The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) flight tested the smart anti-airfield weapon (SAAW) for the second time successfully in a week from a Jaguar fighter aircraft on 3 November. It was earlier fired on October 28. The weapon has a range of 100 km.

SAAW has been designed and developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat with support from IAF.

The indigenous smart weapon can target enemy airfield assets such as radars, bunkers, taxiways and runways.

The November 3 test is significant as it involved the imaging infrared seeker technology that exponentially enhances the terminal accuracy of the weapon, said one of the officials cited above. The weapons earlier tested — SAAW has been test fired around 10 times — were equipped with GPS-based navigation and terminal guidance systems.

“The two different configurations based on satellite navigation and electro optical (EO) sensors have been successfully tested. EO seeker-based flight test of this class of bomb was conducted for the first time in the country. EO configuration of the system is equipped with imaging infrared seeker technology that enhancing the precision strike capability of the weapon,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

In both tests, the newly adapted launcher ensured smooth release of the weapon and intended targets were hit with high accuracy, it added.

The November 3 test came a week after India carried out the latest test of the 5,000 km range Agni-V missile from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast, a significant step towards boosting the nuclear deterrence against China.

In January 2021, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) announced that a Hawk-i aircraft successfully fired SAAW for the first time off the coast of Odisha. It was seen as a significant boost to an upgrade programme for the Hawk advanced jet trainer operated by IAF and navy.

The Hawk-i project (or upgraded Hawk) seeks to equip the trainer jet with combat capabilities through an internally-funded HAL programme. HAL is in talks with IAF and navy for the weaponisation of their Hawks.

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It was a text book launch, which met all mission objectives. The telemetry and tracking systems installed at Interim Test Range (ITR), Balasore captured all the mission events.” While earlier tests have been conducted from Jaguar, this time HAL Hawk-1 was used, thus expanding the operating scope of weapons system.

The system belongs to the glide bomb category and its development began around 2012-13, with crucial inputs from the Indian Air Force and the first test was carried out in 2016.

The press statement said, “SAAW is indigenously designed and developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI) Hyderabad. This is a 125-kilogram class smart weapon, capable of engaging ground enemy airfield assets such as radars, bunkers, taxi tracks, and runways, up to a range of 100 kilometres. The high precision guided bomb is lightweight compared to weapon system of the same class. The weapon was earlier successfully test fired from Jaguar aircraft.”

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