The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on July 21, 2021, successfully flight-tested the indigenously developed low weight, fire & forget Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) and a New Generation Akash Missile (AKASH-NG) a Surface to Air missile.
The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, BEL, BDL, the Indian Air Force, and the industry for successful flight testing. DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy also appreciated the efforts of those involved in the successful test-firing of MPATGM and AKASH-NG.
DRDO has successfully flight tested the New Generation Akash Missile (Akash-NG) a Surface to Air Missile from Integrated Test Range (ITR) off the coast of Odisha today 21st July 2021. The flawless performance of the entire weapon system has been confirmed by complete flight data. pic.twitter.com/LldOF8aqGT
— DRDO (@DRDO_India)
July 21, 2021
Flight-test of MPATGM: Key details
• The Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile was launched from a man-portable launcher which was integrated with the thermal site. The target was mimicking a tank.
• The missile had hit the target in the direct attack mode and had destroyed it with accuracy. The test of the missile validated the minimum range successfully and all the mission objectives were met.
• The Missile has already been tested for the maximum range.
• MPATGM missile is incorporated with the state-of-the-art Miniaturized Infrared Imaging Seeker along with advanced avionics.
• The latest test also brings the development of the indigenous third-generation MPATGM Missile close to completion.
Successful flight-test of AKASH-NG: Key details
• In order to capture the flight data, a number of Range Stations were deployed such as Electro-Optical Tracking System. As per DRDO, the flawless performance of the entire weapon system was confirmed by the complete flight test captured by these systems.
• The AKASH-NG missile, during the flight test, showed high maneuverability that is required to neutralize fast and agile aerial threats.
• The AKASH-NG weapon system, once deployed, will prove to be a force multiplier for the Air Defence Capability of the Indian Air Force.
Akash Missile: Background
The new variant of the AKASH-Missile (AKASH-NG) has a slightly better range compared to the original version that can strike the targets at a distance of around 25 kms.
The new generation Akash Missile System has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad in collaboration with the other laboratories of DRDO.
The Central Government, in December 2020, had approved the export of the Akash Missile system and had set up a high-level committee for authorizing the export of major indigenous platforms to various countries.
The committee comprised of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.