Kawa UAV's Jet-Powered Divyastra Mk3 Loitering Munition Soars in Maiden Flight

Kawa UAV successfully conducts maiden flight of jet-powered 'Divyastra Mk3' loitering munition

Lucknow, August 16

"The Sky Has Changed. INTRODUCING DIVYAASTRA Mk3. India's first indigenous jet-powered loitering munition to take flight....Powered by an indigenous jet engine developed by DG Propulsion, Divyastra Mk3 completed its maiden flight on 11 August 2026. From programme inception to maiden flight in one calendar year. No imported jet engine.No foreign critical subsystem. Built in India. Flown in India. DIVYAASTRA Mk3, Faster. Smarter. Uncompromising. This is more than a flight. This is Atmanirbhar Bharat in action," said Hoverit.

Emphasising the significance of the achievement, the co-founders of the company declared that the successful flight represents a major milestone in indigenous defence manufacturing, asserting that it proves India can conceive, engineer, and fly a jet-powered precision strike system entirely from within its own borders.

"This is not merely a test flight, it is a declaration of intent. India has demonstrated, at scale and at speed, that it can conceive, engineer, and fly a jet-powered precision strike system entirely from within its own borders. Divyastra Mk3 is Atmanirbhar Bharat in action," said the co-founders.

Earlier, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) completed the final deliverable configuration development trials of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 in Air-to-Ground and Air-to-Air modes at a DRDO test range near Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.

The trials were carried out using an integrated Ground Control System (GCS) to command and control the ULPGM weapon system. The GCS features state-of-the-art technologies to automate readiness and launch operations.

DRDO has partnered with two production agencies - Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad and Adani Defence Systems & Technologies Limited, Hyderabad - for the development and production of the missiles. The system has been integrated on UAVs developed by Newspace Research and Technologies, Bengaluru, for current trials.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has complimented DRDO, PSUs, Defence cum Production Partners and industry for the successful development trials of ULPGM-V3 in Air-to-Ground mode for anti-tank role and Air-to-Air modes for Drone, Helicopter and other airborne targets. He termed it a strategic milestone achieved towards Aatmanirbharta in Defence.

— ANI