Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) Weapon |ForumIAS

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News: DRDO and the IAF successfully conducted the maiden flight-trial of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon off Odisha coast.

About The Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) Weapon

TARA is India’s first indigenous glide weapon system that converts unguided bombs into precision-guided weapons.
Developed by: TARA has been designed and developed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, along with other DRDO laboratories.
Aim: The system aims to improve the lethality, accuracy, and stand-off strike capability of low-cost weapons against ground-based targets.
Key Features:
- Indigenous Glide System: TARA is India’s first indigenous glide weapon system developed to provide gliding capability to conventional bombs.
- Modular Design: The system uses a modular range-extension and precision-guidance kit that can be fitted onto existing High-Speed Low Drag (HSLD) and General Purpose (GP) bombs.
- Precision Guidance: The weapon uses inertial navigation, GPS-assisted guidance, and electro-optical seekers to achieve high targeting accuracy.
- Extended Strike Capability: TARA-equipped bombs can strike targets at ranges of 150–180 km when released from an altitude of around 5 km at speeds approaching Mach 0.8.
- Multi-Platform Integration: The system can be integrated with Jaguar, Mirage-2000, Sukhoi Su-30MKI, and Tejas aircraft for stand-off strike capability.
- Low-Cost Indigenous System: The glide weapon uses state-of-the-art low-cost systems and allows the IAF (Indian Air Force) to utilise existing bomb stockpiles instead of procuring entirely new missile inventories.