After successfully demonstrating the world class loitering munition, the city-based Solar Industries India Limited (SIL) bagged its supply order from the Indian Army in the face of competition from international players as well as domestic ones. Considering its strategic significance in the current scenario, the Indian Army placed the supply of the first indigenous loiter munition named ‘Nagastra–1’ under emergency procurement system. The sophisticated weapon, also displayed in the Army Commanders’ Conference being held in New Delhi, has been designed and developed by Economics Explosives Ltd (EEL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Solar Industries Nagpur, in association with Z-Motion, Bangalore.

Rear Admiral Sanjay Misra (Retd), President (Business Development) Solar Industries India Limited, confirmed the development saying that Nagastra -1 has many world class features. “It can neutralise any hostility or threat with GPS-enabled precision strike with an accuracy of 2 metres. The fixed wing electric unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has an endurance of 60 min with a man-in-loop range of 15 km and autonomous mode range of 30 km,” he added. Besides day-night surveillance cameras, the loiter munition is equipped with fragmenting warhead to defeat soft-skin targets. In case a target is not detected, or the mission is aborted, the loiter munition can be called back and make a soft landing with a parachute recovery mechanism enabling it to be reused multiple times. Abort, recover and reuse features of the loiter munition make this system superior to similar class of systems developed by advanced countries.

Drone technology has proved to be a force multiplier in military operations as evident from its application in various recent conflicts across the world, especially Armenia - Azerbaijan, Syria, strikes on oilfields in Saudi Arabia and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Even in Indian context, the recent incidents along the borders have seen a noticeable increase in drone related incidents along the northern borders.

Solar Industries has taken the initiative to develop a wide array of weaponised drones to neutralise various targets using gravity drop bombs, guided missiles or using them in a Kamikaze mode. In Kamikaze mode, pilots performed suicidal missions by crashing their aircraft loaded with explosives. The growing participation of private industries in manufacture of armament and ammunition is a major boost in the ‘Aatma Nirbharta’ of armed forces. Development and manufacture of such a world class weapons by private industry for the first time is a big achievement for the country.