SOURCE: AFI
At Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru, a Hubballi-based startup, Astr Defence, unveiled its innovative ‘Chakra Trap’, a handheld hard-kill system designed to counter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The system offers a unique, non-electronic solution for neutralizing hostile drones by physically capturing and disabling them, setting it apart from conventional counter-UAV technologies.
CEO of Astr Defence, Ankush Koravi, explained that the Chakra Trap uses a grenade-based projectile that deploys a high-tensile net to entangle the propellers of drones, rendering them inoperable. This mechanism provides a reliable method of neutralizing drones, particularly in environments where traditional soft-kill systems, such as jamming, fail to be effective.
The Chakra Trap operates through a lightweight, ergonomic launcher equipped with an artificial intelligence (AI)-based fire control system and a Smart Sight for detection, tracking, and precision targeting. This setup allows for highly accurate targeting of UAVs, ensuring that the system can neutralize a range of drone types, from autonomous to remote-controlled and wired drones. Koravi emphasized that this technology represents the first-ever application of such a system in India.
The AI-powered targeting system automates the launch direction and timing of the projectile, requiring only a single trigger press from the operator. The system is capable of neutralizing drones at a range of up to 500 meters, specifically targeting Radio Frequency (RF) and wired drones, making it an effective countermeasure in a variety of operational scenarios.
“This is a game-changing development for the Indian Armed Forces,” said Koravi. “The Chakra Trap provides a reliable, non-electronic solution to neutralize all UAV types, especially in situations where electronic-based countermeasures, such as jamming, might not work effectively.”
The system has already undergone successful testing, and further evaluations are set to take place in extreme environments, including the high-altitude conditions of Siachen. Koravi confirmed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) plans to integrate the Chakra Trap into its operations by June-July 2025, and the project has already received funding from the IAF.
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