IAF tests indigenous Khagantak-243 glide bomb; all about India's new stand-off strike weapon

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday successfully conducted the drop trial of the indigenously designed and developed Khagantak-243, a long-range glide bomb, marking what the force called a significant milestone for the IAF and Indian industry.

"Precision. Power. Pride," the IAF said in a post on X. "A significant milestone for the IAF and Indian Industry. The Indian Air Force successfully conducted the drop of an indigenously designed & developed Long Range Glide Bomb (Khagantak-243). The Trials met all objectives, scaling new peaks of lethality through Atmanirbhar Bharat."

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The force added that the trial reflected new levels of lethality achieved through the Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives, along with continued defence innovation.

BEL order, industry partnership

The IAF had earlier placed an order with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the Khagantak-243 munitions, according to a report by TOI. The number of units and the contract value have not been disclosed.

The weapon has been developed jointly by JSR Dynamics and BEL, TOI reported. JSR Dynamics has provided the bomb's body and control systems, while BEL has supplied its electronics and guidance subsystems.

About the Khagantak-243

The Khagantak-243 is a 300-kg-class airborne long-range stand-off precision-guided glide bomb. Unlike a conventional free-fall bomb, it is designed to be released from a fighter aircraft and glide towards its target using aerodynamic wings and control surfaces, allowing the launch aircraft to strike from a stand-off distance instead of flying directly over the target.

The bomb has a cylindrical body, swivel-type mid-body glide wings and five aft control surfaces, according to the report. It has a reported range of more than 140 km when released from an altitude of around 12,000 metres.

The Khagantak-243 carries a Mk 81 general-purpose blast-fragmentation warhead with 125 kg of explosive fill. The wider Khagantak family follows a modular design, allowing different warhead and guidance configurations depending on mission and customer requirements.

The Su-30MKI has been identified as the initial platform for flight testing of the Khagantak-243, with integration with other IAF aircraft also.