Modi inaugurates first private sector defence drone runway

PM Narendra Modi on Sunday unveiled India's first private sector military drone testing runway and loitering munition test facility during a visit to Nagpur.

The first-of-its-kind testing facility has a 1.27-km long runway dedicated to developing indigenous Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) and High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones for the Indian Armed forces. The PM also dedicated a 1,080-acre test range for loitering munition at the same complex, geared to develop next-generation munition by Solar Defence and Aerospace.

"Spread over 1,080 acres, this test range has a dedicated Command & Control Centre, UAV Take-off Area, Endurance and Communication Range check facility, Parachute Recovery Area, Static & Moving Target Engagement, Target Hit and CEP Measurement and Warhead Lethality Test facility," company officials said, adding that a suo moto proposal for developing an indigenous MALE drone has been submitted and is being processed by the ministry. The PM also saw indigenously developed weapons like Pinaka Rocket System, air bombs, mines, multi-mode grenade, military explosives, anti-tank guided missile and loiter munitions that are manufactured at the facility. In particular, the Nagastra series of Loiter Munitions were showcased to the PM. These are a family of indigenous munitions with a range from 15 km to more than 100 km and with a carrying capability of 1 kg to 10 kg of explosive payload.