Solar Defence Demonstrates Bhargavastra Counter-Swarm Drone System

Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd (SDAL) demonstrated its indigenous Bhargavastra counter-swarm drone system to an Indian Army team at its Nagpur facility on July 24. Developed under the Make-II programme, the vehicle-mounted hard-kill solution uses unguided rockets and precision micro-missiles to neutralize autonomous swarms and weaponized drones.

The system integrates a Command and Control Centre with radar capable of detecting threats up to 10 km and an Electro-Optical Tracking System with a 6 km range. These capabilities exceed the Indian Army's current 2.5 km requirement. During the demonstration, Bhargavastra successfully detected a drone swarm and generated a real-time air situation picture, although safety restrictions prevented the firing of rockets.

SDAL Chairman Satyanarayan Nuwal stated that internal trials will be completed within two to three months. He indicated that this technology will facilitate the development of the Sudarshan Chakra air defence system by 2030, targeting ranges of 2.5, 6, and 25 kilometres.