Advanced Loitering Munitions in India: Indian defence maker SMPP has signed a deal with European company KNDS to make advanced loitering munitions in India. SMPP and KNDS signed the agreement at the Eurosatory defence exhibition in Paris under a Transfer of Technology arrangement. Through this partnership, KNDS will share its expertise while SMPP will manufacture the systems in India, helping the Indian Army access advanced precision-strike weapons produced within the country.
This is not the first time the two companies have worked together. They had already signed a partnership in November 2025 to offer KNDS’s KATANA precision-guided artillery ammunition in India.
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Why does the Deal matters
SMPP is an Indian defence and aerospace company. It makes things like ballistic protection gear, ammunition, drone and counter-drone systems, and precision strike systems. KNDS is one of Europe’s major land warfare companies. It supplies armoured vehicles, artillery, ammunition, and combat systems to many militaries around the world.
The two companies plan to offer these new loitering munitions to the Indian Army to meet an “urgent requirement” for advanced precision-strike weapons. They say the systems can help forces in “neutralizing high-value threats with exceptional precision”.
What do the Loitering Munitions do?
The systems included in this partnership are the VELOCE and RODEUR loitering munitions, plus the ISTAR family of surveillance and reconnaissance drones. The companies say these tools are made for a “search-and-destroy” role. That means they can look for a target, track it, and strike it once the operator gives the order.
These weapons are often called a mix between a drone and a missile. They are different from normal missiles because they can stay in the air for some time before attacking. That gives soldiers more time to watch a battlefield and choose the right target. Many people also call them “kamikaze drones” because they are used for a one-way strike.
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Why do Armies want them?
The modern battlefield likes tools that are small, quick, and hard to stop. Loitering munitions fit that need because they can be carried in different sizes, used by infantry or larger units, and sent against targets like vehicles, radar sites, command posts, artillery positions, and troop groups. The systems use “fire-and-forget” technology and rely on satellite-based and onboard navigation to maintain accuracy in different combat conditions.
Their lower cost compared with manned aircraft and big long-range missiles also makes them attractive. They give armies a way to strike with precision without putting pilots at risk or using very expensive platforms for every job. That is one reason many defence firms are now pushing this kind of weapon harder than before.
