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On May 7, 2026, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully carried retired the maiden formation proceedings of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) limb disconnected Odisha’s coast.
TARA, released from a Jaguar aircraft, is India’s archetypal indigenous glide limb strategy designed to person unguided warheads into precision-guided weapons.
Developed by Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad, with enactment from different DRDO labs and Indian industries, TARA enhances lethality and accuracy astatine debased cost, portion accumulation has already commenced with manufacture partners.The cardinal vantage of TARA lies successful its stand-off capability, allowing pilots to merchandise bombs from extracurricular hostile aerial defence coverage.
Once deployed, the bombs glide astatine precocious subsonic speeds, making interception difficult. This innovation mirrors planetary trends: earlier successful the week, Israel’s Elbit Systems showcased its REST (Range Extension & Smart Tail) kit, which transforms modular warheads into precision onslaught weapons with ranges up to 120 km.
REST employs deployable wings, astute process guidance, and INS/GNSS navigation with anti-jamming resilience, achieving a circular mistake probable (CEP) of conscionable 10 meters.
Like TARA, REST was besides tested from an IAF Jaguar.Such glide kits are cost-effective compared to missiles, arsenic they deficiency analyzable propulsion systems. They leverage existing inventories of “dumb bombs,” imparting some accuracy and extended range. India is advancing its ain household of guided bombs beyond TARA. The Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW), already developed by DRDO, has a 100 km range, with plans for a turbojet-powered variant extending to 200 km.
DRDO is besides moving connected the Gautham glide weaponry successful 500 kg and 1,000 kg versions, each with 100 km reach.
Additionally, backstage steadfast JSR Dynamics is processing a glide weaponry with a 120 km range.Together, these projects awesome India’s propulsion toward affordable precision onslaught capabilities, strengthening its airpower by combining indigenous innovation with planetary benchmarking.
