India successfully test-fires indigenous anti-tank guided missile ‘Dhruvastra’ in Odisha

Balasore: India has successfully conducted three flight tests of its indigenously developed anti-tank guided missile ''Dhruvastra'' from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha, defence sources said on Wednesday.Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the helicopter-launched anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons in the world.The sophisticated missile was test-fired twice on 15 July and once on 16 July from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) as part of the developmental trials conducted by DRDO, they said.All the three developmental trials of the state-of-the-art anti-tank guided missile, carried out in a direct and top attack mode, were successful and the data was being analysed, they said.It was ground tested from a launcher to evaluate some of its major parameters, the sources said.Dhruvastra is the helicopter version of ‘Nag Helina’ with several new features and meant to be fired from air to destroy enemy bunkers, armoured vehicles and main battle tanks.During the trial, the weapon system released smoothly from the ground launch platform at launch pad-3 of the ITR, and the missile successfully tracked the target all through its course before hitting it with high precision, they said.The ATGM is guided by an infrared imaging seeker (IIS) operating in the lock-on before-launch mode and helps in further strengthening the defence capabilities of the country.All parameters of the flight test have been monitored by telemetry stations, tracking systems and helicopters deployed by the Army, the sources said.Three round trials of Helina were conducted on 13 July 2015, at a firing range at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. Again on August 19, 2018, Helina was successfully test-fired from a Rudra helicopter at Pokhran test range.The ground-based Nag missile was also successfully tested 12 times between 7 and 18 July 2019, under extreme weather conditions during day and night successfully, the DRDO sources said.