India test-fires indigenous guided lightweight bomb

India on Friday successfully test-fired its indigenously-developed lightweight 'glide bomb', the Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) at the Integrated Test Range at Odisha's Chandipur, an official statement said.

The guided bomb, released from an Indian Air Force aircraft and guided through precision navigation system, reached the targets at greater than 70 km range with high accuracies, it said.

A total of three tests with different release conditions and ranges were conducted and all were successful.

The guided bomb has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's Research Centre Imarat (RCI), along with other laboratories of DRDO and the IAF.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated the DRDO scientists and the IAF for the successful tests. Also congratulating the team, DRDO Chairman S. Christopher said that the SAAW will be inducted soon into the Armed Forces.

Missiles and Strategic System Director General G. Satheesh Reddy meanwhile called it a major milestone in the indigenous capabilities to develop guided bombs.

The SAAW is a long-range precision-guided anti-airfield weapon, designed to be capable of engaging ground targets with high precision out to a range of 100 km.

--IANS

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