Nagpur’s Solar Group begins production of chaffs, aiming to cut India’s reliance on UK imports and transform military aircraft protection.
Solar Group, a Nagpur-based company, started producing chaffs and flares, electronic countermeasure devices crucial for military aircraft self-defence mechanisms. The production occurs at its Nagpur facility through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Economic Explosives Limited (EEL). This makes Solar Group the first private company to manufacture chaffs and flares within India, reducing reliance on imports from the United Kingdom.
Solar Group has also initiated supplies to Munition India Limited (MIL), the Pune-based defence PSU formed out of the erstwhile ordnance factories. However, the company also aspires to secure independent orders from the defence forces. IAF, the primary user of these systems, intends to participate in the request for proposals (RFP) whenever the forces issue them. It looks forward to supplying the systems to other wings like the Army and Navy as well.
Set up under the Make in India initiative, the facility will produce Chaff 118, 50 mm, and 26 mm, which are used by various aircraft like Mirage 2000, MiG 29, Jaguar, and helicopters. Economic Explosives Limited developed the chaffs with technological support from the Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur, and they are part of the Buy Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category. This facility was inaugurated last week by the deputy chief of air staff Air Staff, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit.
