Test Fire of SAAW (Smart Anti Airfield Weapon)

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has recently successfully test-fired SAAW i.e. Smart Anti Airfield Weapon. The weapon was test-fired from the Hawk-i aircraft off the Odisha coast.

Key Points

• Smart Anti Airfield Weapon is an indigenous weapon developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), DRDO.
• It is the first smart weapon that has been test-fired from an Indian Hawk-Mk132.
• The hawk-i platform is owned by HAL and is being considerably used for certification of weapons and systems indigenously developed by CSIR labs and DRDO.
• The weapon release was successfully executed from the aircraft in the test firing and all the objections of the mission were met.
• The training and combat capability of Hawk-i is continuously being enhanced by HAL, and the company is also in talks with the Indian Armed Forces for the integration of different weapons on the Hawk platform.
• The Hawk-i is an internally funded programme of HAL that is offering upgrade and combat capability for the Hawk to the Indian Armed Forces by transforming Hawk into an advanced jet trainer.
• This advanced jet trainer will provide training on weapons and sensors in normal time and will be a potent combat platform in times of conflict.

The SAAW is a precision strike weapon that is launched from an aircraft. It is a strike weapon of 125 kg category used to attack and destroy enemy airfield assets like bunkers, radars, runways, taxi tracks, within a range of 100 km. Earlier, SAAW has also been successfully test-fired from Jaguar aircraft.