The Indian Army and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have successfully tested an all-indigenous, laser-guided, anti-tank guided missile (ATGM).
The ATGM was fired from the Arjun main battle tank (MBT) at KK Ranges, with the support of the Armoured Corps Centre & School (ACC&S), Ahmednagar.
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The Indian Ministry of Defence said in a statement that the missile hit the target with precision and at minimum ranges.
The missile’s flight performance was satisfactory as per data recorded by the telemetry systems.
Engaging the targets at lower ranges was previously difficult, owing to the dimensional limitations of the tank launched ATGMs.
The latest test launch has established the ATGM’s capability to engage targets from minimum to maximum ranges, said DRDO on Twitter.
Developed with a multi-platform launch capability, the ATGM is undergoing technical evaluation trials from the 120mm rifled gun of MBT Arjun.
The weapon system uses high explosive, anti-tank warheads to defeat explosive reactive armour (ERA) protected armoured vehicles.
Congratulating the teams involved in the design, development, and trial of the system, Department of Defence R&D secretary and DRDO chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy said the latest laser-guided ATGM will strengthen the fire power of the Arjun MBT.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the missile system is a key step towards fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision.
In April this year, India conducted flight testing of the helicopter launched ATGM Helina at high-altitude ranges.
During the test, an Advanced Light Helicopter fired a missile to engage a simulated tank target.
