India Develops Tara Range Extension Kit for Aerial Bombs

India has developed the TARA modular kit, which increases the range and accuracy of aerial bombs.

The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) reported that the first flight test of the system was successfully conducted on May 7.

TARA (Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation) is capable of transforming unguided bombs into high-precision guided weapons.

“This is the first Indian guidance module to utilize modern, low-cost components,” the DRDO stated.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the industry on the first flight test, calling it an important step in the development of the country’s indigenous defense capabilities.

It is reported that bombs equipped with TARA and developed in 250 kg, 450 kg, and 500 kg versions can strike targets at distances exceeding 100 km.

Thanks to TARA, fighter jets can strike well-protected targets without entering the engagement range of enemy air defense systems.

The guidance kit integrates with several fighter platforms of the Indian Air Force, including the Jaguar, Mirage 2000, Su-30MKI, and the domestic Tejas aircraft.

TARA is generally comparable to the Israeli SPICE precision-guided bombs or the Russian UMPK modules.

After release, the system deploys its wings and tail and uses inertial navigation, GPS guidance, and an electro-optical seeker.

The system is expected to provide accuracy with a circular error probability of less than five meters.

During some research tests under favorable conditions, even higher accuracy was recorded.