Representatives from SMPP (L) and KNDS shake hands after signing the partnership agreement. (Photo: SMPP)
New Delhi: Indian defence manufacturer SMPP and the pan-European land-defence group KNDS signed a teaming agreement on Wednesday to jointly manufacture advanced loitering munitions in India. This is the second major collaboration between the two companies within seven months.
The agreement was signed at Eurosatory 2026 – the world’s premier biennial land- and air-land-defence exhibition, running June 15–19 at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre – where key global defence deals are routinely sealed. Under the arrangement, manufacturing will be carried out through SMPP’s subsidiary, SMPP Ammunition, targeting supply to the Indian Army under the government’s “Make in India” framework.
The deal covers two primary loitering munition systems developed by KNDS: the VELOCE and the RODEUR, alongside the ISTAR family of drones. The VELOCE is a high-velocity, fixed-wing anti-armour system capable of speeds between 200 and 400 kilometres per hour and a range of up to 100 kilometres, while the RODEUR offers considerably longer endurance – up to five hours – and a strike range of up to 500 kilometres.
Both systems carry explosively formed penetrator (EFP) warheads and use a hybrid guidance architecture combining multi-constellation GNSS with an inertial navigation system (INS), allowing them to operate in environments where satellite signals may be jammed or denied.
The timing of the agreement carries operational significance. The Indian Army has been urgently seeking loitering munitions across a range of variants – from man-portable microsystems to truck-launched platforms for engaging armoured vehicles – with an initial acquisition valued at approximately ₹2,000 crores. The Defence Acquisition Council granted acceptance of necessity (AoN) for a loiter munition system for artillery regiments as recently as December 29, 2025.
The Army’s accelerated procurement push gained further urgency after Operation Sindoor in May 2025, which demonstrated the centrality of drone and loitering munition capabilities in modern conflict.
Earlier this year, the Army also released its first unmanned aerial systems and loitering munitions roadmap, identifying 30 categories of systems it intends to induct. The SMPP-KNDS product range, particularly the VELOCE and RODEUR systems, appears broadly aligned with the Army’s stated operational requirements of 30–120 minutes endurance, ranges of 15–200 kilometres, and warhead weights of 1–10 kilograms.
This is not the first collaboration between the two firms. SMPP and KNDS signed a separate teaming agreement on November 20, 2025, at the Milipol Exhibition in Paris for the Katana range of 155mm precision-guided artillery munitions, which is designed to deliver extended range and enhanced accuracy for artillery systems.
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