Indian Army receives first batch of indigenous suicide drones 'Nagastra-1'

The Indian Army has received the first batch of man-portable suicide drones named Nagastra-1, as per a media report. The drones are capable of accurately striking enemy training camps, launch padsand infiltrators, hence minimising risk to soldiers.

The high-tech drones are designed and developed completely in India by Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), a subsidiary of Solar Industries, Nagpur. As per a report by the Economic Times, the drones have an indigenous content of over 75 per cent.

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The addition of these drones will enhance the capability of the Indian Army to execute shallow strikes across the border when necessary. Drones like Nagastra-1 with in-built warheads are known as kamikaze or exploding drones.

The Indian Army placed an order of 480 such drones to EEL, out of which 120 Nagastra-1s have been delivered to an Army Ammunition Depot, as per defence officials.

Nagastra-1: The kamikaze drones of the Indian Army

Nagastra -1, in a "kamikaze mode", can neutralise any hostile threat with a GPS-enabled precision strike with an accuracy of 2m. The man-portable fixed-wing electric UAV, which weighs 9 kg, has an endurance of 30 min, a man-in-loop range of 15 km, and an autonomous mode range of 30 km.

Its electric propulsion system provides a low acoustic signature to make it undetectable by the enemy at a height of more than 200 metres, according to defence officials.

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The munitions can carry a 1 kg warhead up to a range of 15 km, with an upgraded version capable of carrying 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 themto be reused multiple times.

These drones were first unveiled in 2023, during a Niche Technology and Innovation display at Manekshaw Centre in April.

Loitering Munition

Drones like Nagastra-1 are a type of loitering munition, in which the aerial weapon is designed with anin-built warhead that is typically designed to loiter around an area until a target is located and then attack the target by crashing into it.

What makes these drones distinct is that they enable faster reaction times against hidden targets that emerge for short periods, without placing high-value platforms near the target area, allowing more selective targeting as the attack can be changed mid-flight or aborted.

(With inputs from agencies)