NEW DELHI, June 24 -- The ministry of defence has ordered 450 locally produced loitering munitions, or kamikaze drones, from a Nagpur-based defence firm, Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd, to boost the army's precision targeting capabilities, weeks after Indian forces deployed these weapons to hit targets in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, people aware of the matter said on Monday. The Rs.158-crore order for the Nagastra-1R loitering munitions is a follow-on contract to the 480 Nagastra-1 drones ordered for the army last year through the emergency procurement route, the people said, asking not to be named. The firm, a subsidiary of Solar Industries and earlier known as Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), will execute the new order in one year to meet the army's urgent needs. Such munitions hover over the battle zone, locate the target and crash into it. The Nagastra-1R is equipped with a 360-degree gimbal camera, with the option of using a thermal one for night operations, has a proprietary encryption for video and telemetry communication, and its launcher system is reusable, HT learnt. It has an indigenous content of around 80%. Loitering munitions-including Nagastra-1, and Harop bought from Israel-were deployed during Operation Sindoor. Nagastra-1 carries a one-kg warhead, has a maximum range of 30 km, and an endurance of 60 minutes. The exact specifications of the newer variant Nagastra-1R weren't immediately available. Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd has expanded its footprint in the country's defence manufacturing sector in recent years. In February, the defence ministry signed two contracts worth Rs.10,147-crore to buy ammunition for the army's indigenous Pinaka multi-launcher rocket system - one of them was with Solar and the other with Pune-based Munitions India Limited....