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Airboats use air propulsion and thrust vectoring technology to travel in shallow/flood waters. Because the propulsion system is in the air, there are no moving parts below the water surface and there is no risk of entanglement with objects under water which are not easily identifiable. This feature also makes it ideal for life saving & rescue operations in flood disaster situations. Directional control is achieved using vector thrust technology, by diverting the propeller downwash airflow, using twin metallic rudders made of aluminium skin and welded steel internal members.
Our country has a huge need for systems which are capable of travelling on weed infested water and marshy lands where conventional boats with submerged propellers are unusable. This capability can also be effectively used to remove weeds from lakes and other water bodies, for efficient cleaning for environmental compliance.
On 1 June 2019, CSIR-NAL launched Jaldost at the Halasuru Lake in central Bengaluru, which can be used for flood relief as well as for weeding in waterbodies.
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