The Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has designed and developed a third-generation missile for the Indian Armed Forces called the Manportable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM).
The MPATGM anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) weighs 14.5 kg, has a length of 1340 mm and a diameter of 120 mm. According to DRDO, the 14.25 kg command and control launcher includes a target detection system and a control unit. The rocket is made on the principle of "shot-forgot", equipped with a medium-wave infrared homing head with direct drive. The shot is fired in the target capture mode.
MPATGM allows you to hit a target with a frontal attack or an attack from above. A tandem anti-tank warhead (warhead) developed by DRDO is integrated into it. The warhead consists of two shaped charges, initiated one after the other with a predetermined delay of microseconds.
MPATGM ATGM for the Indian Armed Forces
The MPATGM has folding wings behind the main ATGM warhead. Four folding control fins are installed in the rear of the rocket. The control planes are activated through the executive system and are controlled by signals sent by the guidance system.
The power plant is located in the middle of the body. The rocket is equipped with a solid-fuel rocket engine, which also has a pulse engine built in, providing a smooth start. The main engine starts after the rocket has flown 9 m from the launch tube. MPATGM has a maximum range of 2.5 km and a minimum range of 200 m. The product overcomes the full shooting distance of 2.5 km in 17 seconds.
The system has been tested in a tripod configuration with a calculation of two people. It is reported that in the future it will be installed on passenger cars. There are no plans to develop a portable version for shooting from the shoulder.
In the assembly of the launch tube (LTA), designed to be ejected after firing, there is a rocket protected from environmental influences. The trigger mechanism is mounted on a control unit that supports an electron-optical sight.
DRDO began developing MPATGM ATGM in 2015 to reduce the shortage of anti-tank guided missiles available to the Indian Armed Forces. The Defense Research and Development Laboratory at DRDO is the nodal agency of the MPATGM project. The section of the warhead is produced by the Weapons Research Center, and the Imarat Research Center (Imarat) is working on guidance and homing modules. The private enterprise VEM Technologies is also a partner of the program.
The first test firing took place in September 2018, and in July 2021, the Indian Ministry of Defense announced that DRDO had confirmed the MPATGM minimum firing range. A missile launched from the CPU hit a target imitating a tank.
In January 2022, DRDO confirmed that it had completed testing of the product in its final configuration, which opened the way for serial production of the weapon system. However, DRDO is still waiting for the Indian Ministry of Defense to submit an order for the production of MPATGM.
Based on the materials of the Janes Defense and Intelligence Review magazine
