New Delhi:

India has carried out a “successful” maiden flight test of the long-range glide bomb (LRGB) Gaurav from a Su-30 MK-I fighter jet of the Indian Air Force.

During the flight test, the glide bomb hit the target erected at Long Wheeler’s island with pinpoint accuracy, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The test was conducted off the coast of Odisha.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the DRDO, the Indian Air Force and the industry for the successful flight test of the glide bomb.

He described the successful test as a major milestone in the country’s effort to develop indigenous defence technologies for further strengthening the capability of the armed forces.

“The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has carried out a successful maiden flight test of long-range glide bomb Gaurav from Su-30 MK-I platform of the Indian Air Force,” the ministry said in a statement.

‘Gaurav’ is an air-launched 1,000 kg class glide bomb capable of hitting targets at long distances.

After being launched, the glide bomb steer towards the target using a highly accurate hybrid navigation scheme, the ministry said.

‘Gaurav’ has been designed and developed indigenously by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad.

“During the flight test, the glide bomb hit the target erected at Long Wheeler’s island with pinpoint accuracy,” the ministry said.

“Complete flight data during the test launch was captured by Telemetry and Electro-optical tracking systems deployed by Integrated Test Range along the coastline,” it said.

The flight was monitored by senior DRDO scientists.

The ministry said the Adani Defence and Bharat Forge, the development-cum-production partners also participated during the flight trial.

Secretary of Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Samir V Kamat congratulated the entire DRDO team on conducting the successful flight test of LRGB. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In a major boost to Indian forces deployed opposite China in Ladakh, premier defence research agency Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and private sector firm Larsen and Toubro (L&T) are at advanced stage of trials of the indigenous Light Tank Zorawar.

DRDO chief Dr Samir V Kamat today reviewed the progress made in the project at the Larsen and Toubro plant at Hajira in Gujarat.

#WATCH | Exclusive footage of the light tank Zorawar developed jointly by DRDO and Larsen and Toubro. The tank project being developed for the Indian Army was reviewed by DRDO chief Dr Samir V Kamat in Hazira, Gujarat today. The tank has been developed by the DRDO to meet the… pic.twitter.com/bkJHdWkoWo

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2024

Developed in a record time of two years for high altitude areas of Ladakh, the tank is testimony to Indian progress in indigenous manufacturing.

The DRDO and L&T have integrated USVs in loitering munitions in the tank learning lessons from the Russia and Ukraine conflict.

The light tank Zorawar weighs 25 tonnes. It is the first time, a fresh tank has been designed and made ready for trials in such a short time.

59 of these tanks will be provided to the Army initially and it will be a front runner for the major programme of 295 more of these armoured vehicles.

The Indian Air Force can supply two tanks at a time in the C-17 class transport aircraft as the tank is light and can be run at high speeds in mountain valleys.

The trials are expected to be completed in the next 12-18 months and be ready for induction.

Even though the first ammunition is coming from Belgium, the DRDO is ready to develop the ammunition indigenously.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Amid the large-scale requirement for shoulder-fired air defence missiles, DRDO is going to carry out trials of the indigenous shoulder-fired air defence missiles before handing them over to the Indian Army for user trials.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation has been developing Very Short Range Air Defence missiles to meet the requirements of the Indian Army and Air Force to tackle aerial targets like fast-moving drones, fighter aircraft and helicopters in border areas.

DRDO is looking to carry out high-altitude trials of the Indigenous tripod-fired short-range air defence missile in mountainous regions like Ladakh or Sikkim, defence officials told ANI.

After successful completion of the trials, the missile system will be handed over to the users for their trials and assessments, they said.

The missile system has been able to lock on and take out both long-range and short-range targets.

The issues with the short-range targeting have been sorted out and the system is moving ahead progressively, the officials said.

Indian forces, with the Indian Army in the lead, have been trying to fulfil the shortages of different types of very short-range air defence missiles in their inventory.

The Indian Army is progressing in two cases worth Rs 6,800 crore for developing Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) systems indigenously, amid a lack of inventory of shoulder-fired missiles to tackle aerial threats from Pakistan and China.

The current VSHORAD missiles in the Army and Air Force’s inventory are all equipped with lR homing guidance systems, while the Igla 1M VSHORAD missile system was inducted in 1989 and was planned for de-induction in 2013.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)