New Delhi, September 24: The Ministry of Defence has signed an ₹810.79-crore contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for 160 Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapons (SAT-SAAW) and associated equipment for the Indian Air Force.
The contract was signed in New Delhi on September 23 under the Buy (Indian – Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.
SAT-SAAW is an air-to-ground precision-guided glide bomb designed for launch from Jaguar, Hawk and Su-30 MKI aircraft. The Ministry of Defence said the weapon can be used to neutralise enemy airfields from a long stand-off range.
The system was indigenously designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and will have 60% indigenous content. The Ministry said subsystems including the Initial Measurement Unit, Long Impact Delay Fuse and Twin Store Carrier are also being indigenised.
The weapon has undergone several years of development and testing. In January 2021, DRDO successfully conducted a captive and release trial of the SAAW from an Indian Hawk-Mk132, following an earlier successful trial from the Jaguar. Further flight tests of satellite-navigation and electro-optical versions were conducted in November 2021.
BDL describes the SAAW as a long-range, stand-off precision air-to-surface weapon and lists its range at 90-100 km, depending on release conditions.
Deliveries under the latest contract are scheduled for 2027-28 and 2028-29. The Ministry of Defence said the induction of the weapons would enhance the Indian Air Force’s operational capability and strengthen the country’s defence preparedness.
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