DRDO, IAF Succeed in Maiden TARA Glide Trial Off Odisha

India's Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted the maiden flight trial of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) glide weapon system off the coast of Odisha on May 7, 2026.

TARA is a modular range extension kit designed to convert unguided bombs into precision-guided weapons, enhancing their lethality and accuracy against ground-based targets. Developed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in Hyderabad along with other DRDO laboratories, the system attaches to existing stockpiles of general-purpose and high-speed low-drag bombs, transforming them into glide munitions without requiring new warheads. Production of the kits has already begun through Development cum Production Partners (DcPP) and Indian industries.

The trial, announced the following day, demonstrated TARA's capabilities, including a dual-mode guidance system. It employs a fiber-optic gyro inertial navigation system combined with GPS for mid-flight course correction, switching to semi-active laser guidance for terminal accuracy. Officials noted that GPS mode achieves about 30 meters of precision, while laser mode narrows it to around 3...