Army Mandates Loitering Munitions Surge: Lessons from Operation Sindoor’s Drone Battlefield

In the high-stakes theater of modern warfare, where the line between manned and unmanned operations blurs, loitering munitions (LMs)—also known as kamikaze or suicide drones—have emerged as indispensable force multipliers. These autonomous or semi-autonomous systems, capable of lingering over target areas before delivering precision strikes, redefine tactical engagement by minimizing risks to personnel while maximizing destructive potential.

The Indian Army’s recent directive to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to exponentially scale up LM production underscores a pivotal shift in defense strategy, directly informed by the harrowing lessons of Operation Sindoor, the four-day India-Pakistan skirmish in May 2025. Dubbed the “First Drone War,” this conflict saw unmanned systems account for nearly 40% of engagements, exposing vulnerabilities in traditional air defenses and accelerating India’s push toward indigenous, surge-capable drone ecosystems.

Operation Sindoor: The First Drone War

Triggered by a terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, that claimed 25 lives, Operation Sindoor erupted on May 7 with Indian precision strikes on nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK. Pakistani forces retaliated with over 200 LMs, breaching outer defenses to hit forward positions, logistics hubs, and command posts.

India’s response integrated foreign imports like Israel’s Harop and Harpy with homegrown variants such as Solar Industries’ Nagastra-1 and WB Electronics’ Warmate, achieving over 80% hit rates against soft targets. This baptism by fire validated LMs’ role in Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) and close-quarters strikes, but also highlighted supply chain frailties—India expended nearly 150 units in 96 hours.

The Mandate: 10x Production by FY26

Issued in late October 2025, the Army’s directive mandates OEMs to 10x production by FY26, targeting 2,000 units quarterly. Solar Industries, fresh off a ₹158 crore order for 450 Nagastra-1Rs in June 2025, leads with facilities in Nagpur expanding via iDEX 2.0’s ₹1,000 crore fund.

• Nagastra-1: 15 kg, 15-30 km range, 75% indigenous, parachute recovery
• Tata ALS-50: VTOL, 50 km range, 23 kg payload, validated in Ladakh
• Johnnette JM-1: Man-portable, AI-guided swarm capability

Strategic Implications

Post-Sindoor, LMs fortify LoC ops, enabling standoff strikes without escalation. Their cost-effectiveness—Nagastra-1 at ₹10 lakh vs. Harop’s ₹50 lakh—democratizes precision warfare. Integration with Akashteer and BrahMos forms layered defenses, deterring drone incursions.