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Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd. (SDAL) has demonstrated 'Bhargavastra', an indigenously developed, vehicle-mounted, multi-layered Counter-Swarm Drone System designed to counter weaponised drones, loitering munitions and autonomous drone swarms.
Developed entirely in India, Bhargavastra is designed as a cost-effective hard-kill solution capable of neutralising both individual drones and large autonomous drone swarms. According to the company, the system reflects its long-term focus on addressing emerging battlefield threats posed by unmanned aerial systems. The system uses indigenously developed unguided rockets and precision micro-missiles in a multi-layer engagement architecture to destroy hostile UAVs It is also designed for seamless integration with the Indian Armed Forces' Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (C4I) networks for future network-centric operations. Engineered for deployment across deserts, plains and high-altitude regions up to 5,000 metres above mean sea level, Bhargavastra is intended to provide protection against aerial threats along India's land borders. Its Command and Control Centre integrates an advanced C4I architecture with a radar capable of detecting UAVs up to 10 km away, an Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) surveillance system and passive radio frequency (RF) sensors. Together, these systems enable target detection, tracking and classification, allowing operators to engage both individual drones and coordinated drone swarms. Unlike conventional soft-kill systems that rely on jamming or spoofing, Bhargavastra is designed as a hard-kill solution against autonomous drones that are resistant to electronic countermeasures. According to SDAL, Bhargavastra is among the world's first fully integrated, vehicle-mounted, multi-layer counter-swarm drone systems employing unguided rockets and micro-missiles with dedicated swarm-neutralisation capability. An Indian Army team visited SDAL's Nagpur facility on July 24 as part of a status review under the Make-II programme. During the demonstration, the Bhargavastra system was showcased in its full configuration, comprising a Command and Control Vehicle equipped with radar, EO/IR and RF sensors integrated with the C4I system, along with a launcher vehicle carrying multiple launch tubes. During the demonstration, SDAL flew a swarm of drones, which was successfully detected by the radar, EO/IR and RF sensors. The C4I system generated a real-time air situation picture and issued a drone attack alert before assigning targets to the launcher. The complete engagement sequence was demonstrated to the visiting Army team. Actual rocket firing was not conducted due to safety restrictions at the facility. According to the company, the visiting Army team appreciated the system's technological capabilities and said Bhargavastra has the potential to mark another milestone in India's indigenous defence manufacturing. SDAL said it is prepared to field the system for user trials within the prescribed timelines. (ANI)
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