BHUBANESWAR: The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully carried out a three-day target simulation exercise over Bay of Bengal by air dropping home grown sophisticated bombs paving the way for their induction in the Armed Forces. Defence sources said three rounds of the indigenously developed bomb were dropped from a fighter aircraft of IAF on different conditions. While first test of the series was conducted at about 10 pm on Monday, the rest two consecutive tests were carried out on the next two days during afternoon.

The tests of the guided weapons designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was aimed at gauging the accuracy of target simulation and precision hit. “The IAF fighter aircraft carrying the bombs took off from Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal and dropped at perfect locations off Odisha coast as coordinated. The tests were highly successful in terms of finding locations and accuracy,” said a defence official. The medium range bombs, guided by its on board navigation system glided before hitting the target with great precision.

The entire exercise was monitored by radars and electro-optic systems stationed at the Chandipur-based Integrated Test Range (ITR). This is an all-weather precision guided weapon designed to provide enhanced striking capability to the Air Force against buried targets. The low cost and light weight bomb is capable of clearing ground-based enemy radar. Multiple DRDO laboratories including Bangalore-based Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE), Pune based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and Chandigarh-based Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) with Research Centre Imarat (RCI) at Hyderabad as the nodal laboratory have contributed towards development of the bomb.

The successful test has once again proved that the country has now become self-reliant in the area of guided precision bombs and has the capability to design, develop and launch the guided weapon systems up to 100 km away with high precision. The complete avionics package and navigation system has been designed and developed by RCI.

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