The Indian Army has inked a contract with Solar Industries Nagpur to supply it with ‘Nagastra’ loitering munition. According to a Solar Industries official, the first indigenous Loiter Munition, Nagastra-1, has been designed and developed by Economics Explosives Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of Solar Industries Nagpur, in collaboration with Z-Motion, Bangalore, in response to the government’s initiative to incorporate Atmanirbharta into ammunition and defence systems.
According to Solar officials, the Indian Army submitted a tender for the drones a few months ago, and Solar emerged as the winner after trials and other necessary procedures. To date, such drones have been purchased from foreign vendors, notably Israeli and Polish firms. According to the official, this loitering munition contains more than 75% Made in India components and outperforms competing offers from Israel and Poland.
About Nagastra Drones
Nagastra-1 has a maximum range of 30 kilometres in autonomous mode and 15 kilometres in man-in-the-loop mode, according to the official. It has a maximum loitering time of 60 minutes and an accuracy of fewer than 2 metres. The GPS-guided fixed-wing electric-powered UAV can kill a variety of soft-skinned targets with its pre-fragmented high explosive warhead. The munition also has a day/night camera for surveillance.
In ‘Kamikaze’ mode, the Nagastra-1 can crash into any target and search for and destroy it. In ‘Kamikaze mode,’ it can eliminate any hostile danger with a GPS-enabled precision attack with 2-metre accuracy. If the target is not discovered or the mission is aborted, the munition can be summoned and recovered by parachute. EEL is also developing Nagastra-2, a hovering munition with a range of more than 25 kilometres and an endurance of 90 minutes.
Significance of Private Members in the Defence Industry
The rising participation of private enterprises in the manufacture of arms and ammunition is a significant boost to the armed forces ‘Aatma Nirbharta’. For the first time, the creation and production of such world-class weaponry by private enterprise is a significant achievement for the country.
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