450 loitering munitions ordered to help boost army's capabilities
The ₹ 158-crore order for the Nagastra-1R loitering munitions is a follow-on contract to the 480 Nagastra-1 drones ordered for the army last year through the emergency procurement route, the people said, asking not to be named. The firm, a subsidiary of Solar Industries and earlier known as Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), will execute the new order in one year to meet the army's urgent needs.
Such munitions hover over the battle zone, locate the target and crash into it.
The Nagastra-1R is equipped with a 360-degree gimbal camera, with the option of using a thermal one for night operations, has a proprietary encryption for video and telemetry communication, and its launcher system is reusable, HT learnt. It has an indigenous content of around 80%.
Loitering munitions --- including Nagastra-1, and Harop bought from Israel --- were deployed during Operation Sindoor. Nagastra-1 carries a one-kg warhead, has a maximum range of 30 km, and an endurance of 60 minutes. The exact specifications of the newer variant Nagastra-1R weren't immediately available.
Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd has expanded its footprint in the country's defence manufacturing sector in recent years. In February, the defence ministry signed two contracts worth ₹ 10,147-crore to buy ammunition for the army's indigenous Pinaka multi-launcher rocket system — one of them was with Solar and the other with Pune-based Munitions India Limited.
The Nagpur-based firm (then called EEL) has also supplied one million hand grenades to the army under a 2020 contract worth ₹ 409 crore. These replaced a World War-II vintage hand grenade design that was being used by the army.
India launched the operation in the early hours of May 7 and struck terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror strike in which 26 people were shot dead. It triggered a four-day military confrontation with Pakistan involving fighter jets, missiles, drones, long-range weapons and heavy artillery before the two sides reached an understanding on stopping all military action on May 10.
Days after the ceasefire, the government granted powers to the armed forces to make emergency purchases worth around ₹ 40,000 crore.
On June 21, defence minister Rajnath Singh said India paused Operation Sindoor after Pakistan asked for a ceasefire. 'Operation Sindoor is not over yet. India is fully prepared to take all kinds of action against terrorism,' he said at the time, addressing troops in Udhampur.
Private sector drone maker ideaForge Technology on Monday said it has secured an order worth ₹ 137 crore --- through the emergency procurement route --- for supplying mini UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) systems to the army, adding that these are battle-tested and inducted into the army's inventory for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) operations.
'The platform has also been battle-tested during the recent Operation Sindoor, where it played a critical role in providing ISR to the armed forces. Its performance in live operations validated both its technological robustness and mission-critical value,' the company said in a statement.
This emergency procurement for counter-insurgency and counter-terror operations will help safeguard national security, and 'reaffirms our commitment to building world-class, reliable UAVs in India', ideaForge Technology CEO Ankit Mehta said.
'It is a matter of pride that our platforms are not just made in India, but are also built to serve and protect India under the most demanding conditions, backed by a resilient and trusted supply chain,' he said.
The execution timeline for this order is also set at 12 months, aligning with the army's immediate operational requirements.
On June 19, the defence ministry said it has set up a high-powered committee, headed by the director general (acquisition), to steer a comprehensive review of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 for speedy modernisation of the armed forces and boosting self-reliance in the critical sector.
The aim of the review, the ministry said, is to meet the operational requirements and modernisation needs of the armed forces in a timely manner to ensure national security and achieve self-reliance goals by promoting technology infusion through indigenously designed and developed systems.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
21 minutes ago
- Economic Times
SpaceX Starlink Outage: Global users face issues, longest disruption yet, says expert
SpaceX Starlink Outage: Customers Report Issues Starlink Confirms Software Failure Live Events SpaceX Starlink Users Share Frustration SpaceX Starlink Outage Longest Service Disruption SpaceX Starlink Outage Expert and Institutional Response FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel SpaceX's satellite internet service, Starlink, went through a major disruption affecting users across the globe. The outage, which lasted for over two hours, left many customers without internet access. SpaceX confirmed the issue was linked to internal software problems and promised to prevent future from several countries experienced a loss of internet connection through their Starlink satellite dishes. The outage was reported by users across the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Posts on platforms like Reddit, Facebook, and X revealed that many users were unable to access the user in Southern Italy reported trying different methods to troubleshoot the issue without success. US-based users from Virginia to Arkansas also said they were still offline. Some suggested trying a factory reset of the Starlink Nicolls, SpaceX's Vice President of Starlink Engineering, said the problem was caused by a failure in key internal software services These services control the core functions of the Starlink network. Although the issue was resolved for most users, some are still experiencing connectivity stated that the company is working to find the exact cause and will implement changes to avoid a repeat. On X, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk apologized and said the issue would be addressed users have started to regain access to the internet. Brian Westover of PCMag said he lost his connection for nearly two hours in rural Idaho. Initially, the Starlink app indicated that the dish was obstructed, though there were no visible noted the difficulty of knowing whether the issue was due to personal equipment or Starlink's system. This made it hard for users to know what actions to take to fix the Madory from Kentik, an internet analysis firm, described the outage as Starlink's longest since becoming a major provider. The outage lasted approximately 2.5 hours. This marks a significant event for a service with more than 6 million global a site that tracks online service disruptions, showed over 55,000 outage reports around noon PT. Even Starlink's website was affected and displayed a service outage notice before becoming Pan, a professor at the University of Victoria in Canada, also faced issues. He mentioned that their research team, which monitors 20 Starlink dishes worldwide, found all of them offline during the Starlink services were disrupted, T-Mobile confirmed that its new T-Satellite service operated normally with no impact. T-Mobile recently launched this messaging service to reach users in cellular dead outage was caused by a failure in internal software services that operate the core Starlink network, according to users have regained access, but some customers are still reporting connectivity issues in different regions.
Mint
21 minutes ago
- Mint
India, New Zealand conclude second round of FTA talks in Delhi; third round set for September in Auckland
New Delhi: India and New Zealand have completed the second round of negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA), with both sides registering progress across key sectors, the commerce ministry said in a statement on Friday. The discussions, which concluded on 25 July in New Delhi, focused on deepening trade and investment ties and reflected growing alignment on a range of commercial and regulatory issues. The third round is slated for September in New Zealand, the ministry said. The development comes a day after India and the United Kingdom signed a landmark free trade agreement, adding to India's growing portfolio of bilateral trade agreements, including those with Australia and the UAE. The latest talks between India and New Zealand were held from 14-25 July and saw advancement in several negotiating pillars, including trade in goods and services, investment, rules of origin, customs procedures, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and economic cooperation. Negotiators from both sides indicated that early convergence had been achieved on multiple texts, and virtual intersessional meetings will be held to sustain momentum until the next in-person round. The FTA discussions were formally launched during New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's visit to India in March, when he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both sides announced the launch of negotiations for a free trade agreement as part of efforts to deepen economic cooperation amid growing concerns over a potential global tariff war triggered by US President Donald Trump's aggressive trade stance. Mint was the first to report on India exploring renewed FTA negotiations with New Zealand, in a report dated 26 June 2024. The first round of negotiations between the two countries began in May 2025 in New Delhi. The latest round of talks signals steady movement towards what officials described as a 'balanced, comprehensive, and forward-looking agreement'. India's merchandise trade with New Zealand reached $1.3 billion in 2024-25, up nearly 49% from FY24, albeit from a relatively modest base. Trade analysts said an agreement with New Zealand, while smaller in scale compared with India's deals with the UK and the EU, would help New Delhi stitch a more strategic Indo-Pacific trade network. 'New Zealand is a gateway to the Pacific and has a relatively high per capita import appetite,' said Abhash Kumar, a trade economist. 'A well-negotiated deal will give Indian firms a secure and rules-based market while opening possibilities for trilateral arrangements with Australia or ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).' India is focusing on improving access for sectors such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, information technology services, and agri-products, while New Zealand is expected to push for gains in dairy, meat, wine, and education services.
Mint
21 minutes ago
- Mint
FTA to bring modest dip, not a steep dive, prices of UK spirits
NEW DELHI : Indian consumers hoping for the prices of their favourite UK whiskies to drop dramatically after the free-trade agreement need to temper their expectations. The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), officially signed this week, will reduce the current 150% customs duty on spirits by half to 75% once the agreement comes into force, with a further reduction to 30-40% over the next 10 years. This applies to both 'bottled-in-origin' (BIO) spirits and bulk imports used by Indian manufacturers for blending with Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL). The UK wines and beers are exempt from the deal. Industry analysts and company executives suggest the immediate impact on retail prices will likely be modest, with reductions estimated between single digits and 10-15%, largely because import duties currently make up only 10-15% of the total shelf price. Margins still key to retail price 'While this (reduction in duty) is a notable move, its impact on retail prices will be modest in the near term," said Naveen Malpani, partner and consumer & retail industry leader at Grant Thornton Bharat. 'Import duties contribute only a fraction of the final price, with state excise, logistics, and distributor margins forming a large share of consumer cost." Grant Thornton Bharat estimates retail price drops in the range of ₹100–300 per bottle (8–10%) for premium Scotch. Also Read: India-UK FTA uncorks new promise for imported scotch and gin Ardent Alcobev Pvt Ltd, which sells Dram Bell—a blended Scotch whisky, bottled in origin—said the move is 'positive" and will enhance accessibility and affordability for Indian consumers. "The real benefit will depend on how quickly the duty reductions are implemented and whether the states align their tax structures accordingly," said Debashish Shyam, co-founder and director. 'While the final impact on retail pricing will vary by state due to local excise structures and channel margins, this duty reduction has the potential to bring down consumer prices by 10–15% over time." In a state like Maharashtra, for instance, where Dram Bell is already priced competitively—only marginally above premium IMFL—this development could further narrow the price gap and enhance accessibility. New markets for smaller players The move is also helping smaller players get into the market. 'This move will dramatically reduce cost for us and shake up the market, making entry and access easier," said Nishant Sharma, founder of Rutland, a UK-based spirits company that sells gin and rum bottled in Scotland. Once in full effect, a bottle of the brand's gin could cost ₹4,000 from ₹6,000. 'Launching a product like ours into the Indian market is a huge cost, because of the 150% duty. This gives us a small crack to enter the market," he said. Also Read: ITC bets on new growth engines, expands food-tech and wellness play The company sells its brand via airports with plans to expand in the top cities by later this year. Scotch dominates imports India, one of the world's largest alcohol markets, sells over 400 million cases of Indian alcoholic spirits annually. Yet imported spirits–bottled in origin and bulk bottled in India–account for 2.6 % of the total market. The imported category is dominated by whisky, with Scotch being around 81% of the overall imports of 9.9 million cases of alcoholic spirits, according to estimates by International Spirits and Wines Association of India or ISWAI. To be sure, 79 % of the Scotch imported into the country is in bulk form, which is used for bottling in India and for blending by local brands of whisky in the IMFL category. William Grant & Sons, Allied Blenders & Distillers and Bacardi declined to offer comments on the development. "Customs duty as part of the total MRP is hardly 20%, and if that even comes down by half, the MRP won't change dramatically. It won't immediately and dramatically change prices for everyone," said an industry executive speaking to Mint on the condition of anonymity. Also Read: Nestlé India Q1 profit falls on higher input, finance costs The person quoted above expects a single-digit percentage drop in prices. Pricing is also dynamic and dependent on how the pound fares next year, freight costs, etc. Meanwhile, the change could take a few months. Impact on Indian makers The FTA needs to be ratified by both parliaments, then notified in custom schedules, earliest by January 2026, said a spokesperson for spirits company Radio Khaitan. However, for Indian liquor makers, the duty reduction on bulk Scotch imports provides some advantage. "We export a lot of IMFL into the Middle East, Africa—for them, there are a lot of big benefits. The move will improve the quality of our IMFL exports," the person quoted earlier told Mint.
