JCBL Group has received the Licensing Agreement for Transfer of Technology (LAToT) from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for its indigenous Heavy Drop System – 20T (Type V), designed for deployment from C-130J and C-17 transport aircraft.
The technology-transfer agreement was formally handed over during VIMARSH 2026, the DRDO-Industry Synergy Meet, held in New Delhi on September 15, in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh.
The Heavy Drop System was developed by DRDO’s Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in collaboration with JCBL’s defence division, Airbornics Defence & Space Pvt Ltd (ADSL). The system is designed to enable the parachute-based delivery of heavy military stores, equipment and armoured vehicles from C-130J and C-17 aircraft.
According to DRDO’s technical documentation, the system supports an all-up mass of up to 19,050 kg and consists of a platform and parachute subsystem. It has completed qualification and extensive flight trials, including successful user trials from a C-17 aircraft.
The system is intended to support military operations in remote and high-altitude areas where the movement of heavy equipment by road can be constrained by difficult terrain, limited infrastructure or the need for rapid deployment. It enables heavy equipment to be delivered directly to areas that may be difficult to reach through conventional ground logistics.
The Heavy Drop System incorporates indigenously developed platforms, main parachutes and extractor systems. JCBL said it has absorbed the technology and established manufacturing capability in India, with the system also undergoing field validation under the Army Airborne Training School.
Earlier this year, the system demonstrated its operational capability during an Army validation trial involving the aerial deployment of a 15-tonne BMP armoured personnel carrier at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan.
The technology transfer enables JCBL to take the DRDO-developed system towards manufacturing and wider deployment in India. The development also reflects the role of private industry in taking specialised defence technologies developed by government laboratories into domestic production.
For the Indian Army, the capability is intended to support airborne logistics and rapid deployment of heavy equipment, particularly in remote operational areas. The development also contributes to India’s efforts to build domestic capabilities in specialised defence and aerospace systems.