BREAKING: DRDO Greenlights ULPGM-V3 - India's Drone & Tank Missile Cleared for Mass Production

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]How about we converse on how modern wars are fought? The idea has completed the final development trials for India's latest entry into this space, the ULPGM V3, which has been tested at the Kurnool range in Andhra Pradesh. It is a lightweight precision guided missile built specially to fire from drones. And here is something on the actual capability without any exaggerations.

[00:00:27]This is a dual mode weapon in air-to-ground mode out armored tanks. In air-to-air mode, it intercepts enemy drones, helicopters, and low-flying aerial threats. The weapon uses a specialized ground control system. It automates readiness and handles the launch commands. Now, of course, how does this stack up globally? If that's the question, then here's the answer. India is not inventing a new category here. So, let's not be mistaken. It is actually catching up to a global standard. The United States has been doing this for quite some time with Hellfire missiles on Predator drones.

[00:01:01]Israel has the Spike missile integrated onto unmanned platforms. And more recently, Turkey's Bayraktar drones have dominated battlefields using MAM series smart micro munitions. Even Iran has heavily deployed its Almas drone launched anti-tank missiles. So, the technology concept isn't really unique.

[00:01:22]What is unique, though, is how India has built it. Historically, India has imported the precision munitions and seekers used on its armored drones. This project aims to actually change that exact dependency. The missile was designed by Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad as the lead lab. Contributions came from DRDL Hyderabad, TBRL Chandigarh, and Pune. So, for the current trials, the missile was integrated onto a UAV platform built by a Bengaluru private firm, New Space Research and Technologies. For manufacturing, DRDO has paired public and private sectors.

[00:02:02]Bharat Dynamics Limited and Adani Defense Systems are actually the chosen production agencies. Now, of course, for the Defense Ministry. So, according to the Defense Ministry, the components rely heavily on a domestic network of MSMEs.

[00:02:17]The big takeaway from these trials is not so much just the missile hitting the target. It is actually the government which validated the domestic supply chain as fully mature.

[00:02:30]They claim it is ready for immediate serial mass production.

[00:02:33]Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called the successful trials a strategic milestone for self-reliance. DRDO Chairman Dr. Samir V. Kamat congratulated the engineering teams.

[00:02:45]And here, of course, is the front page stake. So, building a prototype is quite easy. Creating a scalable indigenous supply chain for precision weapons is hard. India, I believe, has officially put its pieces on the board. The technology is real. Production lines are cleared. Now, of course, comes down to the deployment. What are your thoughts on this wonderful development? Please do let us know in the comments below. This, ladies and gentlemen, is Front Page by the EIM Network. Like, share, subscribe, and always remember, think EAI, think EIM.