Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Loitering Munition Test Range at Solar Defence & Aerospace Ltd (SDAL), a subsidiary of city-based Solar Industries Ltd, here on Amravati Road. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis; Chairman of the company Satyanarayan Nuwal; Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Manish Nuwal; and Raghav Nuwal were present on the occasion. Modi unveiled the plaque to mark the inauguration of the new runway facility for development and testing of unmanned aerial systems. Located at a distance of about 35 km from the city, the newly constructed airstrip and testing range represent a leap forward in India’s capabilities for UAV development and munitions testing.

 

 

 

The 1.27 km runway, tailored specifically for UAVs, will support the takeoff, landing, and operational testing of unmanned systems, including Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) platforms. The accompanying live munition and warhead testing facility will enable rigorous evaluation of advanced weaponry, such as loitering munitions and other precision-guided munitions. Spread over 1,080 acres land near Bazargaon, the test range has a dedicated command and control centre, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) take off area, endurance and communication range check facility, parachute recovery area, static and moving target engagement, target hit and CEP measurement, warhead lethality test facility, and many more. Apart from this, Modi also visited the product gallery wherein SDAL showcased its products like Pinaka rocket system, air-bombs, mines, grenade, military explosives, ATGM, Nagastra 1 & 2 loiter munitions, and many more.

 

The Prime Minister also witnessed the state-of-the-art indigenously developed systems viz. Loiter Munition (Nagastra 3), Bhargavastra (Micro-Missile based Counter Drone System) and Bhaumastra (Mine Detection & Disposal System). Many Indian companies have entered into drone related technologies and systems mostly focused on surveillance and logistics applications. Use of drones and UAVs for combat applications requires critical competency and infrastructure. Keeping in view the futuristic requirements of this emerging technology, SIDAL has taken the initiative to develop Nagastra series of Loiter Munitions of ranges from 15 km to more than 100 km and explosive payload carrying capability from 1 kg to 10 kg.

 

Bhargavastra is an indigenously designed and developed counter drone system meant for quick interception of drones for an assured hard kill using tiny, guided missiles with swarm engagement capability. “It was a proud and inspirational moment for all the 10,000 employees of Solar Group, Nagpur to be witness to this important milestone in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” said Satyanarayan Nuwal.