Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd. (SDAL), headquartered in Nagpur, has commenced deliveries of its indigenously developed Nagastra-2 loitering munition system to the Indian Army. The development represents a further step in India’s efforts to strengthen domestic defence manufacturing and enhance the Army’s precision-strike and anti-armour capabilities.
The Nagastra-2 is an advanced loitering munition that integrates surveillance and strike functions into a single platform. Equipped with day-and-night surveillance cameras, the system carries a 4 kg tandem shaped-charge warhead designed to penetrate up to 650 mm of Rolled Homogeneous Armour (RHA), enabling it to engage armoured targets on the battlefield.
According to the manufacturer, Nagastra-2 offers an operational range of up to 25 km in recover-and-reuse mode and 50 km in fire-and-forget mode. With an endurance of up to 60 minutes, the munition can remain airborne while searching for targets before executing precision engagements, providing operational flexibility to field commanders.
Electronic Counter-Countermeasures Enhance Operational Resilience
A key feature of Nagastra-2 is its Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM) capability, designed to improve mission effectiveness in electronically contested environments. The technology is intended to help the system maintain operational performance against communication jamming, GPS interference and spoofing attempts, which pose growing challenges to unmanned systems in modern warfare.
Solar Defence stated that Nagastra-2 successfully completed technical trials at the Mahajan Field Firing Range (MFFR) in August 2026. During the trials, military personnel reportedly observed the system’s operational performance and compliance with ECCM requirements, paving the way for its induction and deliveries to the Indian Army.
Nagastra-2 Builds on Earlier Army Procurement
The latest deliveries follow the Indian Army’s earlier procurement of indigenous loitering munitions from SDAL. In 2025, the Army placed an order for approximately 450 Nagastra-1R systems, reflecting continued adoption of domestically developed precision-strike technologies.
The Nagastra-1R was designed as a cost-effective loitering munition with fully reusable launcher systems. It incorporates a 360-degree gimbal camera and can accommodate a thermal imaging payload to support night-time operations. The system also features proprietary encryption for video and telemetry links, alongside a reported circular error probable (CEP) of approximately two metres.
More than 80% of the Nagastra-1R’s content is indigenous, supporting India’s objectives of reducing dependence on imported defence equipment and expanding domestic capabilities in advanced unmanned systems.
The Nagastra family has also undergone testing in varied operational environments, including Ladakh and Babina near Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. These trials have helped demonstrate the systems’ performance across different climatic and terrain conditions.
Strengthening India’s Indigenous Precision-Strike Capabilities
The induction of Nagastra-2 adds another domestically developed capability to the Indian Army’s inventory, particularly in the areas of anti-armour engagement, surveillance and precision strikes. Its combination of extended operational range, endurance and electronic counter-countermeasures is intended to address evolving battlefield requirements.
As armed forces increasingly adopt unmanned platforms capable of operating in contested electromagnetic environments, India’s investment in indigenous loitering munitions highlights the growing importance of domestic research, development and manufacturing.
The Nagastra programme also reflects the broader role of Indian defence manufacturers in developing specialised technologies for the armed forces. Continued procurement and operational deployment of such systems could contribute to strengthening India’s domestic defence industrial base and advancing its long-term self-reliance objectives in advanced military technology.
