Gopalpur: Amid heightened tensions with Pakistan, India successfully test-fired its new low-cost counter-drone system Bhargavastra for the second time on Tuesday at the Seaward Firing Range in Odisha’s Gopalpur.
The first round of trials was held in January.
The test-firing of the system comes days after India fended off drone strikes by Pakistan. Several hundred drones, some of them armed, were fired at both military and civilian targets in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan by Pakistan between May 7 and May 10, after India launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the massacre of 26 persons, mostly tourists from across the country, by terrorists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22.
Bhargavastra, designed in hard kill mode, boasts of advanced capabilities for detecting and eliminating small and incoming drones at distances of up to 2.5 km.
“Three trials were conducted for the rocket, developed by the Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL), in the presence of senior officials of the Army Air Defence (AAD). Two trials were conducted by firing one rocket each. One trial was conducted by firing two rockets in salvo mode within two seconds. All four rockets performed as expected and achieved the required launch parameters, underscoring its pioneering technology in mitigating large-scale drone attacks,” an official said.
According to him, up to 64 micro missiles can be launched at once, targeting several drones at the same time.
Bhargavastra employs unguided micro-rockets as the first layer of defence capable of neutralising swarms of drones with a lethal radius of 20 metres and guided micro-missile (already tested earlier) as the second layer for pinpoint accuracy, ensuring precise and impactful neutralisation.
Designed for seamless deployment across diverse terrains, including high-altitude regions (greater than 5,000 m above sea level), the system addresses the unique operational demands of India’s armed forces.
Highlighting Bhargavastra’s adaptability and cost-effectiveness, SDAL emphasised its indigenous design and the development of dedicated rocket and micro-missile to neutralise hostile UAVs. Furthermore, the system is modular and can have an additional soft-kill layer to include jamming and spoofing to provide an integrated and comprehensive shield for all branches of the armed forces.
The system being modular, the sensors (Radar, EO and RF Receiver) and shooter can be configured as per user requirement and made to work in an integrated manner for layered and tiered AD cover, enabling engagement of targets at longer ranges. Further, the system is also engineered for seamless integration with existing network-centric warfare infrastructure.
Equipped with a sophisticated Command-and-Control Centre, featuring advanced C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence) technology, the system’s radar can detect minute aerial threats from 6 to 10 km away. Its Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensor suite further ensures precise identification of Low Radar Cross-Section (LRCS) targets. According to Bhargavastra’s developers, the system represents a significant stride in counter-drone technology.
Its open-source architecture suggests that while several advanced nations are developing similar micro-missile systems, a domestically conceived multi-layered and cost-effective counter-drone system with swarm neutralisation capabilities like Bhargavastra is yet to be deployed anywhere else globally.
