On the eve of India's 78th Independence Day, the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) unveiled its development of potent "swadeshi" (indigenous) Kamikaze Drones, also known as loitering munitions. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are designed to fly up to 1,000 kilometers using home-built engines.
Kamikaze drones, often referred to as "do-and-die" machines, have gained prominence in recent conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. They function by loitering in a target area for an extended period, carrying explosives, and then crashing into the target when commanded by a remote operator. This allows them to be used strategically to overwhelm enemy defenses and attack high-value targets.
Dr. Abhay Pashilkar, Director of the National Aerospace Laboratories and spearheading the research, stated, "India is developing these fully indigenous kamikaze drones, they are a game-changing 21st century new age war machine."
The Indian Kamikaze drone, measuring 2.8 meters in length and with a wingspan of 3.5 meters, will carry a 25-kilogram explosive payload and weigh around 120 kg. Its endurance of approximately nine hours allows for extended loitering and target identification before initiating a suicide mission.
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has granted in-principle approval for a project on Loitering Munitions, with CSIR-NAL as the nodal laboratory and participation from other major CSIR engineering laboratories. This initiative aims to address India's national security needs.
Notably, the Indian Kamikaze drone will be powered by a 30-horsepower Wankel Engine developed by NAL. It will be capable of operating in GPS-denied environments and can utilize the Indian NAViC navigation system for guidance and target acquisition.
Dr. Pashilkar emphasized the potential of these drones, stating that "such drones deployed by other nations have shown great potential in the modern ongoing wars elsewhere."
