NAL’s weed-clearing airboat set for production phase

CSIR-NAL has completed trials of Jaldost Mk-2, the upgraded version of the weed-clearing airboat it developed according to specifications provided by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

Also Read | Land-use changes hit endemic biodiversity on Western Ghats plateaus

The mechanised airboat – designed to remove excess aquatic weeds and floating waste from water bodies – comes with a carrying capacity of about three tonnes and has two loading decks, an improvement on the single-deck Mk-1 which was unveiled in 2019. Jaldost uses air propulsion and thrust vectoring technology to move in shallow waters.

Abhay Pashilkar, Director of National Aerospace Laboratories under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, told reporters on Wednesday that NAL and BBMP are yet to enter a formal agreement on procurement of the airboats. “The trials have been completed. Now, it’s time to identify the customers. The production will be demand-based. Shrivari Engineering Systems (which fabricated the airboats based on NAL’s design) is ready to supply based on BBMP’s requirements,” Pashilkar said.

Jaldost Mk-2 has immense application in Bengaluru which has about 190 lakes but its potential is not restricted to the city or the state, he said.

V K Saraswat, member – NITI Ayog and Chairman, CSIR-NAL Research Council, on Wednesday flagged off Jaldost Mk-1 to CSIR’s National Environmental Engineering Research Institute in Nagpur.

As part of CSIR’s One Week One Lab campaign, NAL also launched Q Plane, a light-weight all-electric UAV with vertical take-off and landing capabilities. NAL said the UAV could be deployed in surveillance, reconnaissance and exploration missions. With a 30-km range and 70-minute endurance, the UAV can carry payloads of up to 4 kg.