The Indian Army will be equipped with loitering munitions under contracts signed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) with domestic firms TATA Advanced Systems Limited and NIBE Private Limited on Friday for the systems, munitions and accessories, at an approximate cost of Rs 1,577 crore.
“The loiter munition system is a critical equipment developed to enhance the capability of the artillery regiments, thereby strengthening the overall operational effectiveness of the Indian Army,” said a release, adding that the equipment was being procured under the Buy (Indian) category through the fast-track procedure.
The procurement is in line with the Army’s recent reorganisation into new frontline formations—the ‘Rudra’ all-arms brigades, ‘Bhairav’ light commando battalions, and ‘Shaktibaan’ artillery regiments.
In particular, the ‘Shaktibaan’ artillery regiments, along with ‘Divyastra’ surveillance and loitering munitions batteries, are intended to operate on battlefields characterised by the need for accelerated military decision-making and beyond-line-of-sight precision targeting.
During the 77th Republic Day military parade in January, the Army’s expanded intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and loitering munitions arsenal was also showcased through the Shaktibaan and Divyastra systems, mounted on specialised high-mobility vehicles. Together, they demonstrated the capability to conduct surveillance using swarm and tethered drone systems, as well as to direct precision artillery fire through an indigenously developed hybrid UAV. This capability is further reinforced by a wide spectrum of foreign-origin and indigenous aerial loitering munitions, which were on display at the parade and have, in some cases, been successfully employed against Pakistan’s air defence systems during Operation Sindoor.
