In a significant stride towards strengthening the country's aerial strike capabilities, the Union Ministry of Defence inked a high-value contract worth nearly ₹810.79 crores with state-run defence enterprise Bharat Dynamics Limited in New Delhi on Wednesday, announced PIB.

The contract entails the procurement of 160 units of the indigenous satellite smart anti-airfield weapons, officially designated as SAT-SAAW, along with its associated support equipment for the Indian Air Force.

Signed in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, the landmark deal has been finalized under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) acquisition category to boost domestic manufacturing.

The SAT-SAAW system is a state-of-the-art, air-to-ground precision-guided glide bomb engineered specifically to disable and neutralize heavy enemy infrastructure, such as runways, bunkers, taxiways, and hardened aircraft shelters, from long stand-off ranges.

Designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, this advanced munition can be seamlessly launched from various fighter aircraft operating within the fleet, including the Jaguar, Hawk, and Su-30MKI.

According to official timelines released by the defence ministry, the delivery of these precision-guided weapons is scheduled to take place progressively between the financial years 2027-2028 and 2028-2029.

Ministry officials emphasized that the induction of this long-range standoff weapon will greatly augment the operational firepower of the Indian Air Force, ensuring unhindered strike missions during high-intensity conflict scenarios.

To further the national push for self-reliance under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, the SAT-SAAW system incorporates an indigenous content level of 60 per cent.

Key sub-systems integrated within the weapon system—including the initial measurement unit, the long impact delay fuse, and the twin store carrier—have also been indigenized locally by Indian defence manufacturing partners and vibrant tech start-ups.

PIB