IAF Tests Indigenous Khagantak-243 Glide Bomb

The Indian Air Force conducted a successful drop trial of the indigenously designed long-range glide bomb Khagantak-243 on 2 September 2026. The weapon was released from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet and is being developed as a precision-guided munition for stand-off delivery.

Khagantak-243 and Glide Bombs

A glide bomb is an air-launched weapon that uses wings or control surfaces to travel towards a target after release. Such weapons are designed to extend range without continuous propulsion and are used with fighter aircraft for stand-off attacks.

Design, Range and Guidance

The Khagantak-243 has a reported stand-off range of more than 140 km when released from an altitude of about 12,000 metres. Its technical design includes a cylindrical body, mid-body swivel-type glide wings, five aft control surfaces, and a Mk-81 general-purpose blast-fragmentation warhead.

The weapon uses an Inertial Navigation System and jamming-resistant satellite navigation for mid-course guidance. It can also use Electro-Optical/Infrared or Passive Homing Head seekers for terminal guidance.

Development Partners and Platform

The system is being co-developed by JSR Dynamics and Bharat Electronics Limited. JSR Dynamics has designed the bomb body and control systems, while Bharat Electronics Limited has supplied the electronics and guidance subsystems.

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is the primary integration platform for the weapon. The aircraft is a twin-seat, twin-engine multirole fighter used by the Indian Air Force.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a licence-produced variant of the Russian Su-30 family used by India.
• INS stands for Inertial Navigation System and works without external radio signals.
• Multi-GNSS refers to the use of more than one satellite navigation system.
• MK-81 is a general-purpose bomb class used in air-delivered munitions.

Self-Reliance in Defence Production

Atmanirbhar Bharat is a Government of India initiative for self-reliance in manufacturing and strategic sectors. Make in India is a national programme launched in 2014 to promote domestic production and industrial capability.