India Signs ₹810.79 Crore Contract For 160 Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapons For IAF

New Delhi, Sep 23 - The Indian Ministry of Defence recently inked a contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited to acquire 160 Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapons (SAT-SAAW) and related equipment for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The total contract value amounts to an impressive ₹810.79 crore, all falling under the 'Buy Indian - Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured' category. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh presided over the signing ceremony.

The SAT-SAAW, an air-to-ground precision-guided glide bomb, can be launched from various aircraft models like Jaguar, Hawk, and Su-30 MKI. Its primary function is to neutralize enemy airfields from a significant distance, boasting a 60% indigenous content and indigenous sub-systems such as the Initial Measurement Unit, Long Impact Delay Fuse, and Twin Store Carrier.

Scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2029, the weapons system is poised to significantly bolster the IAF's operational capabilities, ensuring uninterrupted mission execution and enhancing the nation's defense preparedness. Designed to target crucial infrastructure such as runways, taxi tracks, hangars, radars, fuel storage, and communication facilities, the SAT-SAAW effectively neutralizes adversary air power during the early stages of conflict.

These guided glide bombs prove to be a cost-effective alternative to tactical missiles, leveraging the launch aircraft's momentum for propulsion, thereby eliminating the need for onboard rocket or jet engines. They are equipped with a high-explosive, pre-fragmented deep-penetration warhead, achieving pinpoint accuracy through satellite navigation.