Modi urges homegrown drones as army orders Rs 20,000 crore loitering munitions

During his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the nation to create home-grown drone and counter-drone capabilities and to become a leader in hypersonic defence. A day later, the defence ministry announced a historic Rs 20,000 crore procurement to equip the armed forces with indigenous loitering-munition systems and surveillance platforms. The contract awards 84 complete loitering-munition systems and 840 munitions to Tata Advanced Systems Ltd, with the remaining 30 systems and 300 munitions going to NIBE Ltd. Tata’s chief executive Sukaran Singh explained that the system is entirely Indian-designed, using an internal-combustion engine to meet longer-range and larger-warhead requirements, and has already passed high-altitude tests in areas such as Siachen.

NIBE’s Vayu Astra-1, developed after an Israeli technology transfer, has cleared high-altitude and desert trials. The navy has also begun seeking a ship-launched loitering munition with a 1,000 km range and 9-hour loiter time, indicating a move toward network-centric, drone-led warfare across all services.