Make in India

ArthX officially describes SHARANGA as a tube-launched tactical loitering munition designed and developed in India. The munition is stored and transported inside its launch canister, with its wings deploying shortly after leaving the tube. The airframe incorporates inverted-V stabilators and a rear-mounted pusher propulsion arrangement, allowing the system to remain compact inside the canister before transitioning into its normal flight configuration.

Vertotech Aerospace officially lists the V-BLAZE as a “Hypersonic Terrain-Hugging Cruise Missile.” According to specifications published by the company, the missile is being designed for a maximum speed of Mach 6 and a stated range of 750 km. Vertotech also lists a smart penetrator and kinetic-effect option for the warhead, together with a navigation architecture combining artificial-intelligence-assisted visual terrain recognition with inertial navigation.

Development responsibility for the longer-range Pinaka family centres on DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), supported by laboratories specialising in propulsion, guidance and missile electronics. The broader programme brings together ARDE, the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Defence Research and Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat, creating an almost entirely Indian development chain for the weapon.

BEL and Esri India Technologies signed a Memorandum of Understanding on August 3, 2026, to jointly pursue opportunities involving Geographic Information Systems (GIS), location intelligence and GeoAI. A major focus of the agreement is supporting rapid or “surge” deployment of geospatial solutions for BEL and India’s defence services when operational requirements demand faster availability.

India and the UAE could therefore eventually operate a combined 142 Rafales based on already contracted aircraft, even before taking India’s proposed 114-aircraft follow-on procurement into account. This geographical concentration creates an unusually strong opportunity for regional maintenance infrastructure.