Solar Defence & Aerospace Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Solar Industries India Limited, has received fresh orders from both the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Indian Army. The MoD contract, valued at INR 1.58 billion, is for the supply of defence products and is scheduled to be executed within one year. Additionally, the Indian Army has ordered 450 Nagastra-1R loitering munitions, commonly described as suicide drones, from the company.
This follows the company’s March 2025 contract with the Ministry of Defence worth INR 2.39 billion for the supply of Multi Mode Hand Grenades, to be delivered over a one-year period.
In February 2025, the Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth INR 101.47 billion to strengthen the Indian Army’s firepower with the PINAKA Multiple Launch Rocket System. Solar Defence & Aerospace Limited, previously operating as Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), was among the selected entities for these contracts. The company secured a contract to supply Area Denial Munition (ADM) Type-1 rockets (DPICM) and High Explosive Pre-Fragmented (HEPF) Mk-1 (Enhanced) rockets. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) also nominated the company as the production agency for all variants of the PINAKA Rocket System.
In 2024, Solar Defence signed a contract with the Indian Army for 480 Nagastra units, under which the initial batch of 120 drones was delivered in June 2024 following pre-delivery inspections, according to defence officials.
The Nagastra-1R drone is equipped with GPS-guided targeting and can operate at altitudes exceeding 4,500 metres, with a loitering capability of up to one hour. It can engage targets within a 15 km man-in-loop range or up to 30 km in autonomous mode. The drone features a parachute recovery system, enabling reuse in case of mission abortion. Manufactured with more than 75 per cent indigenous components, the system is intended for precision strikes against lower-tier targets, such as platoons of infiltrators. Deliveries of the new batch are expected to proceed in phases.
Solar Defence & Aerospace Limited operates as a subsidiary of Solar Industries India Limited, focusing on the manufacturing and supply of defence products to government agencies.
