New Delhi: A C-17 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force on December 7 airdropped in a military zone in Agra an indigenously developed heavy platform that can carry a maximum load of 16 tons, officials said.

It is for the first time that a platform having a dimension of 24 feet by eight feet with 16 tonnes load capacity was airdropped from an IAF plane, they said.

“An Indian Air Force C-17 airdropped an ADRDE-developed Type V Platform (24 ft), for the first time. This successful outcome is a result of the efforts of dedicated teams from IAF, Indian Army, and ADRDE, in showcasing the strength of indigenous innovation,” the IAF’s Western Command posted on ‘X’.

The Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) is a premier defence research laboratory.

The officials said the trials to airdrop the platform were carried out in three stages. “The first stage involved inspecting the load outside the aircraft. The second stage involved loading checks of the platform in C-17 aircraft and the third stage involved airdrop of the entire system over a selected drop zone,” said an official, explaining the process.

“All the stages were completed successfully. The cargo was released as planned and landed safely as desired,” he said.