NEW DELHI: India has successfully carried out the maiden flight-trial of an indigenously developed glide weapon system off the coast of Odisha.

The Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) system, developed to convert unguided warheads into precision guided weapons, was tested on Thursday, according to the defence ministry. "The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted the maiden flight-trial of TARA weapon off the coast of Odisha," it said. It said TARA is India's first indigenous glide weapon system to convert unguided warheads into precision guided weapons.

The weapon system has been designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad along with other DRDO laboratories to enhance the lethality and accuracy of a low-cost weapon to neutralise ground-based targets, the ministry said in a statement.

 It is the first glide weapon to utilise state-of-the-art low-cost systems, it added. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, the Indian Air Force and the industry partners involved in the project for the maiden flight-trial of the weapon system. He described it as a significant development in advancing India's indigenous defence capabilities.