Indian Army receives 106 kamikaze drones:Weapon with 180-km range, 450 kmph speed; resistant to jamming, highly accurate on target

Taking a major step towards enhancing the Indian Army’s strike capabilities, indigenous defence company SMPP has delivered 106 turbojet-powered kamikaze drones to the Army. The drones have been named Peacekeeper (Agniveg). These drones can strike targets up to 180 km away and reach speeds of 450 kmph, making them faster than the 320 kmph top speed of the Peregrine Falcon, the world’s fastest bird. The company claims the drones are resistant to both jamming and spoofing, preventing adversaries from disrupting or misleading them. SMPP said it has delivered 100 operational drones and 6 training drones to the Army. The delivery is being seen as a significant achievement for India’s indigenous defence manufacturing sector and its unmanned warfare capabilities. The drones were developed with assistance from Belarusian firm KB Indela. According to the company, the drone can carry out a fully autonomous precision-strike mission. Once a target is designated, it can complete the mission without human intervention. What are kamikaze drones? Kamikaze drones, also known as loitering munitions, are drones designed to destroy themselves while striking a target. The term originates from the kamikaze attacks of World War II, when Japanese pilots carried out suicide attacks by crashing their aircraft into enemy ships. After launch, these drones can loiter in the air for an extended period, searching for targets using cameras and sensors. Once a target is identified, they rapidly dive toward it and detonate on impact. Their advantages include lower cost compared to many conventional weapons, high precision, and reduced risk to soldiers. They can be used against tanks, radars, artillery systems and military installations. Blast radius limited to 5 metres Agniveg is capable of autonomously carrying out precise strikes on critical military infrastructure, logistics hubs, command centres, radar installations and other strategic targets. During trials, the drone reportedly achieved a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of less than 5 metres even in environments affected by jamming and spoofing. In simple terms, the drone can hit its target with very high accuracy. This allows operators to strike a specific section of a military facility while minimising damage to nearby civilian structures and reducing collateral losses.