The DRDO Glide Bomb is a product of the Defence Research and Development Organisation to deploy a standardised medium range precision guided weapon, especially for engagement of targets from outside the range of standard anti-aircraft defenses, thereby increasing aircraft survivability and minimising friendly losses.
| DRDO Glide Bomb / Gaurav Bomb | |
|---|---|
 Gaurav glide bomb during trials | |
| Type | Smart Glide bomb[1][2] |
| Place of origin | India |
| Production history | |
| Designer | G. Satheesh Reddy, Research Centre Imarat (DRDO)[1][2] |
| Designed | 2014–present |
| Manufacturer | Adani Defence and Aerospace |
| Variants | Gaurav (Winged), Gautham (Non-Winged) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Gaurav - 1,000 kg (2,200 lb)[1][2] Gautham - 550 kg (1,210 lb) |
| Length | 4.0 m |
| Diameter | 0.62 m |
| Warhead | CL-20 (fragmentation, cluster munition, PCB)[3] |
Detonation mechanism | Contact and proximity fuze |
Operational range | Gaurav (Winged) - 100 kilometres (54 nmi) Gautham (Non-winged) - 30 kilometres (16 nmi)[1][2] |
| Flight altitude | 10 km |
Guidance system | Mid-course: Inertial navigation system with GPS/NavIC satellite guidance Terminal: Semi-active laser homing[4] |
Launch platform | Sukhoi Su-30 MKI[5] |
Development
The bomb was designed by the nodal Laboratory Research Centre Imarat[6] in Hyderabad with the help of the Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) in Bengaluru, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh and Armaments Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune.[1][2] The team designed the bomb specially for the Indian Air Force to fulfill their requirement for precision guided weapons.[1][2]
Variants
Under the DRDO's Long Range Glide Bomb (LRGB) project, 2 variants have been planned:
- Gaurav - The winged version. It has a range of up to 100 km and weighs 1,000 kg. It can carry either pre-fragmented or penetration-blast warheads.[1][5]
- Gautham - The non-winged version. It has a range of 30 km, enhanced to 100 km in the future, and weighs 550 kg. It can also carry either pre-fragmented or penetration-blast warheads.[1] Although this bomb lacks wings, it does include a control surface that works in conjunction with the inbuilt navigation and guidance system.
The length of both bombs is 4 meters and the diameter of both bombs is 0.62 m.Both bombs have onboard inertial navigation system with GPS and NaVIC Satellite Guidance System.
Trials
The DRDO and the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully tested a 1,000 kg glide bomb on 19 December 2014 that covered a range of 100 km, guided through its on-board navigation system. The flight path is of the glide bomb was monitored by DRDO radars and electro-optic systems situated at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.[7] On 17 August 2018, the IAF and DRDO did a covert successful trial of Gautham and Gaurav at Pokhran firing range, Jaisalmer.[8]
Long Range Glide Bomb - Gaurav
DRDO and IAF successfully tested the Long Range Bomb (LRB) on 29 October 2021 from Su-30MKI at Balasore, Odisha. The bomb was released from 10 km altitude which successfully hit a sea based target using laser guidance. It is a 1,000 kg bomb which DRDO developed as an alternative to the Spice 2000. The LRGB is part of a family of newly developed precision guided munitions with a range of 50 km to 150 km in range.[9]
Operators
See also
- BLU-109 bomb - United States