Rajnath Singh Praises Successful Test of Indigenous Fire-and-Forget Anti-Tank Missile
NEW DELHI — Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation for the successful flight test of an indigenously developed third-generation, fire-and-forget man-portable anti-tank guided missile, describing the achievement as a significant step toward strengthening India’s domestic defense capabilities.
The missile, known as the MPATGM, was successfully flight-tested against a moving target at the KK Ranges in Ahilya Nagar, Maharashtra, on Sunday. The test was conducted by the Defence Research & Development Laboratory in Hyderabad and demonstrated the missile’s top-attack capability.
Singh also commended Indian industry partners for their role in the program, calling the successful trial an important milestone in advancing Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the government’s push for self-reliance in critical defense technologies.
Samir V. Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development and Chairman of DRDO, said the test met all objectives and marked a key step toward the weapon system’s induction into the Indian Army.
The MPATGM has been developed entirely in India and incorporates advanced technologies including an imaging infrared homing seeker, an all-electric control actuation system, a fire control system, a tandem warhead, an indigenous propulsion system, and a high-performance sighting system. These components were developed by multiple DRDO laboratories, including Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad, the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in Chandigarh, the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory in Pune, and the Instruments Research and Development Establishment in Dehradun.
The thermal target system used during the trial was developed by the Defence Laboratory in Jodhpur to simulate a tank target. DRDO said the imaging infrared seeker enables both day and night combat operations, while the tandem warhead is capable of defeating modern main battle tanks.
Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited are serving as development-cum-production partners for the weapon system. The missile can be launched from either a tripod-mounted system or a military vehicle-based launcher.
Separately, Singh on Friday highlighted the role of young people as the driving force behind India’s long-term development goals, including the vision of building a Viksit Bharat by 2047. Addressing the youth, he urged them to pursue ambitious goals while maintaining balance.
“Learning never stops. Absorb lessons from new practices, from your own mistakes, and from the experiences of others. Dream big—but don’t let those dreams weigh you down,” Singh said.
He praised the creativity, ambition, and determination of young Indians and encouraged them to embrace multidisciplinary learning, particularly in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, and space exploration. (Source: IANS)
