Indian Army receives 480 loitering weapons manufactured by Nagpur-based defense manufacturing firm

New Delhi: A defense manufacturing company located in Nagpur has supplied the Indian Army with 480 loitering bombs that include more than 75% local material, marking a significant victory for indigenous weapon systems.

Under a contract the army signed under its emergency procurement powers, the first indigenous loitering munitions, Nagastra-1, made by Solar Industries in Nagpur, have provided the whole batch of 480 loitering munitions, according to defense authorities.

More than 75% of the Nagastra-1 loitering munition is indigenous, having been conceived and manufactured by the company using local materials.

According to authorities, the technology is lightweight, man-portable, and designed to be utilized by Army forces for accurate strikes.

The improved Nagastra-2 and Nagastra-3 missiles, which have increased performance and the capacity to carry a warhead, are being developed by Solar Industries.

Additionally, Solar Industries has presented ideas for the design & development of a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) class of drones to the armed services.

The MALE is now being developed domestically by a few additional Indian companies under the defense ministry’s Indigenously Designed, Developed, and Manufactured (IDDM) purchase category.

In order to create a drone sector that can manufacture highly capable drones at comparatively reduced prices, the forces are aiming to establish an Indigenous MALE program.

To meet its surveillance needs, the police are considering purchasing 97 MALE drones.