India's first private-sector micro-missile JWALA readies for maiden experimental trial after successful rocket motor tests

Key facts

• JWALA, India's first indigenously developed private-sector micro-missile designed and developed by IG Defence, is set for its maiden experimental trial following successful test-firing of two solid rocket motors.
• JWALA is a short-range surface-to-air weapon system with a strike range of 2 to 5 km and an engagement envelope from 50 metres to 5,000 metres, developed as a low-cost hard-kill Counter-UAS interceptor against hostile drones.
• The missile uses a dual-pulse solid rocket motor with fin control, carries a 0.5-1.5 kg pre-fragmented high-explosive warhead with proximity fuze, and has a circular error probability of less than two metres at maximum range.
• JWALA has a reaction time of less than seven seconds from target detection to missile launch, aiding responses against low-flying, fast-moving drone targets.
• The missile is part of IG Defence's GRID defend ecosystem, an AI-enabled battle-management network linking sensors, command systems and effectors, with JWALA serving as the hard-kill effector.
• IG Defence also demonstrated its T-SHUL BEAM soft-kill counter-UAS system, which uses electronic countermeasures and operates through the GRID architecture, at the Indian Air Force's Dronathon 2026 exercise in Pokhran.