A Series of Tests

According to a report by PTI, an indigenously developed laser-guided anti-tank guided missile was successfully test fired on October 1 in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar, officials said. It was the second such successful test firing of the missile, having a range of up to 5 km, in the last 10 days, the earlier one being held on September 23.

Developing Capabilities

The weapon was test fired from an MBT Arjun Tank at KK Ranges in Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACC&S) in Ahmednagar on Tuesday, the officials said. "The ATGM employs a tandem HEAT warhead to defeat Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) protected armoured vehicles in ranges from 1.5 to 5 km," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Readying For MBT Arjun

It said the ATGM has been developed with a capability to launch from multiple platforms and is currently undergoing technical evaluation trials from 120 mm rifled gun of MBT Arjun. The Arjun is a third generation main battle tank developed by the DRDO.

This Laser Guided Missile has been developed by Armament R&D Establishment (ARDE), Pune in association with High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune and Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun.

Enhanced Fire-Power

The laser-guided anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is likely to significantly enhance the fire-power capability of the Indian Army particularly along the frontiers with Pakistan and China, officials said.