‘Fire and forget’: DRDO successfully flight-tests Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile

The ‘Fire and forget’ type of missile refers to a weapon system that locks onto a target before launch and does not require further guidance from the operator after firing. These technologies have been developed by DRDO facilities like Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad; Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh; High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Pune; and Instruments Research and Development Establishment, Dehradun.

The Defence Laboratory in Jodhpur also developed a Thermal Target System to simulate the target tank. “The IIR seeker is well accomplished with day and night combat operation capability. The warhead is capable of defeating modern main battle tanks. Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited are the Development-Cum-Production Partners (DcPP) for the weapon system. The missile can be launched from tripod or a Military Vehicle Launcher,” a statement from the Ministry of Defence said.

The missile has a miniaturised infrared imaging seeker and advanced avionics on board for control and guidance. Due to the strategic importance of tanks and armoured vehicles on battlefields since World War I, the development of ammunition that can penetrate the armour of tanks, and the development of armour that would withstand anti-armour ammunition has been an ongoing race.

While the Indian Army had earlier been mainly using various imported anti-tank guided missiles, the DRDO has been working on Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) to be launched from different platforms as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. A final deliverable configuration of the MPATGM was tested in 2022.