The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Friday announced the successful maiden flight trial of an indigenously developed glide weapon system off the coast of Odisha.
The Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) system, developed to convert unguided warheads into precision-guided weapons, was tested on Thursday, it said.
"The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted the maiden flight-trial of TARA weapon off the coast of Odisha," MoD said.
It said TARA is India's first indigenous glide weapon system designed to convert unguided warheads into precision-guided weapons.
"Maiden flight-trial of Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon was successfully conducted off the coast of Odisha on May 07, 2026. TARA, the modular range extension kit, is India’s first indigenous glide weapon system to convert unguided warheads into precision guided weapons," DRDO wrote on X.
The weapon system has been designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, along with other DRDO laboratories, to enhance the lethality and accuracy of a low-cost weapon for neutralising ground-based targets, the ministry said in a statement. It is the first glide weapon to utilise state-of-the-art low-cost systems, it added.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, the Indian Air Force and the industry partners involved in the project for the maiden flight trial of the weapon system. He described it as a significant development in advancing India's indigenous defence capabilities.
(With inputs from PTI)