New Delhi:
In a major success, the DRDO test-fired three Nag missiles in the Pokhran range on Sunday. All three missiles hit the target, a report by news agency ANI said. The report means that Nag missiles are a step closer to the final induction in the Indian Army. The third-generation fire-and-forget ATGM has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
On March 1st, 2018, the DRDO had conducted similar successful tests. The Anti Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) NAG were successfully flight-tested in desert conditions against two tank targets at different ranges and timings. Director General (Missiles and Strategic Systems) Dr G Satheesh Reddy, had said that with the successful test flights, the technologies pertaining to ATGM to engage targets in different conditions have been established.
NAG comes in five variants- HeliNa (Helicopter-launched Nag), Land version (with mast-mounted missile launcher), Man Portable NAG, Air-launched version for tactical interdiction aircraft (upgraded version of Jaguar IS) and NAMICA (NAg Missile Carrier), a tank destroyer variant built for the army. NAMICA is a modified BMP-2 IFV produced "Sarath" in India. NAG has an operational range of 500meters to 4 km on land and when it is air-launched, it can operate anywhere between 7-10km.
Other missiles developed by the DRDO include Agni-I, Agni-II, Akash, Brahmos, Dhanush, Pinaka, Prithvi and Trishul. The Trishul project was shut down after being developed as a technology demonstrator.
