The Ministry of Defense has started the process to indigenously design and develop a 1,000kg Mk-84-like aerial bomb for the IAF, with an aim to strengthen India’s ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in the sector, according to senior officials.
The ministry “has issued an Expression of Interest (EoI) for the design, development and procurement of 1,000 kg aerial bombs (Mk-84-like) along with tail units and related equipment under the provisions of Defense Acquisition Procedures (DAP) 2020,” the official said.
The project is structured in two phases. The first involves the design and development of six prototypes (live and inert), including associated tail units and equipment, they said.
The second is the procurement phase, which will begin with the issuance of a commercial request for proposal (RFP) to eligible development agencies.
The system is to be “compatible with both Russian and Western-origin aircraft” currently operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF), according to the official.
The project will be implemented under ‘Make-II’ (Industry Funded) sub-category, followed by procurement under ‘Buy (Ind-IDDM)’ category. IDDM stands for Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured.
A total of “600 aerial bombs are planned to be procured” under the “Buy (Ind-IDDM)” category in accordance with DAP 2020 provisions.
Currently, Mk-84 class universal bombs are procured from foreign original equipment manufacturers and are in service with the IAF.
The proposed aerial bomb is described as a “natural fragmentation, high caliber munition capable of generating high explosive effect and significant peak overpressure (PoP) against enemy targets,” the official said.
The official also said that the first phase of the project will be carried out by selected development agencies and includes Single Stage Composite Tests (SSCT) after which the Preliminary Personnel Quality Requirements (PSQR) will be converted to Air Personnel Quality Requirements (ASQR).
The IAF will enable this process and push for indigenous development so that it can be scaled up in operations. The development phase is required to achieve at least 50% of the original content.
The estimated timeline of the project is around 2.5 years from issuance of EoI to signing of contract, officials said.
This includes prototype development, followed by user trials and subsequent phases including evaluation, commercial processes and contract finalization.
The trials will be conducted in India at IAF units or other designated locations and will include testing on a specific IAF air platform, officials said.
Participation in the EoI is open to eligible Indian entities, including private industry, with provisions for foreign collaboration under defined conditions such as joint ventures, technology transfer or commercial arrangements.
However, respondents must clearly demonstrate compliance with domestic design and manufacturing requirements, even in cases involving foreign partners, officials said.
Evaluation of answers will be based on financial and technical criteria according to DAP.
The technical evaluation will assess technical capabilities, infrastructure, integration capacity, level of original content and compliance with PSQR, officials said.
Published – 05 Apr 2026 00:01 IST
