DRDO'S MPATGM

Indian Army gets more teeth for Anti-Tank Warfare, reports GIRISH LINGANNA

- GIRISH LINGANNA

India’s indigenously developed Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) system completed on April 13, 2024, an extensive series of field trials in multiple flight configurations at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, demonstrating its technological superiority underscored by remarkable missile and warhead performance and clearing a major milestone towards its induction into the Indian Army.

Developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the missile system is designed to enhance India’s anti-tank capabilities. The trials aimed at comprehensively proving the system’s technological superiority. Numerous successful missile firing trials were conducted on the MPATGM system—comprising the missile, man-portable launcher, target acquisition system and fire-control unit—for validating its compliance with the Indian Army’s General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQRs) for infantry operations.

The versatile ATGM system boasts day/night operations and top-attack capabilities, with its dual-mode seeker functionality for precise targeting of armoured vehicles providing a significant advantage in tank warfare scenarios. The successful completion of penetration trials for the MPATGM’s advanced tandem warhead validated its capability to defeat modern, armour-protected main battle tanks (MBTs).

With technology development and successful demonstrations concluded, the MPATGM system is now ready for the final user evaluation trials, paving the way for its induction into the Indian Army. With the field trials over, the man-portable anti-tank missile now proceeds to the final user evaluation stage before being inducted into active service by India’s armed forces.

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