India test-fires manportable anti-tank guided missile

The Indian Army and the DRDO conducted warhead flight trials of the MPATGM weapon system at the Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan on 13 April 2024. The MPATGM can strike the armoured vehicles at a maximum range of 2.5 km. (Indian Ministry of Defence)

India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army have test-fired a manportable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) weapon system at the Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press release on 14 April.

The MPATGM weapon system – consisting of the missiles, the tripod-mounted command launch unit, the target acquisition system, and the fire-control unit – was field evaluated in different flight configurations several times “with the objective of proving its technology” during the test, the MoD said.

During the test, an “adequate number of missile firing trials have been successfully conducted towards achieving compliance of complete operational envelope as stipulated in the Indian Army's General Staff Qualitative Requirements”, the MoD added.

The penetration trials of the tandem warhead system of the MPATGM were “successfully” conducted during the test and the missile's warhead “found capable of defeating modern armour-protected main battle tanks”, according to the MoD.

The test marked the completion of the MPATGM development and “the system is now ready for final user-evaluation trials leading towards its induction into the Indian Army”, the MoD said.

According to Janes Weapons: Infantry, the MPATGM was developed by the DRDO to provide a short‐range ATGM to the Indian Army. The system has a tripod‐mounted configuration with a two-person crew requirement.