Nagpur, March 31
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Loitering Munition Test Range of Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited, which is supplying the Nagastra-1 'suicide drone' and key components of the Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System to the Indian Army, in Nagpur on Sunday.
"I visited the Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited facility in Nagpur and inaugurated the Loitering Munition Test Range. This will significantly boost self-reliance in the defence sector," PM Modi said in a post on X.
Solar Industries India Ltd in January announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Economic Explosives Limited (EEL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government to establish a mega defence and aerospace project in Nagpur.
"...this is to inform you that in a major commitment towards advancing the nation's capabilities in critical areas like Defence and Aerospace, Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Solar Industries India Limited has entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Maharashtra, India, on January 22, 2025, in Davos, Switzerland to establish an Anchor Mega Defence and Aerospace Project (Proposed project) in Nagpur," it said in a regulatory filing.
The agreement, formalised during the World Economic Forum in Davos, envisages a project, with an investment of approximately Rs 12,700 crore, will focus on expanding production capabilities in critical defence products such as drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), counter-drone systems, energetic materials, and next-generation explosives.
As per the company, the Maharashtra government will facilitate necessary permissions, registrations, approvals, and fiscal incentives for EEL in accordance with the state’s policies and regulations.
The Solar Group's defence subsidiary has contributed several cutting-edge weapons to the Indian armed forces.
In June last year, the Indian Army received from EEL the first batch of 'Nagastra-1' or 'suicide drones' which can strike enemy training camps and launch pads in border areas with precision and save soldiers’ lives.
The Army placed an order of 480 such drones, and at least 120 of them have reportedly been delivered.
‘Nagastra-1’ is a type of “loitering munition”, where the aerial weapon is designed with an in-built warhead, designed to loiter around an area until a target is located and then crash into it.
These indigenously developed drones offer more selective targeting as the attack can be changed mid-flight or even aborted. In a ‘kamikaze mode’, the drone can neutralise any threat with a GPS-enabled precision strike with an accuracy of 2 metres.
Weighing around 9 kg, the fixed-wing electric unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has an endurance of 30 minutes, a man-in-loop range of 15 km and an autonomous mode range of 30 km.
It can apparently carry a 1 kg warhead up to a range of 15 km and an upgraded version can carry a 2.2 kg warhead up to 30 km.
In case a target is not detected or if the mission is aborted, the suicide drones can be called back and make a soft landing with a parachute recovery mechanism, enabling them to be reused multiple times.
In February this year, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed contracts worth a total of Rs 10,147 crore with the EEL, as well as Munitions India Ltd (MIL), and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) to enhance the Indian Army's firepower with advanced rockets for the PINAKA Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). This is a big step towards a major milestone in the modernisation of India’s artillery forces.
Under the contracts, the EEL will supply the Area Denial Munition (ADM) Type-1 (DPICM), and the MIL will provide the High Explosive Pre-Fragmented (HEPF) Mk-1 (Enhanced) rockets.
