New Delhi. Paving way for induction of indigenously-developed man-portable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) weapon system into the force’s armoury, the Indian Army successfully carried out field trials on April 13. Designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the weapon system consisted of the MPATGM, launchers, target acquisition device and a fire control unit.

Complementing the DRDO and the Indian Army for the successful trials of the system, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh termed it as an important step towards achieving self-reliance in advanced technology-based defence system development. Chairman DRDO Samir V Kamat congratulated the teams associated with the trials.

According to the defence ministry, the MPATG weapon system has been field evaluated in different flight configurations several times with an objective of proving the technology with high superiority. “The warhead flight trials were successfully conducted at the Pokhran Field Firing Range on April 13. Missile performance and warhead performance were found to be remarkable,” the defence ministry said.

An adequate number of missile firing trials have been successfully conducted towards achieving compliance of complete operational envelope as stipulated in the General Staff Qualitative Requirements. “Penetration trials of the tandem warhead system of MPATGM have been successfully completed and it is found capable of defeating modern armour protected main battle tanks,” it said. The weapon system is well-equipped for operation in both day and night.

The defence ministry said, “The dual mode seeker functionality is a great value addition to the missile capability for tank warfare. With this, technology development and successful demonstration have been concluded and the system is now ready for final user evaluation trials leading towards its induction into the Indian Army.”