‘New peaks of lethality’: IAF tests Khagantak-243; all about long range glide bomb

The Indian Air Force has achieved a major milestone by successfully testing the Khagantak-243 glide bomb.

The Indian Air Force has successfully conducted the drop trial of the indigenously designed and developed Khagantak-243, a long-range glide bomb, marking a significant milestone in India’s development of indigenous stand-off strike weapons.In a post on X, the Indian Air Force said the trial of the Khagantak-243 successfully met all objectives, calling it a significant milestone for the IAF and Indian industry. The force said the test demonstrated new levels of lethality through Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India and defence innovation.The IAF had earlier placed an order with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for an unspecified number of Khagantak-243 munitions, with the contract value not disclosed. The weapon has been developed collaboratively by BEL and JSR Dynamics, with JSR Dynamics providing the bomb’s body and control systems and BEL supplying its electronics and guidance subsystems.The Khagantak-243 is an indigenously designed and developed long-range glide bomb intended to provide the IAF with a stand-off precision strike capability. Unlike a conventional free-fall bomb, a glide bomb can travel towards its target after being released from an aircraft, allowing strikes from greater distances.Khagantak-243The Khagantak-243 is a 300-kg-class airborne long-range stand-off precision-guided glide bomb developed jointly by JSR Dynamics and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).The weapon is designed to be released from a fighter aircraft and then glide towards its target using its aerodynamic wings and control surfaces, allowing the aircraft to attack targets from a stand-off distance rather than flying directly over them. The Khagantak-243 has a cylindrical body, swivel-type mid-body glide wings and five aft control surfaces.The Khagantak-243 has a reported range of more than 140 km when released from an altitude of around 12,000 metres.The bomb is equipped with a Mk 81 general-purpose blast-fragmentation warhead containing 125 kg of explosive fill. The Khagantak family has a modular design, allowing different warhead and guidance configurations depending on the mission and customer requirements.The Su-30MKI was identified as the initial platform for flight testing of the Khagantak-243, with potential integration with other aircraft also reported.