Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon test fired by HAL

The Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) was recently test fired by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The weapon was test fired from Hawk-I aircraft and has become the first smart weapon that was fired from the Indian Hawk.

Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW)

• The government of India had approved the SAAW project in the year 2013. While, in the year 2020, the project has been approved for the Indian Navy as well as the Indian Air Force.
• It is a long-range precision guided anti-airfield weapon.
• The weapon has been developed by the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) of the Defence research and development Organisation (DRDO).
• The SAAW is basically a bomb that can engage with the target with its precision range of hundred kilo metres.
• It has been designed to destroy the targets like bunkers, reinforced structures, runways and aircraft hangers.
• The first successful test of the project was conducted in the year 2016. In the line, eight successful tests of SAAW have been conducted till date.

Hawk aircraft

It is a British single-engine and jet-powered advanced trainer aircraft. The aircraft was first flown in the year 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. The aircraft is used in a training capacity. It is also used as low-cost combat aircraft. The Hawk is still produced in United Kingdom and is under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India. It can provide a secured voice communication and data link capability. The data is provided by integrating the Softnet Radio and pilots. The pilots can configure and select the cockpit Human Machine Interface for different platforms of the aircraft.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)

It is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company. It has been headquartered in Bangalore. The company is operated under Ministry of Defence.