{
  "id": 1741217,
  "title": "HoverIt builds loitering munitions and surveillance drones in Lucknow",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/hoverit-builds-loitering-munitions-and-surveillance-drones-in-lucknow",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-18T15:46:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "YourStory",
    "slug": "yourstory",
    "url": "https://yourstory.com/2026/08/hoverit-loitering-munitions-surveillance-drones"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "HoverIt, also known as Kawa UAV Private Limited, is a company based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, that has been in operation since August 2022. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of unmanned aircraft and has transitioned from surveillance platforms to strike systems. Their product line includes several roles, such as the compact Aankh drone for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance with thermal imaging, the fixed-wing Raftaar platform for long-range surveillance with vertical take-off, and the Baaz platform for precision delivery and high-altitude work. The Divyastra line is the company's main strike family, with versions numbered in order of development: Mk1, Mk2, and Mk3. The Mk1 is a propeller-driven multi-role loitering munition with swarm capability and a claimed 500 km range with five hours of endurance. The company has conducted high-speed taxi trials of the Mk2 and successfully flew the jet-powered Divyastra Mk3, powered by a turbojet from DG Propulsion, on 11 August 2026. Both HoverIt and DG Propulsion claim this as the first Indian jet-powered loitering munition to fly, with the entire program completed within a year. HoverIt's platforms have been tested in various operational environments, including high-altitude deployments in Ladakh, riverbed reconnaissance, and payload-delivery exercises with defense forces. The same airframe can be customized with different payloads, allowing buyers to obtain a single platform capable of multiple jobs instead of building separate aircraft for each task.",
  "summary": "The company designs and manufactures unmanned systems ranging from compact surveillance drones to strike platforms and flew India's first jet-powered loitering munition this month.",
  "key_points": [
    "HoverIt, based in Lucknow, specializes in unmanned aircraft.",
    "Divyastra Mk3, jet-powered, flies first Indian loitering munition.",
    "Platforms tested in Ladakh, riverbed, and defense force exercises."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}