Special Report: India's N3X Labs develops new UAV-launching concept

N3X's new HMV-mounted ‘shoot-and-scoot' UAV launcher concept. (N3X Labs)

Pune-based defence startup N3X Labs has developed a new concept for launching unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed to reduce the vulnerability of launch crews in contested environments.

The concept uses a ‘shoot-and-scoot' tactic that enables personnel to relocate quickly after launch.

N3X Labs CEO Shrrinath Navghane told Janes on 15 July that the concept addresses a key operational challenge in contested environments, where a launch platform becomes a target as soon as it fires.

“Our approach is to minimise that exposure window – mounting the launcher on a High Mobility Vehicle (HMV) so a crew can arrive, deploy, fire, and displace before counter-battery or drone-hunting systems can respond,” Navghane said.

Although currently designed for N3X's Wrath loitering and strike UAV, he added that the concept could be adapted for a broader range of UAVs.

Wrath is an autonomous unmanned combat aerial vehicle designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and targeting, swarm operations, and suppression roles.

Concept images shared with Janes show an HMV fitted with a rear-mounted launcher carrying five containerised Wrath UAVs.

Navghane said three key engineering decisions shaped integration of the five-round launcher on an HMV.

First, the launcher's five-round magazine was positioned close to the vehicle's centre of gravity to preserve the HMV's off-road mobility and handling characteristics. Second, the company adopted a modular quick-swap magazine architecture rather than a fixed launch rack, allowing crews to reload rapidly without specialised tools.

Third, fire-control functions are decoupled from mechanical aiming, with onboard software managing targeting and launch sequencing. According to Navghane, this approach reduces crew training requirements and enables the vehicle to be reconfigured for reconnaissance or strike missions.