In a boost to India's self-reliant defence arsenal, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted the first flight-trial of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon system off Odisha's coast, the Defence Ministry announced on Friday.

TARA, India's pioneering indigenous modular range extension kit, transforms unguided warheads into precision-guided glide weapons, dramatically enhancing lethality and accuracy against ground targets at low cost.

Developed by Hyderabad's Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with other DRDO labs, the system integrates state-of-the-art, affordable technologies for optimal performance.

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the achievement as a "significant development" in bolstering indigenous capabilities, congratulating DRDO, IAF, Development cum Production Partners (DcPP), and industry collaborators. Production has already begun with Indian firms, underscoring the project's swift transition from lab to battlefield readiness.

Dr Samir V Kamat, DRDO Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D, also praised the teams for the flawless trial, which validates TARA's potential to neutralise threats with unprecedented precision.

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The success aligns with the government's sharpened focus on defence innovation. Speaking at the inaugural North Tech Symposium in New Delhi—organised by the Indian Army's Northern and Central Commands alongside the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers—Singh revealed that DRDO has transferred 2,200 technologies to industry. He allocated 25% of the defence R&D budget to private sectors, academia, and start-ups, with over Rs 4,500 crore already disbursed.

"Defence research is at the centre of our priorities," Singh told defence personnel, industry leaders, innovators, and start-ups. "We must sustain focus on R&D and cultivate surprise to remain future-ready amid rapid technological shifts."

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