India Tests Indigenous Khagantak-243 Long-Range Glide Bomb

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has conducted the drop trial of the indigenously designed and developed Long Range Glide Bomb Khagantak-243.

In an official statement on X, the IAF said the trials met all objectives and demonstrated “new peaks of lethality” through indigenous defence innovation.

The Khagantak-243 is a 300 kg-class airborne precision-guided glide bomb jointly developed by Nagpur-based startup JSR Dynamics and Bharat Electronics Limited. JSR Dynamics provided the bomb’s body and control systems, while BEL supplied the electronics and guidance subsystems.

Unlike conventional free-fall bombs, the Khagantak-243 uses aerodynamic wings and control surfaces to glide towards its target after release. It has a reported range of more than 140 km when dropped from an altitude of around 12,000 metres. The munition is equipped with a Mk-81 general-purpose blast-fragmentation warhead containing approximately 125 kg of explosive fill.

The IAF had earlier placed an order with BEL for an unspecified number of Khagantak-243 munitions. The weapon is designed for integration with fighter aircraft, with the Su-30MKI identified as the primary platform for initial testing.