Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, on Friday visited the facility of Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL), a subsidiary of Solar Industries India Limited, at Bazargaon on Amravati Road. Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command Air Marshal Vijay Kumar Garg; Chairman of the Solar Industries Satyanarayan Nuwal; Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Manish Nuwal; and other senior officers of the company were present on the occasion. During the visit, Air Chief Marshal reviewed various manufacturing units of the company including rockets and missiles; chaff and flair facility; composite materials manufacturing facility for unmanned aerial vehicle and MALE class air frames and structures; and 1.3 km-long runway for MALE class testing.

 

Apart from this, the CAS also visited the product gallery located in the company premise wherein SDAL has showcased its products like Pinaka rocket system, air-bombs, mines, grenades, military explosives, anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), Nagastra 1 & 2 loiter munitions, and many more. The visit has gained significance as SDAL has, in the recent past, emerged as a key supplier of ammunition to the Indian armed forces by leveraging its expertise in high-energy explosives. It is important to note that the Air Chief Marshal visited the SDAL soon after the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the company. Earlier on March 31, Prime Minister Modi had inaugurated the Loitering Munition Test Range at SDAL in presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Modi had unveiled the plaque to mark the inauguration of the new runway facility for development and testing of unmanned aerial systems.

 

Located at a distance of about 35 km from the city, the newly constructed airstrip and testing range represent a leap forward in India’s capabilities for UAV development and munitions testing. On the other hand, SDAL is aggressively expanding its facility and focusing on drone related technologies and systems. The private player is also eyeing to dominate the rapidly growing demand for weaponised drones.