SOURCE: AFI
The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is poised to greenlight the bulk procurement of the indigenously developed Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW), a precision-guided glide bomb designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). This move comes amid heightened regional tensions, with unverified claims of the weapon’s use in a recent strike on Pakistan’s Rahim Yar Khan airbase, underscoring its strategic importance.
The SAAW is a lightweight, long-range precision-guided munition designed to neutralize enemy airfield infrastructure, including runways, taxi tracks, radars, bunkers, and aircraft hangars, with a range of up to 100 kilometers. Weighing approximately 125 kilograms, the SAAW is equipped with advanced navigation systems, including satellite-based INS-GPS and, in its latest iterations, an electro-optical (EO) seeker with Imaging Infrared (IIR) technology for enhanced precision. The weapon’s ability to strike targets with a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of less than 15 meters makes it a potent tool for the IAF to engage high-value targets from a safe distance, minimizing exposure to enemy air defenses.
Developed by the DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with other laboratories and the IAF, the SAAW was first approved for development in September 2013 with a budget of ?56.58 crore (approximately $6.7 million). The weapon underwent its initial successful test in May 2016, followed by a series of trials between 2017 and 2021, including tests from Jaguar, Su-30 MKI, and Hawk-I aircraft. The latest tests in October and November 2021 validated two configurations: one using satellite navigation and another with an EO/IIR seeker, a first for India in this class of weapon. On December 15, 2021, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh formally handed over the SAAW to the IAF, paving the way for mass production.
The SAAW’s integration with multiple IAF platforms, including the Jaguar, Su-30 MKI, and potentially the Rafale and Tejas MK1A, enhances its operational flexibility. The Su-30 MKI can carry 20–32 SAAW units using an indigenous four-round Smart Quad Rack system, enabling devastating salvo strikes against enemy airfields.
The SAAW’s ability to destroy critical airfield infrastructure from stand-off ranges aligns with India’s evolving doctrine of preemptive and retaliatory strikes, particularly in response to Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism. By targeting airfields, the IAF could neutralize the PAF’s operational capabilities, paving the way for deeper strikes against terrorist infrastructure, as advocated in recent strategic discussions.
The SAAW procurement underscores India’s push for self-reliance under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. The weapon is a fully indigenous design, with contributions from DRDO laboratories, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and private-sector partners like Adani Defence & Aerospace, which is also involved in producing other precision-guided munitions like the Rudram-1 anti-radiation missile. The MoD’s allocation of 25% of its domestic capital procurement budget ($2.72 billion) to private industry and MSMEs further supports the SAAW’s production ecosystem, with BDL and private firms like the Kalyani Group poised to scale up manufacturing.
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