NAG: the anti- tank guided missile

NAG is an anti- tank guided missile developed by the DRDO. This was developed under the Integrated Guided Missile development Program (IGMDP). The other products of IGMDP are Agni, Trishul, Prithvi and Akash.

NAG is an all-weather weapon. It can be fired from both land and air- during both day and night. It has four variants: Prospina, Helina, Helina (SANT) and Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM). While the Prospina is a land based variant that’s launched from a vehicle called NAMICA/ NAG Missile Carrier, the variants Helina and Helina SANT are fired from helicopters. The MPATGM is fired from the shoulder. The NAG strike range varies from a minimum of 500m to a maximum of 20km. it has a speed of 230m/sec. It is a fire and forget kind of weapon. It uses thermal imaging to identify the target to which it then locks on. The seeker system is used to seek it out. It is able to penetrate the Explosive Reactive Armour/ ERA of the tanks using the outer part of the missile while the inner protective layers are destroyed by the main charge. The missile is also jam- proof.