UPSC Times: India to Develop Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile

India is working on developing a man-portable anti-tank guided missile capable of being fired from shoulders.

Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister Avinash Chander made this statement in International conference on advanced avionics, held in Hyderabad.

Avinash Chander is also the Chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

He made following statements in the International Conference:

India working on man-portable anti-tank missile which can be fired from shoulders. We are planning to bring out these systems within the next four years.
Our cycle-time used to be 8 years to 10 years for the systems, now we are talking of delivering it in 4-5 years.
The aim is (in the) next five years is to see at least five different types of missiles covering different spectrums altogether including surface-to-surface, anti-tank, cruise, longer range and strategic.
India aim’s to have adequate capability in this field by 2020-22, adding, an infra-red (IR) seeker detector facility would be set up in the country.
Our target is thereafter (2022) we should not have to import any class of missiles."
DRDO is working on multi-range missiles, and also on short-range surface-to-air missiles.
Surface-to-air short-range missile would have two vehicle configuration - one for search and tracking and other for multiple missiles being fired.
It will be given to the Army but it can be used by other forces as well. It is going to be a potent missile.

What is Anti-Tank Guided Missile?

An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily Armored military vehicles.
ATGMs range in size.

It can be shoulder-launched weapons, which can be transported by a single soldier.
It can be larger tripod-mounted weapons, which require a squad or team to transport and fire, to vehicle and aircraft mounted missile systems.

Man-portable ATGMs with larger warheads has given infantry the ability to defeat light and medium tanks at great ranges, though main battle tanks using composite and reactive armors have proven to be resistant to smaller ATGMs.
Earlier infantry anti-tank weapons, such as anti-tank rifles, anti-tank missiles and magnetic anti-tank mines, had limited armor-penetration abilities and/or required a soldier to approach the target closely.

Following countries have anti-tank guided missile (ATGM):

UPSC Times