Hoverit on Wednesday demonstrated its Divyastra Mk-1 tactical loitering munition before senior Indian Army officials in Jodhpur, a successful trial the company says strengthens India’s push to develop advanced unmanned combat systems without relying on foreign suppliers. The demonstration is being presented as a milestone for homegrown defence technology and for the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat objective.
Divyastra Mk-1 is an autonomous tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), decoy missions and precision strikes. The platform can operate up to about 500 kilometres and stay airborne for nearly five hours. It carries mission-specific payloads and can complete missions autonomously, giving commanders a persistent sensor and strike option over large areas. A loitering munition, in simple terms, is a drone that can loiter over a target area and then strike when a target is identified.
Hoverit founder Saurav Singh Bhadauria told Firstpost that the ability to launch Divyastra from a mobile vehicle is particularly important for modern battlefield mobility and survivability. He said the broader objective is to equip Indian forces with indigenous unmanned systems that can be produced, upgraded and sustained domestically without dependence on foreign supply chains.
The trial comes as armed drones have become decisive in recent conflicts from Ukraine to parts of West Asia, reshaping how militaries conduct surveillance and precision engagement. Hoverit says Divyastra Mk-1 is designed to give commanders a cost-effective capability for long-range reconnaissance, target tracking, precision engagement and decoy operations while reducing exposure of personnel to direct risk. Its autonomous features and mobile-launch architecture are intended to allow flexible deployment closer to operational zones.
Looking ahead, Hoverit is already developing Divyastra Mk-2 and plans a family of unmanned platforms with greater range, heavier payloads and more advanced autonomy. The company’s roadmap also includes swarm-enabled drones that can operate in coordinated groups and AI-assisted systems for more complex missions. Bhadauria says the long-term goal is to create a complete ecosystem of tactical and strategic UAVs for the Indian Armed Forces, signalling a gradual shift away from heavy reliance on imported defence hardware.
Original Source: https://www.firstpost.com/india/india-advances-unmanned-warfare-ambitions-with-divyastra-mk-1-demonstration-14018527.html
Category: India
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Publish Date: 2026-06-03 19:05:00
