This Bengaluru startup has built Sheshnaag-150, a 1,000-km range swarm attack drone with 40-kg warhead and GPS-denied navigation

As low-cost drones reshape modern warfare from Iran’s Shahed-136 loitering munitions to the U.S. LUCAS UAV, India is quietly developing its own advanced strike system, Sheshnaag-150.

It is a long-range swarming attack drone built by Bengaluru-based startup NewSpace Research & Technologies (NRT).

Designed as a low-cost yet highly capable strike platform, the Sheshnaag-150 represents a new phase in India’s push for indigenous autonomous warfare technologies.

The drone combines long endurance, swarm intelligence, and GPS-denied navigation.

The startup behind the weapon

Founded in 2017 by aerospace entrepreneurs Sameer Joshi and Julius Amrit, NewSpace Research & Technologies has emerged as one of India’s fastest-growing defence technology startups.

The Bengaluru company focuses on developing next-generation unmanned systems, collective robotics, and AI-driven swarm technologies for both defence and civilian applications.

Over the past few years, the company has built a portfolio of advanced drone platforms, including hybrid endurance UAVs, loitering munitions, tethered surveillance drones, and swarming drone systems.

Its work aligns with India’s broader push for defence indigenisation and technological self-reliance.

NewSpace has also collaborated with several government agencies and defence organisations on autonomous systems for surveillance, disaster response, and tactical battlefield operations.

The company has attracted strong investor interest as well, raising significant funding from venture capital firms to speed up the development of advanced unmanned technologies.

What is Sheshnaag-150?

Among the company’s most ambitious projects is the Sheshnaag-150, an autonomous long-range strike drone designed specifically for swarming attacks.

The drone reportedly completed its maiden flight around a year ago and has since been progressing through development and testing.

According to reports cited by NDTV, the project gained renewed urgency following Operation Sindoor, when the Indian military sought to accelerate the development of indigenous long-range swarming strike capabilities.

What initially began as an internal research and development programme at NewSpace has now taken on a more immediate operational significance, with defence forces evaluating its potential for battlefield deployment.

Drone built for modern warfare

The Sheshnaag-150 has been engineered around the idea that modern battlefields increasingly favour large numbers of intelligent, low-cost drones instead of a few expensive weapons systems.

The drone has several notable capabilities with a range of more than 1,000 kilometres to conduct deep strike missions far behind enemy lines. The platform can remain airborne for more than five hours, giving it extended endurance during surveillance or loitering strike operations.

The system can carry a warhead payload of between 25 and 40 kilograms, allowing it to deliver significant destructive power while maintaining relatively low production costs compared with traditional missiles.

One of the most important aspects of the Sheshnaag-150 is its swarm capability.

Multiple drones can coordinate attacks simultaneously, flying in formation and approaching targets from different directions.

This swarm behaviour can saturate enemy air-defence systems and increase the probability of successfully striking high-value targets.

The drone is also equipped with GPS-denied visual navigation technology. This allows it to operate even in heavily jammed electronic warfare environments where satellite navigation signals are disrupted.

Another advanced feature is its “mother-code” architecture, which allows one drone to act as a command node that coordinates and guides a swarm of other drones during complex missions.

Why swarm drones matter

Traditionally, advanced strike capabilities relied on expensive fighter aircraft or guided missiles. Autonomous drones equipped with artificial intelligence and networked communication are changing that equation.

Swarm technology allows dozens of drones to function as a coordinated system. They can share real-time information, adjust their flight paths dynamically, and collectively determine how to approach and attack targets.

For militaries, this offers several advantages. Swarm drones are relatively inexpensive compared to traditional weapons. Losing a few drones does not compromise the entire mission, and their ability to approach targets from multiple directions can overwhelm air-defence systems.

The effectiveness of such systems has already been demonstrated in conflicts around the world, where loitering munitions like the Shahed-136 have delivered significant battlefield impact at a fraction of the cost of conventional strike platforms.

From startup lab to battlefield

For decades, most military technologies in India were developed by state-run defence organisations.

In recent years, however, private startups have begun playing a much larger role in designing and building advanced systems such as autonomous drones, robotics platforms, and artificial intelligence-driven defence technologies.

Companies like NewSpace Research & Technologies are part of a new wave of defence innovators working to build India’s indigenous capabilities under initiatives such as Atmanirbhar Bharat.

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The road ahead

While the Sheshnaag-150 is still undergoing testing and operational evaluation, it represents a major milestone for India’s drone development ecosystem.

If successfully deployed, the system could provide the Indian military with a long-range, low-cost strike capability comparable to many of the loitering munition platforms currently shaping modern conflicts.

For NewSpace Research & Technologies, the project demonstrates how a startup-driven approach to innovation can contribute to national defence capabilities.

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