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Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL), a subsidiary of Solar Industries India, has completed the delivery of 450 Nagastra-1R loitering munitions to the Indian Army in a single batch, marking a significant milestone in the company’s indigenous precision-strike programme.
The order for these kamikaze drones was placed under the Army’s emergency procurement process following technical trials in March 2025 at MAKLOH (SFTS). According to the company, four firms participated in the trials, but SDAL was the only one to demonstrate all the prescribed operational parameters.
The Nagastra-1R variant was configured to meet the Army’s requirements for short-range operations, with a kamikaze attack capability and an abort-and-recovery option. The latter allows the system to return for recovery if a mission is called off, improving its operational flexibility.
SDAL said the system underwent multiple live trials, including assessments of target-hit accuracy. The company described the 450-unit delivery as the largest single-lot supply of loitering munitions to the Indian Army by any manufacturer.
Nagastra-1 is an electric-powered, fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle designed to remain airborne over an area before engaging a designated target. In its kamikaze mode, the drone strikes the target with its onboard warhead. Its electric propulsion is intended to reduce acoustic signature, while its surveillance equipment supports operations in day and night conditions.
Published specifications for the Nagastra-1 system cite a GPS-enabled accuracy of around two metres, an endurance of up to 60 minutes, a range of 15 km under man-in-the-loop control and an autonomous operating range of 30 km. The system also incorporates an abort-and-recovery mechanism, including parachute-assisted recovery. These specifications should not be assumed to apply identically to every Nagastra variant.
The growing use of relatively low-cost unmanned systems in conflicts, including the ongoing Iran-US-Israel confrontation, has reinforced the operational relevance of loitering munitions. Such systems offer armed forces a means of conducting precision strikes while reducing the exposure of personnel to hostile fire. Their battlefield effectiveness, however, depends on factors including target identification, navigation, resistance to electronic warfare and performance in contested airspace.
SDAL said the delivery would underpin its efforts to secure further long-term deployments of its loitering munition systems with the armed forces. The completion of the 450-unit order represents a substantial production and delivery milestone for the company, although the Army’s future procurement plans and the scale of any additional orders have not been disclosed.
The delivery also highlights the Indian defence industry’s expanding role in supplying indigenous unmanned strike systems to meet the armed forces’ operational requirements.
Team BharatShakti
