Indigenously-developed Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile successfully tested by DRDO & Indian Army

New Delhi, June 29, 2022

The indigenously-developed Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) was successfully test-fired from Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army at the KK Ranges with the support of Armoured Corps Centre & School (ACC&S), Ahmednagar on Tuesday.

"In the test, the ATGM hit the bull’s eye with textbook precision and successfully defeated the target at minimum ranges," a press release from the Ministry of Defence said.

Telemetry systems recorded the satisfactory flight performance of the missile, it said.

The all-indigenous ATGM employs a tandem High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead to defeat Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA)-protected armoured vehicles. The ATGM has been developed with multi-platform launch capability and is currently undergoing technical evaluation trials from 120 mm rifled gun of MBT Arjun, the release said.

"Engaging the targets at lower ranges is a challenge due to the dimensional constraints of tank-launched ATGMs, which has been successfully accomplished by the ATGM for MBT Arjun. With the trial, the ATGM’s capability to engage targets from minimum to maximum range has been established. Earlier, the trials have been successful for maximum range," the release said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO and the Indian Army for the successful trial of the Laser Guided ATGM and said that the development of this system is an important step towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" (Self-reliant India).

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the teams involved in design, development and trial of the system. He stated that the successful development of the laser guided ATGM would enhance the fire power of the MBT Arjun.

NNN