The Ministry of Defence has finalised two major contracts worth around ₹1,577 crore with private domestic manufacturers Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Nibe Limited to supply advanced loitering munitions to the Indian Army. Signed in New Delhi in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, the fast-track procurement under the 'Buy Indian' category aims to equip frontline artillery and infantry formations with precision-strike kamikaze drones, cutting out foreign dependencies while scaling up local aerospace manufacturing.
The purchase aligns with the army's ongoing modernization push to integrate thousands of indigenous unmanned combat systems across forward sectors over the coming decade. Conflicts worldwide have proven how nimble, one-way loitering drones—capable of hovering over contested zones before diving into pinpoint targets—can neutralize armor, radar installations, and command posts at a fraction of the cost of traditional missiles.
Built to navigate heavy GPS spoofing and electronic warfare countermeasures, these newly ordered loiter systems are slated for frontline delivery within six to twelve months, providing ground commanders with round-the-clock battlefield surveillance and immediate precision fire support along sensitive border sectors.