India successfully test-fires Helina, Dhruvastra anti-tank guided missiles

Category
Science & Technology
Published
24th Feb, 2021

Joint User Trials for Helina (Army Version) and Dhruvastra (Air Force Version) Missile Systems have been carried out from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) platform in desert ranges.

Context

Joint User Trials for Helina (Army Version) and Dhruvastra (Air Force Version) Missile Systems have been carried out from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) platform in desert ranges.

About

Helina and Dhruvastra missile systems
The Helina (Army version) and Dhruvastra (Air Force variant) are third-generation variants of the Nag anti-tank guided missile system.
The missile systems have been designed and developed indigenously by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Features

They are based on the Lock on Before Launch (LOBL) fire and forget Anti-Tank Guided Missiles
They can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode.
The system has all-weather day and night

Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM)

An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW), or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile.
It is primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles.
India’s Anti-tank missiles:
DRDO Anti Tank Missile
Amogha missile
Nag missile
HELINA missile/Dhruvastra
SANT missile
Man-Portable Anti-tank Guided Missile (MPATGM)
Jasmine anti-tank missile - VEM technologies

Nag missile

The Nag missile (Prospina- for the land-attack version), is an Indian missile with:
third-generation
all-weather
fire-and-forget
lock-on after launch
anti-tank guided missile (ATGM)
the operational range of 500 m to 20 km
The Nag has five variants
a land version, for a mast-mounted system
the helicopter-launched Nag (HELINA and Dhruvastra)
a "man-portable" version (MPATGM)
an air-launched version
Nag Missile Carrier (NAMICA) "tank buster"
Development of the Nag is part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP), run by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).