India Successfully Tests Indigenous TARA Glide Weapon Off Odisha Coast

Bhubaneswar: In a significant boost to India’s indigenous defence capabilities, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully carried out the maiden flight-trial of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon system off the Odisha coast on Thursday.

TARA is India’s first indigenous glide weapon system and has been developed as a modular range extension kit capable of converting unguided warheads into precision-guided weapons.

The advanced weapon system has been designed and developed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, in association with other DRDO laboratories. Officials said the system is intended to improve the lethality and accuracy of low-cost weapons for targeting ground-based objectives.

According to DRDO, TARA is the first glide weapon in the country to incorporate advanced low-cost technologies and systems. The project has been developed in collaboration with Development-cum-Production Partners (DcPP) and other Indian industries, which have already commenced production activities.

Defence experts described the successful trial as a major milestone in India’s efforts towards achieving self-reliance in advanced defence technology and weapon systems.

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the Indian Air Force, industry partners, and the DcPP teams for the successful test, terming it a major achievement in strengthening indigenous defence capabilities.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO, Dr Samir V Kamat, also lauded the scientists, engineers, and teams involved in the successful maiden flight-trial of the TARA weapon system.