Indian Army inducts Nagastra-1, country’s first ‘Kamikaze drone’
New Delhi: In a step towards self-reliance in the defense sector, the Indian Army has inducted Nagastra-1, the country's first indigenously developed loitering munition, on Friday. With 75% of its components sourced locally, the ‘Kamikaze drone’ marks a major milestone in India's defense capabilities.
Nagastra-1, also known as a ‘suicide drone,’ is designed to loiter around a target area and then strike by crashing into the specific target. Combining features of a cruise missile and a combat drone, it can hit targets up to 15 kilometers away with a 1.5 kg warhead and has an autonomous mode range of 30 kilometers. The drone is GPS-enabled and lightweight, allowing a single soldier to carry it across various terrains. Weighing 9 kilograms, the fixed-wing electric Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has an endurance of 30 minutes.
The drone's unique electric propulsion system ensures it operates with a low acoustic signature, making it virtually undetectable when flying at heights above 200 meters. Developed in collaboration with Z-motion Autonomous Systems Private Ltd, a Bengaluru-based company, the system includes a ground control station, communication controls, payload, and a pneumatic launcher.
Equipped with night-vision cameras, Nagastra-1 can operate effectively in darkness. Although designed to explode on the target, it can be recovered for reuse by aborting the mission mid-air. It also features a parachute recovery system, setting it apart from similar drones used globally. Recent conflicts in regions such as Russia, Ukraine, and Yemen have seen extensive use of drone technologies, highlighting their strategic importance.
Produced by Solar Industries, Nagpur, Nagastra-1 is a notable addition to India's military arsenal. The Army has placed an order for 480 units of the drone. A pre-delivery inspection of Nagastra-1 was conducted from May 21-25, after which 120 units were delivered to the Army ammunition depot at Pulgaon, near Wardha in Maharashtra.
With a hit accuracy of 2 meters, the Indian Army aims to enhance its striking capabilities against enemy training camps and launch pads across the borders, as well as effectively neutralize infiltrators.
#WATCH | The first indigenous Loitering Munition, Nagastra–1, developed by Solar Industries, Nagpur, has been delivered to the Indian Army
— ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2024
Nagastra -1, in a 'kamikaze mode' can neutralize any hostile threat with GPS-enabled precision strike with an accuracy of 2m. The… pic.twitter.com/kWeehBMGvW
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
