New Delhi: The Indian Army has moved ahead with the procurement of long-range loitering munitions as part of its efforts to enhance its precision-strike capabilities. The project, valued at around ₹1,600 crore, involves the acquisition of 840 one-way attack drones with a range of over 100 kilometres under the fast-track procurement procedure.
Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has emerged as the lowest bidder (L1) in the tender after the completion of technical evaluation and opening of commercial bids. The company is expected to receive the larger share of the order, supplying 64 per cent of the required loitering munitions.
According to ANI, Nibe Limited emerged as the second-lowest bidder (L2), while A-Vision was among the three vendors that successfully cleared the technical evaluation stage. The order is expected to be divided between TASL and Nibe Limited, with the latter likely to supply 36 per cent of the systems. The Army will now proceed with price negotiations with the selected bidders before finalising the contract.
The procurement is done under the fast-track procedure, which allows the armed forces to place orders quickly, and supplies are expected to begin within six months of the signing of the contract. The loitering munitions will be used for one-way attack missions and are designed to engage targets such as enemy artillery positions.
The Army has also established dedicated drone capabilities within the Regiment of Artillery. The Shaktibaan regiments have been raised for drone warfare operations along with Divyastra batteries, while Bhairav battalions have also been equipped with drones to carry out strikes against enemy targets.
The acquisition is part of the Army’s wider drone procurement plans, with the force looking to induct a large number of unmanned systems for different operational requirements. The Artillery directorate is expected to acquire drones with ranges between 50 kilometres and 1,000 kilometres over the next 12–18 months under fast-track procedures.
The Army is also preparing a separate tender for 36 jet-based drones, which is expected to be worth around ₹1,500 crore and will also be divided between the lowest and second-lowest bidders.