Gaurav (glide bomb)

The Long Range Glide Bomb, also known as Gaurav is a product of the Defence Research and Development Organisation to deploy a standardised medium range precision guided weapon, especially for engagement of targets from outside the range of standard anti-aircraft defenses, thereby increasing aircraft survivability and minimising friendly losses. The development was carried out by Research Centre Imarat with production from Adani Defence & Aerospace and Bharat Forge.^[8][9]

Gaurav long range glide bomb
Gaurav glide bomb during trials
Type	Glide bomb[1][2]
Place of origin	India
Production history
Designer	G. Satheesh Reddy, Research Centre Imarat (DRDO)[1][2]
Designed	2014–present
Manufacturer	Adani Defence & Aerospace Bharat Forge
Specifications
Mass	1,000 kg (2,200 lb)[1][2]
Length	4.0 m
Diameter	0.62 m
Wingspan	3.4 m
Warhead	CL-20 (fragmentation, cluster munition, PCB)[3]
Detonation mechanism	Contact and proximity fuze
Operational range	30–150 kilometres (16–81 nmi)[4]
Flight altitude	10 km
Guidance system	Mid-course: INS + multi-GNSS and digital control[5] Terminal: SALH[6]
Launch platform	Sukhoi Su-30 MKI[7]

Development

The bomb was designed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI)^[10] in Hyderabad with the help of the Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) in Bengaluru, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh and Armaments Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune.^[1][2] The team designed the bomb specially for the Indian Air Force to fulfill a requirement for precision guided weapons.^[1][2]

The length of the bomb is 4 meters and the diameter is 0.62 m. The wingspan of Gaurav is 3.4 meters. It has a range of up to 100 km and weighs 1,000 kg. It can carry either pre-fragmented or penetration-blast warheads.^[1][7] To guide the glide munition towards the target, DRDO Glide Bombs use a hybrid navigation approach that combines satellite guidance and an inertial navigation system with digital control.^[11][12] Gaurav is claimed to be able to destroy a wide range of targets, such as reinforced buildings, airfields, bunkers, and blast hardened structures.^[12]

Trials

• 19 December 2014: A DRDO-developed 1,000 kg-class glide bomb was successfully tested in the Bay of Bengal. The bomb was dropped from an Indian Air force aircraft and covered a range of 100 km, guided through its on-board navigation system. The flight path is of the glide bomb was monitored by DRDO radars and electro-optic systems situated at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha.^[10][13]
• 29 October 2021: DRDO and IAF successfully tested the Long Range Glide Bomb from a Su-30MKI at Balasore, Odisha. The bomb was released from 10 km altitude and successfully hit a sea based target using laser guidance. It is a 1,000 kg bomb which DRDO developed as an alternative to the Spice 2000. The LRGB is part of a family of newly developed precision guided munitions with a range of 50 km to 150 km in range.^[14][15]
• 14 August 2024: The Gaurav glide bomb was successfully tested from a Su-30MKI, striking a target at Abdul Kalam Island. Using electro-optical tracking equipment and telemetry provided by the Integrated Test Range, a team comprising DRDO, Adani Defence & Aerospace, and Bharat Forge tracked the trajectory and performance.^[8][16][9]
• 8 to 10 April 2025: Release trials of LRGB Gaurav were conducted from a Su-30MKI by DRDO at the Integrated Test Range, where it was claimed to have demonstrated a maximum range of 100 km with "pinpoint accuracy".^[17][18] The weapon was integrated to several stations in various warhead configurations for land targets during the trials.^[19]

Operators

 India

• Indian Air Force

See also

• BLU-109 bomb - United States