Dr. Prahlada, 
Chief Controller, DRDO and Chairman, IGMDP expressing happiness on the last milestone of the programme confirmed that for the first time, Users have witnessed the flight tests of production version of NAG Missile Carrier NAMICA from BEL and Missiles from BDL. NAG Missile has both top and front attack capability and having passive homing guidance achieved through Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker system and is unique in the world with such capabilities. Many SMEs have participated in the development and of NAG Missile system.
These tests were specially meant to demonstrate the tandem warhead against both stationary and moving targets. With these trials, the development flights stand completed and NAG system is now ready for user trials. The mobility in desert terrain has also been comprehensively demonstrated.
FORCE Magazine’s fifth anniversary edition that hit the stands today had a piece about the Nag by Prasun K Sengupta. Some excerpts:
The Indian Army is likely to place an initial order for 443 ‘Nag’ ATGMs, along with 13 ‘NAMICA missile launch vehicles, which are modified BMP-2 tracked infantry combat vehicles each of which houses an inclined swiveling launcher containing eight ATGMs,
12 missile reload rounds, and a target acquisition system using a second generation thermal imager and a laser rangefinder, both with a range of 5.5km. The 42kg ‘Nag’ ATGM makes use of an airframe built out of aluminium alloys, and a DRDO-developed cadmium zinc telluride-based imaging infra-red (IIR) seeker for giving the missile a lock-on before launch capability. It has a flight speed of 230 metres per second, is armed with a 8kg tandem shaped-charge warhead, has a rocket motor using nitramine-based smokeless extruded double band sustainer propellant, has a single-shot hit probability of 0.77 and a CEP of 0.9 metres, and has a 10-year maintenance-free shelf-life. Efforts are now on to develop a mast-mounted missile launcher that will be hydraulically raised out to a height of five metres to enable the NAMICA to acquire its targets out to a distance of 8km.
The DRDO is now developing two new variants of the ‘Nag’ for the Indian Air Force (IAF): the 8km-range ‘Helina’, which will be launched from twin-tube stub wing-mounted launchers on board the armed ‘Dhruv’ ALH and Light Combat Helicopters that will be produced by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL); and a 10km-range variant that will
be launched from tactical interdiction aircraft like the upgraded Jaguar IS. The ‘Helina’ will, like the ‘Nag’ make use of an IIR seeker for target engagement, while the Jaguar IS-launched ATGM will use a nose-mounted millimetric-wave active radar seeker. User trials of these two variants of the ‘Nag’ will be conducted by late 2010. All three variants of the ‘Nag’ will have top-attack capabilities, thanks to the incorporation of a digital autopilot for automatic trajectory shaping. All in all, about 4,000 ATGM rounds of all types (vehicle-, helicopter- and air-launched) are expected to be produced by BDL.
Photos: First photo courtesy DRDO/Other photos by Shiv Aroor
come on..our army is too advanced for a 3rd gen Nag. I am quite sure they have their sights on 6th gen missile already and may even release their GSQR in a short time for it. They were just waiting for development tests to be over so as to remove any coincidence of its performance with their requirement. Now they can easily nick-pick on faults of the missile and force an import of a Naginzki(vikhr/shturm) from mother russia.
the anon above is correct. of course the russian product is just a pipe dream right now; but the army will pay for “fast track procurement” which the russians will take their time delaying, call for price escalations and ultimately deliver a product that is a dud. but the army will love it because gora hands touched the product before our dirty desi hands.
Is the plans for the foreign ATGMs still on?
Last we heard the French and Russian offers were being considered (~4km range). Are these the ones that can be fired with a tank guns, instead of launchers like Namica?
Else why not produce more Namicas and Nags?
The Russian and French stuffs (Konkurs/Kornets/Milans) are man portable, whereas Nag is not. But Nag has range on its side. I think both has a role to play in a battlefield.
On a different note, can someone suggest any literature availabe in the net on IIR seeker and millimetric-wave active radar seeker.I’ll appreciate simpler stuffs,I’m too rookie to understand complex technical details.
Thanks in advance.
if the army generals want some “commission” out of deals..why dont they go for israeli systems..like Merkava for example..at least our soldiers wont die in battlefield by way of non-performing weapons. There were recent reports that russian naval air-defence radars and allied missiles(shitil?) were absolute dud and worse they were not complaining about it.
If it were a DRDO stuff..they would put up a grand press conference to condemn the system and demand stopping funding for the program..
Russian economy is booming at the expense of their broad defense clientèle. Chinese realized this and stopped wasting money on outdated Russian arms.
On the contrast Israeli stuff, which is slightly better quality has been ridden with shady deals and strategic weakness of using US sub-components. Even Europe re-uses US components to a certain extent.
US may not sell stuff with complete tech transfer and Indigenous efforts take hell a lot of time. Now chose – low quality, middle men and strategic risk, technology denial and long delays….. poor souls in the army
So Nag is test fired again “Successfully”!!!
What’s so great about it, are we not “Successfully” testing it since if I recall 1997, i.e almost 11 years we are testing is Successfully”
OP here I got the link of successful testing of Nag
All-India Doordarshan television, New Delhi – September 29, 1997
India: Antitank missile Nag successfully test-fired for second day
The indigenous antitank missile, Nag, was successfully test-fired for the second consecutive day today [29th September] from the Interim Test Range at Chandipur in Orissa. Nag is a third generation, heat-seeking antitank guided missile. Describing it as a major milestone, a Defence Ministry press release in New Delh
Have a cunning decade more DRDO.
Exactly.. not actually sharing information on problems faced and rectified makes DRDO looks like a lazy incompetent bunch… and the product(Nag) itself doubtful
What to do for successful test??
Dumbo guide, coincide with Naga festival and issue PS images.
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug72008/state2008080683178.asp
. When some women were returning home after the Puja, a big-sized cobra was seen on the road around 1 pm.
The Darshan of Lord Nagaraja continued for 20 minutes and a few courageous women offered milk to it.
Large turn out
A large number of devotees turned up at Kukke Shree Subramanya temple and Majeshwara Anantha Padmanabha temple on the auspicious day of ‘Nagara Panchami’ on Wednesday to offer their prayers and vows. Thousands of devotees carrying offerings like tender coconut, milk, honey and flowers prayed to the ‘Naga’ seeking his blessings.
Does this turn the tide on Nag???
last three posts are by our good old pakistani freind buraidiah
why does this loser not hang around only paki sites beats me
perhaps because pakistan doesnt make anything apart from license assembled colgate toothbrushes?
Rightly said Anon(@4:52)! The only indigenious thing about pakistani missiles is the Name. Even the paint schemes may be from Asian Paints for all we know.