DRDO successfully test-fired anti-tank missile Nag in Rajasthan

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the second week of January 2016 successfully test-fired Nag anti-tank missile at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan.

The test was conducted during a night trial to validate the enhanced 4-km range capability of Imaging-Infrared seeker, which guides the missile to the target after its launch.

During the test, the Thermal Target System (TTS) was used as target for the missile. The TTS simulated a target similar to an operational tank as thermal mapping from tank to TTS was carried out for generating thermal signature.

Features of Nag missile

• It is a third generation fire-and-forget and can be fired anti-tank missile. It can be fired during night and day as well.
• It is equipped with top attack capability to nullify the explosive reactive armour (ERA) of a battle tank.
• It weighs 42kg having 1.90m length and can be fired against both moving and fixed targets.
• Besides HeliNa, a helicopter versrion, it has land, air-launched and man portable (weighing 14 kg) versions.
• To carry the land version, DRDO developed the NAMICA (Nag Missile Carrier) for the army.
• While the land version can hit targets in the range between 500m to 4km, the range of air-launched version is between 7 and 10 km. It can carry a war head weighing up to 8kg.
• It has been developed at a cost of 300 crore rupees by the DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
• Once inducted in the Armed Forces, the HeliNa missile will be integrated with the weaponised version of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, the light combat helicopter produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

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