NEW DELHI: Solar Industries, based in Nagpur, has delivered the first indigenously developed Loitering Munition, Nagastra–1, to the Indian Army.
The Indian Army has placed an order with Solar Industries’ Economics Explosives Ltd (EEL) for the supply of 480 Loiter Munitions under Emergency Procurement Powers.
“After successful completion of pre-delivery inspections, EEL delivered 120 Loiter Munitions to an Army Ammunition Depot,” news agency ANI quoted defence officials as saying.
Here’s all you need to know about made-in-India‘s Nagastra–1:
The Indian Army has placed an order with Solar Industries’ Economics Explosives Ltd (EEL) for the supply of 480 Loiter Munitions under Emergency Procurement Powers.
“After successful completion of pre-delivery inspections, EEL delivered 120 Loiter Munitions to an Army Ammunition Depot,” news agency ANI quoted defence officials as saying.
Here’s all you need to know about made-in-India‘s Nagastra–1:
- Nagastra, a UAV-based system, functions like an aerial ambush. Unlike other weapons, Solar’s
Nagastra has the capability to abort an attack if necessary and can be safely retrieved. It is named loitering munition due to its ability to hover above the target. - In “Kamikaze mode,” it can neutralize any hostile threat with GPS-enabled precision strike, achieving an accuracy of 2m.
- The remotely controlled weapon is mounted on a UAV that can fly at an altitude of over 4,500 meters, making it undetectable by radar. For instance, if the target is a caravan carrying a militant leader expected to reach a specific location at a given time, the Nagastra can loiter in the air and strike when the target arrives. It hits in a kamikaze mode, destroying both the target and itself.
- The fixed-wing electric UAV has an endurance of 60 minutes with a man-in-loop range of 15km and an autonomous mode range of 30km.
- In addition to day-night surveillance cameras, the Loiter Munition is equipped with a warhead capable of defeating soft-skin targets.
- The abort, recover, and reuse features of this Loiter Munition make it superior to similar systems developed by advanced countries. If the target is not detected or the mission is aborted, it can be called back and make a soft landing using a parachute.
- Nagastra-l is the first indigenized weapon of its class, capable of hovering in the air and striking when the target arrives.
