DRDO Glide Bombs

The DRDO Glide Bomb is a product of the Defence Research and Development Organisation to deploy a standardised medium range precision guided weapon, especially for engagement of targets from outside the range of standard anti-aircraft defenses, thereby increasing aircraft survivability and minimising friendly losses.

DRDO Glide Bomb
TypeSmart Glide bomb[1][2]
Place of originIndia
Production history
Designed2014–present
ManufacturerDefence Research and Development Organisation[1][2]
Specifications
Mass910 kg (2,010 lb)[1][2]
Length4.0 m
Diameter0.62 m
WarheadCL-20
Operational
range
Winged - 100 kilometres (54 nmi)
Non-winged -30 kilometres (16 nmi)[1][2]
Launch
platform
Sukhoi Su-30 MKI [3]

Development

The bomb was designed by the nodal Laboratory Research Centre Imarat[4] in Hyderabad with the help of Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) in Bengaluru, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh and Armaments Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune.[1][2] The team designed the bomb specially for the Indian Air Force to fill their requirement of precision guided weapons.[1][2]

Trials

The DRDO and the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully tested a 1,000 kg glide bomb on 19 December 2014 that covered a range of 100 km guided through its on-board navigation system. The flight path is of the glide bomb was monitored by DRDO radars and electro-optic systems situated at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.[5] On 17 August 2018, the IAF and DRDO did a covert successful trial of Garuthmaa and Garudaa at Pokhran firing range, Jaisalmer.[6]

Variants

There are two variants of the DRDO Glide Bomb:

  • Garuthmaa - The winged version. It has a range of up to 100 km.[1][3]
  • Garudaa - The non-winged version. It has a range of 30 km and in future the range will be enhanced to 100 km. It has onboard navigation and guidance systems.[1]

Operators
 India

References
  1. "DRDO successfully tests 'glide bombs' in Pokhran". Times of India. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  2. "India Successfully Tests One Ton Glide Bomb. Why That's Important". NDTV. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  3. "India tests glide bomb". The Hindu. 20 December 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  4. "DRDO Tests 1000 Kg Class Indigenous Guided Glide Bomb". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  5. "1,000-Kg Guided Glide Bomb Tested by DRDO". Indian Defence Review. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  6. "2 smart bombs by DRDO pass test". Deccan Chronicle. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2020.

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