Context
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have successfully carried out the first flight trial of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon off the coast of Odisha, marking an important development in India’s indigenous precision strike capability.
About Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA)
- The Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) is India’s first indigenous glide weapon system, developed to upgrade conventional unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions.
- The project is being developed through a collaborative model involving Development-cum-Production Partners (DcPP) and Indian defence industries, strengthening the country’s defence industrial base.
- After being released from an aircraft, it does not fall freely; instead, it uses aerodynamic lift and onboard guidance systems to glide towards the target with higher accuracy.
- This enables stand-off strike capability, allowing aircraft to engage targets from safer distances without entering hostile air defence zones.
- The system improves the performance of low-cost conventional munitions by significantly enhancing their strike precision.
- It ensures greater accuracy in targeting and reduced collateral damage during ground attacks.
- Designed with a modular architecture, it can be integrated with existing weapon systems without major modifications.
