The indigenously-developed, lightweight 'glide bomb' was successfully test fired by India at Chandipur in Odisha on Friday. Earlier three tests of the weapon with different release conditions and ranges were conducted and all were successful, said a defence ministry statement. The glide bomb, also called  'smart anti-airfield weapon' (SAAW) will soon be inducted into the armed forces, said S Christopher, chairman of DRDO.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated the DRDO scientists and the IAF for the successful tests. SAAW has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's Research Centre Imarat (RCI), other labs and the Indian Air Force.

According to a defence ministry statement, the guided bomb which was released from an Air Force aircraft and guided through precision navigation system, reached the targets at greater than 70 km range, with high accuracies.

SAAW is a 120 kg smart weapon that is capable of hitting targets with high precision up to a range of 100 km. The long-range will allow the IAF to easily hit targets across the border without endangering the pilot’s life and putting the aircraft at risk. One advantage of this bomb is that it can be easily integrated into the varied types of fighter jets with the IAF. The weapon can be used to destroy bunkers, runways, aircraft hangers and other reinforced structures.