Bhubaneswar: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have successfully conducted the maiden flight-trial of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon system off the Odisha coast on May 7, marking a significant milestone in India’s indigenous defence capabilities.
TARA, a modular range extension kit developed indigenously, is designed to convert conventional unguided warheads into precision-guided glide weapons capable of accurately engaging ground-based targets.
According to an official release, the system has been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Research Centre Imarat in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories.
The weapon system is aimed at enhancing the lethality and accuracy of low-cost aerial munitions and is described as India’s first indigenous glide weapon to employ state-of-the-art low-cost technologies.
The development programme has also involved Development-cum-Production Partners (DcPPs) and several Indian industries, which have already initiated production activities for the system.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the IAF, industry partners and all associated teams for the successful maiden trial. He termed the achievement a major step forward in strengthening India’s self-reliance in advanced defence technologies.
Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat also congratulated the scientists, engineers and personnel associated with the successful flight-test.
