India had on Friday tested a 1,000 kg glide bomb. It was test dropped by an Indian Air Force aircraft in the Bay of Bengal, off the coast of Odisha.
The bomb developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation was guided by its 'on board navigation system'. It glided for nearly 100 km before hitting the target with precision, according to an official release.
The flight of the glide bomb was monitored by radars and electro-optic systems stationed at the Integrated Test Range. The DRDO labs involved in the development were DARE, Bengaluru, ARDE, Pune, and TRBL, Chandigarh. The RCI, Hyderabad was the nodal agency in the development programme.
The labs have designed the completed avionics package and the navigation system for the glide bomb. Avinash Chander, Scientific Advisor to Defence Ministry and Director-General, DRDO, declared that “The nation today has capability to design, develop and launch heavy bombs for delivery up to 100 km away with high precision”.
G Satheesh Reddy, Distinguished Scientist and Director, RCI stated, “Country has now become self-reliant in the area of guided precision bombs.”