Therefore, in the foreseeable future, the Indian Army will have an equivalent version of the American JDAM air-launched munitions and the Russian bombs equipped with the Unified Planner and Correction Unit (UMPK).
The Indian Ministry of Defence announced that the country's air force successfully conducted its first flight tests of guided glide bombs off the coast of Odisha state on May 7. The aerodynamic complex, developed by the DRDO and intended for upgrading low-cost free-fall bombs, has been given the acronym TARA (Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation).
The Indian Ministry of Defence said that TARA is a modular complex designed to increase range, and represents the first fully Indian-made glide weapon system, allowing the conversion of unguided warheads into precision-guided weapons.
The TARA system reportedly increases the range of bombs weighing between 250 and 500 kg to 150-180 km when dropped from an altitude of 5 km. The Indian system, equivalent to the Russian UMPK, utilizes GPS sensors and electro-optical guidance. The potential deviation from the target is claimed to be no more than three meters.
The Tribune also reported that it is planned to integrate high-precision bombs equipped with the TARA unit into the armament of Indian Air Force Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Tejas and Jaguar fighters.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the Air Force, and representatives of the national industry on the successful conduct of flight tests of the "first glide weapon using modern and low-cost systems," describing the event as an important step in enhancing India's defence capability.
