Nag ATGM test fired successfully in Pokhran, production likely to begin by year-end

New Delhi, July 08: The indigenously-built third generation Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) Nag was successfully test-fired at Pokharan test firing range on Sunday, said reports.

The missiles were test-fired during both day and night during the trials. Reports have said that the production of Nag missiles army begin by the end of 2019. Given this, these final rounds of testing could be to make sure that there are absolutely no design flaws. Winter user trials of the Nag ATGM were successfully completed in December 2018. DRDO has been working on the Nag ATGM for over a decade, said reports.

Nag is a third-generation, fire-and-forget, anti-tank guided missile developed by India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to support both mechanised infantry and airborne forces of the Indian Army.

The NAMICAs are the launch vehicles of the Nag missiles and can carry six missiles at a time, which can destroy enemy tanks and infantry combat vehicles from a distance of 7 to 8 kilometers.

The third-generation anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) Nag is slated to enter production by the end of 2019, reported The Diplomat in February 2019 quoting a senior Indian defense industry official.

The report further says that the Indian Army is expected to purchase 8,000 Nags with an initial order of 500 NAGs. The ATGM system will be manufactured by India's sole missile producer, state-owned Bharat Dynamics Limited.

The missile incorporates an advanced passive homing guidance system and possesses high single-shot kill probability. It is designed to destroy modern main battle tanks and other heavily armoured targets.

Nag missile has a land variant and an air launched variant. The land version has a range of upto 4 kms while the air launched version has a range of around 7-10 kms.