DRDO's Long Range Smart Glide Bomb "Gaurav" will be manufactured by Adani Defence And Aerospace reports FB Page Next Generation Weapons Tech.

DRDO has developed two version of the glide bomb, namely, Gaurav which is the winged version which has a range of up to 100 km. It contains a pre-fragmented and penetration-blast warhead. Gautham, the non-winged version has a range of 30 km and in the future the range will be enhanced to 100 km. It has onboard navigation and guidance systems and contains a pre-fragmented and penetration-cum-blast warhead.

Designed and developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI), the "Gaurav" LR Bomb can carry a warhead of 1000 kilograms.

Earlier, an Indian Air Force (IAF) team and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Oct, 2021 had successfully flight-tested the country’s first indigenously developed Long-Range Bomb (LRB) from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet over the Interim Test Range. It was fired from an altitude of 10 kilometres.

Using laser guidance, the bomb hit a target range inside the sea, meeting all mission objectives successfully.

From the Kargil war to Operation Bandar in Balakot in 2019, India in the past has been using Israeli laser-guided bombs for stinging airstrikes. The successful test of the LR Bomb makes India capable of staying well within its territory and hitting enemy targets at 100 kilometres with high accuracy. Guided bombs are meant to precisely hit a designated target to minimize collateral damage.

DRDO has also developed a Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW). It is capable of hitting ground targets up to a range of 100 kilometres. Designed to disable airfield runways, SAAW can carry a warhead of 125 kg. As early as on 3rd November 2021, DRDO and IAF together tested SAAW with electro optical seeker, a first of its class in India.

Gaurav LRGB can prove to be a force multiplier and major boost to the Indian Armed Forces, especially at a time Pakistan and China has been posturing aggressively along the borders.