The launch shows a growing effort by Africa’s most populous nation to reduce dependence on imported military hardware and build domestic defence manufacturing capacity.
Nigeria has spent years buying aircraft, armoured vehicles and surveillance systems from countries including China, Turkey, Pakistan and the United States.
But procurement delays, maintenance bottlenecks and rising foreign exchange costs have strengthened the case for local production.
Terra Industries had previously focused on civilian drones and security technology before expanding into defence systems.
“We are unveiling new defence systems such as our interceptor UAVs, our minesweepers, ground vehicles that can detect IEDs on the ground, and our battlefield intelligence software,” Reuters quoted chief executive Nathan Nwachukwu as saying.
The timing is significant. Nigeria has battled Islamist insurgency in the northeast for more than a decade, with Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) remaining active despite repeated military offensives.
Violence linked to banditry and kidnappings has also spread across other parts of the country.
This year, militants have stepped up attacks on military positions using improvised explosive devices, ambush tactics and low-cost drones, showing how tools once associated mainly with advanced militaries are becoming more accessible to armed groups.
That has changed military planning worldwide. Cheap commercial drones modified for surveillance or attack roles have been widely used in conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East, forcing armies to invest in counter-drone systems, electronic warfare and autonomous ground equipment.
For Nigeria, the challenge is acute, securing a vast territory while facing multiple threats and budget constraints.
Major General Babatunde Alaya, head of the state-owned Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), said collaboration with Terra Industries was necessary given troop casualties caused by hidden explosives and roadside bombs.
DICON has long been central to Nigeria’s ambition to produce more of its own defence equipment, but progress has historically been slow. Partnerships with private firms are increasingly seen as a faster route to innovation and scale.
Terra Industries has also announced plans to expand beyond Nigeria, including a manufacturing facility in Ghana, signalling ambitions to serve a wider African market and position itself in the region’s growing security technology industry.
As it is, defense innovation is no longer dominated only by global arms giants. Smaller local firms are beginning to compete in markets shaped by speed, adaptability and lower-cost technology.
By Ayodeji Adegboyega, Business Insider Africa
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