The company said on September 2, 2026 that the AI model has been built specifically around military requirements rather than by simply adapting a commercially available general-purpose language model. It forms part of a broader indigenous defence-AI ecosystem being developed under the Ministry of Defence’s Innovations for Defence Excellence, or iDEX, ADITI 2.0 programme.
One of the most important aspects of Vayu Baan is its expected ability to function in a GNSS-denied environment. Modern combat zones are increasingly saturated with jamming and spoofing systems designed to interfere with satellite navigation. A drone that depends entirely on GPS can therefore become unreliable at precisely the moment it is needed most. The IAF requirement consequently places emphasis on autonomous navigation even when satellite-navigation signals are unavailable or disrupted.
Prime Toolings announced the achievement through its official social-media channels, including the company’s Instagram account, stating that its Rotating Detonation Engine had successfully completed development and testing and had reached TRL-5. The company has subsequently released additional glimpses of the engine’s internal configuration and indicated that further technical information from the development programme will be made public.
Khagantak-243 is the 300-kg-class member of JSR Dynamics’ Long Range Glide Bomb family. The company’s official specifications list the K-243 with a length of up to four metres, a diameter of approximately 290 mm and a wingspan of up to three metres. The broader LRGB architecture is designed around the widely used Mk 80 family of conventional warheads, allowing different bomb bodies and payload classes to be incorporated into the same basic stand-off weapon concept.
Kepler is now preparing to translate that technology-development programme into an operational space-based ISR capability. The company raised $8 million in seed funding on September 1, 2026, in a round led by Blue Ashva Capital and co-led by Finvolve India Accelerator along with other investors. The investment has been reported at around ₹66.4 crore and represents Kepler’s first external fundraising round since the company was established in 2018.
The new brand brings together a range of marine mobility systems, underwater electronics and diving equipment designed and developed in India, with several products shaped around requirements associated with the Indian Armed Forces. The launch marks an effort to build domestic capability in a segment where specialised equipment has traditionally depended heavily on foreign suppliers.
The underwater programme itself predates the latest disclosure. VEDA Aeronautics Managing Director Dipesh Gupta confirmed during Milipol India 2025 that the company was designing an underwater decoy for the Navy, with the longer-term objective of evolving the technology into a miniature underwater attack drone. The September 2026 update therefore provides fresh visibility to an existing development programme rather than marking its original launch.
The capability is particularly relevant to defence operations because modern battlefields increasingly feature electronic warfare systems designed to jam or spoof Global Navigation Satellite System signals.
The government’s target of ₹3 lakh crore in annual defence production represents a substantial expansion from the current level. Moving from ₹1.78 lakh crore to ₹3 lakh crore would require an increase of more than ₹1.2 lakh crore over the next several years, making sustained serial production across multiple major programmes essential.
The collaboration brings together ESC BAZ’s experience in military electro-optical observation systems with RRP Defense’s manufacturing capabilities and access to the Indian defence and security market. Beyond supplying Diamond systems in India, the companies intend to explore opportunities in international markets, potentially creating an India-based manufacturing and commercial platform for advanced surveillance technologies.
