New Delhi, October 13, 2026 — Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL), a subsidiary of Solar Industries India, has completed delivery of 450 Nagastra-1R loitering munitions to the Indian Army in a single consignment. The company described the handover as the largest single-batch supply of loitering munitions ever provided to the Indian Army by any manufacturer.
The order was placed under the Army’s emergency procurement route. Technical trials were conducted in March 2025 at the Special Forces Training School (SFTS) in Makloh, Maharashtra, with four companies participating. According to SDAL, it was the only firm to meet all the required operational parameters during these evaluations. System performance and target-hit accuracy were further assessed through multiple live trials.
The Nagastra-1R has been configured specifically for the Indian Army’s short-range operational requirements. It supports kamikaze (suicide) attack mode while retaining the capability to abort a mission in flight and recover the munition for subsequent use. The system offers high-precision targeting with a reported circular error probable (CEP) of approximately two metres.
It is equipped with a 360-degree gimbal camera and can be fitted with a thermal camera for night operations. Proprietary encryption secures video and telemetry links. The platform can operate at altitudes exceeding 4,500 metres and is designed for both day and night missions against soft-skinned targets.
More than 80 per cent of the system’s components are indigenous. It features fully reusable launcher systems, contributing to its cost-effectiveness as a precision-strike solution. Typical performance figures associated with the Nagastra family include man-in-the-loop ranges of around 15 km, autonomous ranges of up to 30 km, endurance of up to 60 minutes, and a high-explosive fragmentation warhead in the 1–1.5 kg class, though exact parameters for the 1R variant remain as configured to Army requirements.
The induction strengthens the Army’s short-range precision-strike and loitering-munition inventory at a time when such systems have demonstrated growing relevance in contemporary operations, including Operation Sindoor. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has previously noted the successful employment of Nagastra drones against terrorist targets and has expressed confidence in further indigenous developments from the Solar Group.
The delivery aligns with the broader emphasis on Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives in the defence sector, reducing reliance on imported loitering munitions while expanding domestic production capacity.
SDAL, which has developed the Nagastra series through Economic Explosives Limited (EEL) in collaboration with Z-Motion Autonomous Systems, stated that the system offers a cost-effective precision option without compromise on accuracy or quality. The company indicated its intent to expand loitering-munition deployments and deepen long-term collaboration with the Indian Armed Forces.
This largest-ever single consignment marks a significant step in the Indian Army’s modernisation of unmanned precision-strike capabilities, particularly for tactical operations where recoverable, high-accuracy loitering munitions can enhance operational flexibility while minimising risk to personnel.
