Indian Army receives supply of 480 indigenous loitering munitions

In a major success for indigenous weapon systems, the Indian Army has received the supply of 480 loitering munitions made by a Nagpur-based defence manufacturing firm with over 75 per cent indigenous content.

The first indigenous Loiter Munition, Nagastra-1, developed by Solar Industries in Nagpur has supplied the complete lot of 480 loitering munitions under a contract signed under emergency procurement powers by the force, defence officials said.

The indigenous loitering munition named Nagastra-1 has an indigenous content of more than 75 per cent and has been designed and developed indigenously by the firm.

The system is man-portable, and light and is intended to be used for precision strike capabilities by the Army troops, officials said.

Solar Industries is working on the advanced versions of the munition named Nagastra-2 and Nagastra-3 with extended performance and warhead carrying capabilities.

Solar Industries has also submitted proposals to the defence forces for the Design & Development of a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) class of drones.

A few other Indian firms are also now moving towards developing the MALE indigenously under the defence ministry's Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) category for acquisition.

The forces are working towards having an Indigenous MALE programme to develop a drone industry which can produce high capability drones at relatively lower costs.

The force is looking at acquiring 97 MALE drones to fulfil their surveillance requirements.