New Delhi

The Indian Army has inducted two new indigenous combat platforms under the Emergency Procurement (EP-6) programme — the UAV-Launched Precision Guided Munition (ULPGM) and the AGNIKAA VTOL-1, defence sources said.

The systems were formally handed over in Hyderabad in the presence of officials from the Army’s Western Command following successful high-altitude, electronic warfare and live precision-strike trials.

The UAV-Launched Precision Guided Munition has been jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and Adani Defence & Aerospace.

It is described as India’s first indigenous system in its category and is equipped with an imaging infrared seeker capable of engaging both stationary and moving targets.

According to defence sources, the platform has an operational UAV range of up to 20 kilometres, while the munition itself can strike targets up to 2.5 kilometres away after launch.

The system is designed for day-and-night, all-weather operations and can function in GPS-denied and communication-jammed environments through anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities.

It carries a two-kilogram warhead capable of engaging both soft and hardened targets with an accuracy of around one metre CEP (Circular Error Probable).

The system has also been integrated with retractable UAV platforms for improved operational flexibility in contested electronic warfare environments.

The second system, AGNIKAA VTOL-1, has been described as India’s first indigenous first-person-view kamikaze drone in its class.

Designed as an anti-personnel precision-strike platform, it is intended for urban combat, confined-space operations and open battlefield missions.

The drone can operate in GPS-denied and electronic warfare environments and has also successfully completed high-altitude and electronic warfare trials, validating its operational readiness.

According to sources, the drone has:

• A range of up to 5 kilometres
• An endurance of up to 30 minutes
• A top speed of 60 kmph
• A lethality radius of five metres against personnel and soft-skinned vehicles

The platform is equipped with a three-layer trigger mechanism and a four-layer trigger safety system aimed at ensuring operator safety and mission reliability.

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Defence sources said both systems significantly strengthen India’s indigenous battlefield capabilities in complex and electronically contested operational environments.