India’s 1st Long-range Bomb Hits Target 100 Km Away

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What has happened?

An Indian Air Force (IAF) team and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Friday successfully flight-tested,
The country’s first indigenously developed Long-Range Bomb (LRB) from a Sukhoi-30 fighter jet over Balasore, Odisha.

A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy.
Bombs have been utilized since the 11th century starting in East Asia.
The military use of the term “bomb”, or more specifically aerial bomb action, typically refers to airdropped, unpowered explosive weapons most commonly used by air forces and naval aviation.

The LR Bomb, with a range of 100 kilometres, was fired from the IAF fighter aircraft flying at an altitude of 10 kilometres.
Designed and developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI), the LR Bomb can carry a warhead of 1000 kilograms.
Using laser guidance, the bomb hit a target range inside the sea around 11.00am, meeting all mission objectives successfully.

From the Kargil war to Operation Bandar in Balakot in 2019, India in the past has been using Israeli laser-guided bombs.
The successful test of the LR Bomb makes India capable of staying well within its territory and hitting enemy targets at 100 kilometres with high accuracy.
The successful tests can prove to be a force multiplier and major boost to the Indian Armed Forces,
Especially at a time China has been posturing aggressively in the region.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, IAF and other teams associated with successful flight tests.

The Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB) also known as the ‘mother of all bombs’ is the largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed in combat by the United States.
The GBU-43 is a 21,600 pound (9,797 kg) GPS-guided munition and was first tested in March 2003, just before the start of the Iraq war.
Nine metres (30 feet) long, with a diameter of one metre, it is the largest-ever satellite-guided, air-delivered weapon in history.
It is a demolition bomb containing 18,700 pounds (8,480 kilogrammes) of the explosive H6, with a blast yield equivalent to 11 tonns of TNT.
The MOAB is dropped off from the cargo ramp of a C-130 transport plane with its descent slowed by parachute.
This means it can be deployed from a greater height, thereby offering pilots more time to reach safety.
To match the U.S. weapon, Russia developed the “Father of All Bombs” which is both bigger and thermobaric, meaning it uses gas to create a huge fireball rather than a shockwave.

The successful flight test of the LR Bomb comes a day after India tested DRDO Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) from the Pokhran range.
It is capable of hitting ground targets up to a range of 100 kilometres.
Designed to disable airfield runways, SAAW can carry a warhead of 125 kg. DRDO had last tested the anti-airfield weapon in January.

Last Friday, the DRDO successfully flight-tested Abhyas High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha.
The defence ministry said that the indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle will meet the requirements of HEAT for the armed forces.

The vehicle can be used as an aerial target for evaluation of various missile systems.
The performance of the target aircraft was monitored through telemetry and various tracking sensors including Radars and Electro Optical Tracking System (EOTS).
The current flight test is carried out as a part of developmental flight trials.
Expression of interest for production of the vehicle has already been floated to Indian industries.

Q) In which categories explosives are used in highest amount?