NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully conducted the drop trial of the indigenously designed and developed Khagantak-243 long-range glide bomb, marking a significant milestone in India’s defence manufacturing and precision-strike capability.
Announcing the development on X, the IAF said the trials met all designated objectives.
“Precision. Power. Pride,” the IAF said, adding that the successful drop represented a significant achievement for both the force and Indian industry under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
The Khagantak-243 is a 300-kg-class airborne, long-range stand-off precision-guided glide bomb designed to be released from fighter aircraft and glide towards its target using aerodynamic wings and control surfaces.
Unlike conventional free-fall bombs, the weapon allows the launch aircraft to engage targets from a stand-off distance without having to fly directly over them.
The weapon has reportedly been jointly developed by JSR Dynamics and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). JSR Dynamics has contributed the bomb body and control systems, while BEL has supplied electronics and guidance subsystems.
The IAF had earlier placed an order with BEL for Khagantak-243 munitions, though details regarding the number of weapons ordered and the contract value have not been disclosed.
The bomb reportedly has a range of more than 140 km when released from an altitude of around 12,000 metres.
It features a cylindrical body, swivel-type mid-body glide wings and five aft control surfaces.
The Khagantak-243 carries a Mk 81 general-purpose blast-fragmentation warhead with around 125 kg of explosive fill.
The wider Khagantak family follows a modular design, allowing different warhead and guidance configurations depending on mission requirements.
The Su-30MKI has been identified as the initial platform for flight testing and integration of the weapon, with possible integration on other IAF aircraft also envisaged.
The successful trial is being seen as another boost to India’s indigenous defence manufacturing programme, particularly in the field of precision-guided stand-off weapons.
