In the strategic military action against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, Indian armed forces utilised sophisticated precision strike weapon systems, including loitering munitions made by city-based Solar Industries. Sources told The Hitavada that the Indian Armed Forces strategically made use of Nagastra-1 manufactured by the company. Indian armed forces had recently acquired its first indigenous loitering munitions, the Nagastra-1, manufactured by Solar Industries India Ltd through its subsidiary Economic Explosives Limited (EEL). The EEL had received the supply order of 480 units of these systems under an emergency procurement initiative.

 

In December 2024, the Indian Army had received 480 Nagastra-1 loitering munitions with over 75 per cent indigenous content, marking significant progress in domestic defence manufacturing. It is a 1 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead capable of neutralizing soft-skin targets. In addition, its GPS-enabled precision strikes with an accuracy of up to two meters. It is integrated with day and night surveillance cameras and a ground control station with communication modules and pneumatic launcher. The Nagastra-1 represents an important milestone in India’s defence manufacturing capabilities, featuring a highly portable, man-packable system weighing approximately 30 kg components divided into two rucksacks for field deployment.

 

A unique feature of the Nagastra-1 is its parachute recovery mechanism, which allows operators to abort missions mid-flight, recover the UAV, and redeploy it for future operations. This capability distinguishes it from many international competitors and enhances its cost-effectiveness. Further, Solar Industries is reportedly developing advanced versions of the weapon systems (Nagastra-2 and Nagastra-3) with extended performance and enhanced warhead capabilities. Operation Sindoor, conducted on intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, represents a significant application of loitering munitions in India’s counter-terrorism strategy. Following the tragic Pahalgam terrorist attack that resulted in 26 casualties India launched precise strikes against nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoJK.