Major boost to ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’

Hyderabad: Ministry of Defence has inked a contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for the procurement of 160 Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapons (SAT-SAAW) along with associated equipment for the Indian Air Force (IAF) with a total cost of Rs 810.79 crore under the Buy (Indian - Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category. The contract was signed New Delhi in Wednesday in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

SAT-SAAW is an air-to-ground precision-guided glide bomb that could be launched from platforms like Jaguar, Hawk & Su-30 MKI, and can neutralise enemy airfields from a long stand-off range. Indigenously designed and developed by DRDO, the system will have 60% indigenous content, along with indigenous subsystems like the Initial Measurement Unit, Long Impact Delay Fuse, and Twin Store Carrier, to further boost Aatmanirbharta in defence. The delivery of SAT-SAAW is scheduled between 2027-2028 and 2028-2029. Its induction would certainly enhance the IAF's operational capability, enabling it to continue its unhindered operations and strengthen the country's defence preparedness.

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