Indian Army's 'Nagastra-1' Loitering Munitions Hits Bullseye In Live Demo At Infantry Commanders' Conference

Indian Army has inducted Nagpur-based Solar Industries' Nagastra-1 loitering munition.

The Nagastra-1 loitering munition has a 'Made in India' content of more than 75 per cent. It was selected by the army in April through a competitive process, outperforming various world-class offerings from Israel and Poland.

Army conducted a live demonstration of Nagastra-1 which saw the loitering munition precisely destroying its target at the Infantry Commanders' Conference.

The munition was launched in a pre-determined trajectory, following which it went to a kamikaze mode, and hit the target with pin-point accuracy.

Nagastra-1 has a maximum strike range of 15 km and can carry a payload of 1 kg. It can loiter over a target for a maximum of 60 minutes and has an accuracy of less than 2 metres.

The fixed-wing electric-powered UAV uses GPS for precision strikes and is capable of destroying various soft-skinned targets using its pre-fragmented high explosive warhead. The munition also carries a day-and-night camera for surveillance as well.

The Nagastra-1 in its 'Kamikaze' mode can search and destroy any target by crashing into it. If the target is not found or the mission is aborted, the munition can be called back and recovered using a parachute.

Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), a subsidiary of Solar Industries, is also working on another loitering munition, Nagastra-2, which has a range of more than 25 km and an endurance of 90 minutes.