SkyStriker loitering munition strikes target in India-US Yudh Abhyas 2026 exercise
TLDR
- An India-assembled SkyStriker loitering munition located, tracked and destroyed a designated target during the India-US Yudh Abhyas 2026 exercise at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan.1
- SkyStriker is built under an Indian Army contract by a joint venture of Bengaluru's Alpha Design Technologies and Israel's Elbit Systems, 100 units for roughly ₹100 crore.1
- It can reach targets up to 20km away within 10 minutes, loiter for up to two hours with a 5kg warhead (about one hour with a 10kg warhead), and be aborted up to two seconds before impact.12
- Electric propulsion gives it a low acoustic signature, and it can fly solo or in a coordinated swarm.1
- Yudh Abhyas 2026 is the 22nd edition of the annual India-US exercise, running since 15 September 2026 with about 600 soldiers from each side.1
SkyStriker, a loitering munition already fielded by the Indian Army, carried out a successful precision strike during the ongoing India-US Yudh Abhyas 2026 exercise, locating, tracking and destroying its designated target at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, India Sentinels reported.1 The Week, citing news agency ANI, similarly reported the munition "detected, engaged, and struck" its target "in a realistic operational environment."2
The system is built under an Indian Army contract through a joint venture between Bengaluru-based Alpha Design Technologies and Israel's Elbit Systems, covering 100 units at a cost of roughly ₹100 crore to meet what the Army describes as urgent operational requirements.1 It is not new to Indian service, the demonstration showcased an already-fielded system rather than a new acquisition.1
Per Elbit-sourced specifications reported by India Sentinels, SkyStriker can reach targets around 20km away within 10 minutes of launch, and loiter for up to two hours carrying a 5kg warhead or about one hour with a 10kg warhead.1 It flies autonomously during cruise and loiter phases before switching to electro-optical target lock, and operators can abort an engagement up to two seconds before impact, re-engage, or divert the munition to a parachute-assisted recovery.1 The Week's reporting adds that its electric propulsion gives it a "low acoustic signature" suited to covert, low-altitude approaches, and that it can operate solo or in a coordinated swarm.12
Yudh Abhyas 2026 is the 22nd edition of the annual joint exercise, underway since 15 September 2026 across two sites, the Auli Foreign Training Node in Uttarakhand and the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, with roughly 600 soldiers from each country focused on Integrated Battle Group readiness in mountain and semi-mountain terrain.1
Why it matters: SkyStriker is the same loitering munition India used operationally during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, so a public precision-strike demonstration alongside US forces signals both a maturing domestic-assembly supply chain (Alpha Design/Elbit) and India's push to showcase indigenous unmanned-strike capability during joint training.