Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for a robotics and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturing facility at the MIHAN Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Nagpur on 7 March 2026. The facility is intended to support the company’s expansion into robotics, autonomous systems, and defence technology manufacturing.
The facility will focus on the development and manufacturing of unmanned aerial vehicles, robotics platforms, and other defence technologies. The project will be operated by Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Solar Industries India Limited.
The facility is planned to manufacture UAVs with an annual production capacity of about 10,000 units, with operational ranges between 15 kilometres and 1,000 kilometres. The site is also expected to produce about 1,000 robots designed for defence applications.
Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited has outlined plans to invest more than INR 128 billion in projects related to the production of robots, UAVs of different sizes and types, and long-range missile systems. The investment is expected to be deployed over the next three to four years, while the broader investment programme is planned over approximately 10 years under the Maharashtra government’s Mega Project and Thrust policy.
The company expects the first prototype robot from the Nagpur facility to be produced within one year of development activities. The project is intended to expand Solar’s defence manufacturing capabilities and support potential applications in civilian, industrial, and dual-use sectors.
The facility is planned as an artificial intelligence-enabled manufacturing ecosystem based on Industry 5.0 concepts, integrating robotics, intelligent automation, and human-centred production systems. In its initial phase, the unit will focus on the design and production of emerging strategic products, electronic components and assemblies, including AI-enabled UAVs and medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones for commercial and defence applications.
Solar Industries India Limited is an India-based manufacturer of industrial explosives and defence-related products, supplying explosives, initiating systems, and ammunition to mining, infrastructure, and defence sectors. Through its subsidiary Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited, the company is expanding into defence manufacturing segments including UAV systems, ammunition, and other defence technologies.
