The Indian Air Force has successfully drop-tested the Khagantak-243, an indigenously developed Long Range Glide Bomb, in a trial the IAF confirmed met all its planned objectives. Unlike a conventional bomb, the Khagantak-243 carries no engine — after release from a fighter aircraft, its wings deploy and it glides toward the target purely on aerodynamic lift, which keeps its heat and radar signature low. Media reports place its stand-off range between 140 and 180 km, though the Air Force has not officially confirmed any range figure, nor named the launch platform. What makes the programme unusual is who built it: not DRDO, but JSR Dynamics, a Nagpur-based defence startup working in partnership with Bharat Electronics Limited, which contributed the guidance electronics. The company remains pre-revenue, and a successful validation like this is precisely the milestone that could open the door to IAF orders.
Khagantak-243 — The Glide Bomb India's Newest Defence Startup Built
No engine, no exhaust — just aerodynamic lift. The Khagantak-243 glide bomb cleared its IAF drop test, and the company behind it is a pre-revenue startup from Nagpur.