejection seat and its associated sequence. A rocket-sled track uses rocket motors to accelerate a test article along rails to a representative flight speed, so that canopy severance, seat ejection and parachute deployment can be validated on the ground before any airborne trial is attempted.
This December 2025 high-speed rocket-sled test was carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation at its Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh, which operates the rocket-sled facility used for such trials.
Cross-check
Compare the mandates of the other national bodies named in the item:
Organisation | Core mandate | Bearing on this trial |
|---|---|---|
Bharat Electronics Limited | Manufactures military electronics: radars, sonars, communication sets and electronic-warfare equipment. | Supplies subsystems to the forces; it did not conduct the sled test. |
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited | Builds, assembles and overhauls aircraft, helicopters and aero-engines. | A partner on fighter-aircraft programmes, but the sled test was credited to the defence research organisation. |
Indian Space Research Organisation | Launch vehicles, satellites and space-science missions under the Department of Space. | Its remit does not cover fighter-aircraft escape systems. |
Hence the organisation that carried out the high-speed rocket-sled test for the fighter jet escape system in December 2025 is the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).