NEW DELHI, Jan 12 — India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed third-generation Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) with top-attack capability.
The missile was test-fired on January 11 at the KK Ranges in Ahilya Nagar (formerly Ahmednagar), Maharashtra, where it accurately struck a moving armoured target simulating a main battle tank.
The test, carried out by DRDO’s Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, met all mission objectives, demonstrating the weapon system’s precision and effectiveness against moving targets.
The MPATGM features advanced indigenous technologies, including an Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker for day-and-night operations, an all-electric control actuation system, a tandem warhead capable of defeating modern main battle tanks, a high-performance propulsion system, and a sophisticated fire control and sighting system.
These subsystems have been developed by multiple DRDO laboratories: Research Centre Imarat (Hyderabad), Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (Chandigarh), High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (Pune), and Instruments Research & Development Establishment (Dehradun).
The thermal target system used to simulate a battle tank was designed and developed by the Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur.
Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited are serving as the Development-cum-Production Partners for the missile system. The MPATGM can be deployed from a tripod-mounted launcher or integrated on military vehicles.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, its industry partners, and the entire development team, describing the successful test as “a significant milestone in strengthening India’s self-reliance in defence technologies under Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”
DRDO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, Dr Samir V Kamat stated that the trial paves the way for the missile’s induction into the Indian Army in the near future.
