SOURCE: UNI
The Indian Army has signed a deal with Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited to procure approximately 450 units of the Nagastra-1R loitering munition system.
Designed as a cost-effective and reusable platform, the Nagastra-1R is said to stand out for its advanced features tailored for modern warfare. The system includes a 360-degree gimbal camera, with an option to add a thermal camera for night missions.
It also features proprietary encryption for secure video and telemetry communications and a high-precision targeting mechanism with a circular error probable (CEP) of just 2 metres. Manufactured with over 75 per cent indigenous components, the Nagastra 1R has been deployed operationally against low-end threats like platoons of infiltrators, providing silent, cost-effective precision-strike capability
The procurement supports India’s broader Make in India defence initiative, reducing reliance on foreign suppliers, while enhancing tactical flexibility, especially along border areas with insurgent activity.
Deliveries of the new batch are expected in phases. The suicide drone joins other recent domestic orders and falls within India’s growing strategy of equipping infantry and artillery units with loitering munitions, as the defence ecosystem shifts toward drone-intensive warfare.
The Nagastra-1R is a cost effective system with full re-usability of launcher systems. The advanced loitering munition system comes with a 3600 gimbal camera with the option of putting thermal camera option for night operations. The systems have a proprietary encryption for both video and telemetry communication and come with a high precision targeting system with 2 metres CEP and over 75 per cent indigenous content. The systems have been tested at various locations, including Ladakh and Babina near Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, said the sources.