DRDO Glide Bombs. 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. The development was carried out by Research Centre Imarat whereas its production-cum-development partner are Adani Defence & Aerospace and Bharat Forge.

The DRDO Glide Bomb has the ability to demolish a wide range of targets, such as reinforced buildings, airfields, bunkers, and blast hardened structures.

Development 
The bomb was designed by the nodal Laboratory Research Centre Imarat 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. The team designed the bomb specially for the Indian Air Force to fulfill their requirement for precision guided weapons.

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.

 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. 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. The wingspan of Gaurav is 3.4 meters. To guide the glide munition towards the target, DRDO Glide Bombs use a hybrid navigation approach that combines satellite guidance and an inertial navigation system with digital control.

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. On 17 August 2018, the IAF and DRDO did a covert successful trial of Gautham and Gaurav at Pokhran firing range, Jaisalmer.

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. 

The Gaurav glide bomb was successfully tested on August 14, 2024, from a Su-30MKI, striking the target at Abdul Kalam Island with precise accuracy. Using electro-optical tracking equipment and telemetry provided by the Integrated Test Range, a team comprising DRDO, Adani Defence & Aerospace, and Bharat Forge tracked the trajectory and performance.

Operators

Indian Air Force

See also
BLU-109 bomb - United States

References

Defence Research and Development Organisation
Guided bombs
Aerial bombs of India