New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully flight-tested a third-generation, ‘fire and forget’ Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) with top-attack capability against a moving target, marking a significant milestone in India’s indigenous defence capabilities.
According to DRDO, the MPATGM is equipped with advanced home-grown technologies, including an imaging infrared (IIR) homing seeker, an all-electric control actuation system, a modern fire control system, a tandem warhead, an efficient propulsion system and a high-performance sighting system. The missile has been developed by DRDO’s Defence Research and Development Laboratory in Hyderabad and can be launched from both a tripod-mounted system and a military vehicle-based launcher. It has an effective strike range of up to 4,000 metres.
Several DRDO laboratories contributed to the development of the missile system. Key components were supplied by the Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad, the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in Chandigarh, the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory in Pune and the Instruments Research and Development Establishment in Dehradun. The thermal target system used during the trial was developed by the Defence Laboratory in Jodhpur to simulate a tank-like target.
DRDO stated that the IIR seeker enables day and night combat capability, while the powerful warhead is capable of neutralising modern main battle tanks. Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited are the development-cum-production partners for the weapon system.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO and its industry partners on the successful test, describing it as a crucial step towards achieving self-reliance in defence technology. DRDO Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development, Dr Samir V. Kamat, said the successful trial paves the way for the induction of the MPATGM into the Indian Army.
