In a major boost to Atmanirbhar Bharat and in strengthening the capabilities of the Indian Army, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), on Wednesday, successfully flight tested indigenously developed low weight, fire and forget Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM).

The missile was launched from a man-portable launcher integrated with a thermal site and the target was mimicking a tank. The missile hit the target in direct attack mode and destroyed it with precision. The test has validated the minimum range successfully, the DRDO said.

“All the mission objectives were met. The missile has already been successfully flight-tested for the maximum range. The missile is incorporated with state-of-the-art Miniaturized Infrared Imaging Seeker along with advanced avionics,” the country’s primary defence research agency said.

Akash NG SAM tested off Odisha coast

In yet another significant feat, the new generation Akash Missile (Akash-NG) surface to air missile was successfully flight tested by DRDO from Integrated Test Range (ITR) off the coast of Odisha today. The series of missile tests that have taken place over the past few months will provide the much-needed firepower to the Indian armed forces while dealing with adversaries such as China and Pakistan.

The developments are in line with the Centre’s flagship Aatmanirbhar Bharat program which aims at providing a boost to indigenous manufacturing in the defence sector. On Tuesday, the government issued the Request for Proposal (RfP) for a multi-crore conventional submarine building project P-75(I) to two Strategic Partners (SPs) –  state-owned entity Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) and Larsen and Toubro, thus reiterating its commitment to Make in India in the defence sector.