On 25 May, the Defence Research and Defence Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested a 500 kg class Inertial Guided Bomb today from Su-30 MKI Aircraft from the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan. The guided bomb achieved the desired range and hit the target with high precision.

One earlier occasions as well the indigenously developed light- weight Glide Bomb, SAAW (Smart Anti Airfield Weapon), was successfully tested from Indian Air  Force  aircraft  in the  ranges at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha.

The bomb has been developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, along with sister DRDO laboratories and Indian Air Force.

The 100 kms range of the SAAW provides it stand off precision  targeting capability of airfields without having to cross the border.

The SAAW is a long-range precision-guided anti-airfield weapon,  designed to be capable of engaging ground targets with high precision  out to a range of 100 km.

The lightweight high-precision guided bomb  is one of the world-class weapons systems designed and developed in  the country.

The 120-kg class smart weapon is intended against  runways, bunkers, aircraft hangers and other reinforced structures.

After the test of the SAAW in November 2017 then DRDO Chief Dr S  Christopher stated that the navigation system that was provided with  the bomb will lead to precise targeting.

“So far the bombs we have  don’t have precision, so they go by wind condition, weather  condition… When you are fighting the enemy, you can’t keep trying  hundred times, once you have fired he will know where you are,”  Christopher said.

“As the weather and wind conditions change, it is  always possible for the bomb to go elsewhere. In this bomb, the  guidance system will correct its course and go and land at the same  place.

“This is a sort of guided bomb and it will be much much cheaper  than a missile or rocket, the reason being that it is not having a  propulsion, it is making use of the aircraft’s propulsion. It can go  and land in a place we want,” he added.

The 100 kms range of the SAAW provides it stand off precision  targeting capability of airfields in close proximity of the borders  without actually having to cross the same.