Defense & Security 2025: Adani displays new loitering munitions

Adaniʼs SR-1 loitering munition is seen displayed at the Defense & Security 2025 show in Bangkok. (Janes/Andrew White)

Indian company Adani Defence and Aerospace unveiled several loitering munitions at the Defense & Security 2025 show in Bangkok, which concluded on 13 November.

Systems showcased included the SR-1 anti-personnel fixed-wing loitering munition and the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) 5 anti-armour first-person view (FPV) ‘kamikaze droneʼ.

The SR-1 loitering munition is capable of carrying a 1 kg high-explosive warhead for up to 45 minutes at a typical operating ceiling of 4,500 m, Adani said.

With a maximum range of 10 km, the SR-1 is integrated with “advanced targeting with AI [artificial intelligence]-driven machine vision algorithms”, an Adani official said.

The SR-1 can be operated autonomously or with a human in the loop. It can also be deployed from any platform on land, in the air, and at sea.

The smaller VTOL-5 is designed to act as a “guided missile for precision attack against high value targets”, Adani said. The munition also features a low-radar cross-section and high manoeuvrability to evade defences, it added.

The Adani official said the radio-controlled VTOL-5 could also be controlled using a fibre-optic spool to ensure operation in contested electromagnetic environments, a technique that has become prominent during the Russia-Ukraine war.

“[The FPV] has been designed as a cost-efficient alternative for both military and counter-terrorism use cases,” the official said. VTOL-5 has a claimed 20-minute endurance and a top speed of 120 km/h. It can carry a 620 g warhead and weighs 6 kg.

A source familiar with the Indian military told Janes that Indian Army Para Special Forces (Para-SF) units have been equipped with the FPV for about one year.