Nag (missile)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nag (IAST : Nāga; "Cobra") is a third generation "fire-and-

Prospina (Naag)
forget" anti-tank missile developed in India.[2] It is one of
five missile systems developed by the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated
Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). Nag has
been developed at a cost of ₹3 billion (US$46.8 million).[3]

Contents
1 Technical characteristics
2 Advanced variants
2.1 Helina
2.2 Land version Nag missile with the NAMICA in the background.
2.3 Air-launched version Picture taken during DEFEXPO-2008.
2.4 Man portable
2.5 Namica Type Anti-tank guided missile
3 Status Place of origin India
4 Operators
5 Specifications Service history
6 See also In service 2015
7 References
Used by See Operators
8 External links
Production history
Manufacturer Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)
Technical characteristics Specifications
Weight 42 kg (93 lb)
The NAMICA version of the missile is a 'lock-on before
launch' system, where the target is identified and designated Length 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
before the missile is launched. As the targeting system is Diameter 190 mm (7.5 in)
based on visual identification, the range is limited. The
Warhead 8 kg (18 lb) tandem warhead
HELINA version on the other hand will use a 'lock-on after
launch' system extending its range to 7 km. In this scenario,
the missile is launched in the general direction of the target. Engine Tandem solid Propulsion
As it approaches the target, images of the area ahead are sent (Nitramine based smokeless
back to the operator who will be able to identify enemy extruded double base sustainer
tanks. The command to lock on to a tank is then passed onto propellant)
the seeker through an uplink mid-flight. After that, the
Wingspan 400 mm
missile homes in onto the target and destroys it.[1]
Operational Land version: 500m to 4km (Air-
range
Advanced variants launched: 7-10km)[1]
Speed 230 m/s
In addition to basic land and helicopter variants the DRDO Guidance Active Imaging infra-red (IIR)
is now developing number of advanced variants of the Nag system seeker,
missile:
millimetric wave (mmW active
radar homing seeker (under
Helina
development)
Launch Nag Missile Carrier (NAMICA)
platform
HeliNa, (Helicopter-launched Nag) with a range of 7–8 km, HAL Rudra Helicopter (Testing)
launched from twin-tube stub wing-mounted launchers on HAL Light Combat
board the armed HAL Dhruv and HAL Light Combat Helicopter(Planned)
Helicopter produced by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics
Ltd (HAL). It will be structurally different from the Nag. The Helina
will make use of an IIR seeker for target engagement like the Nag.
Launchers have been cleared for captive carriage trials and handed over
to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for carriage trials.

The Helina was expected to be tested by the end of 2010. The first
ground launches of the missiles were conducted in 2011. During which
the missile was launched onto a target and launched. While the missile
was in flight, a second target was chosen for the missile to hit which got
destroyed. This demonstrated the capability of the missile to lock onto A closeup of the Nag missile head, with
and hit another target while in flight. A 2-way RF command-video data the Imaging Infrared (IIR) Seeker
link has been released which is intended to be fired from HAL Rudra.[4]
HELINA was tested to its full 7 km range in 2014 after being fired from
an ALH Dhruv helicopter.[5]

On July 13, 2015, three round trials of Helina were conducted at

Chandhan firing range in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. As per the defense
source the missile was test fired from HAL Rudra and two missiles
succeeded in hitting the targets at a range of 7 km, while one reportedly
missed the target.[6]

Land version inside view

Land based Nag will also have its range extended by development of a
mast-mounted missile launcher that will be hydraulically raised out to a height of five metres to enable the Nag
missile to acquire its targets out to a distance of 7–8 km.

Air-launched version

Air-launched version of Nag missile with 10 km-range launched from tactical interdiction aircraft like the
upgraded Jaguar IS. It will use a nose-mounted millimetric-wave active radar seeker.

Man portable

DRDL will also start working on the,`Man Portable' Nag very soon. It would weigh less than 14 kg.[7]

Namica

NAMICA (Nag Missile Carrier) is a tank destroyer built for the army. It is equipped with a thermal imager for
target acquisition. NAMICA is a modified BMP-2 IFV produced as "Sarath" in India. The carrier weights 14.5
tonnes in full combat load and is capable of moving 7 km/h in water. The carriers are capable of carrying 12
missiles with 8 in ready-to-fire mode. The NAMICA carrier was put through transportation trials covering
155 km during 2008 summer trials.[8]

Status
Nag was test fired as part of user validation trials on 16 July 2010, and was destined to be inducted into the
Indian army.[9] But the final test of the missile with certain modifications to launch pad and the target settings
with respect to range, failed in user trials conducted in August 2012 in Rajasthan.
Nag was successfully test fired for the second day in a row on 8 August 2008, from the Test Range at Pokhran,
Rajasthan, marking the completion of the developmental tests. The DRDO and Indian Army plan to hold the
user trial shortly.[10] These trials will be the final trials to decide the induction of the missiles.[11] The
NAMICA carrier successfully completed its amphibious trials in the Indira Gandhi Canal at Rajasthan on 8
August 2008.[12]

The Indian Army has placed an order of 443 Nag missiles and 13 Namicas for introduction in the next 3
years.[3] Nag will be the first weapon of such kind that will be inducted into the army by November–December
2009. The Army urgently needs the more advanced Nag to improve kill probability as the missile using a high-
explosive warhead to penetrate the armor in modern tanks.[10]

As part of the winter trial of the final user trials the Nag missile was tested successfully by the Indian Army on
26 December 2008. Before the induction of the missile into service and the summer trials were carried out in
June 2009.[13]

During the winter trials the Nag missile zeroed in on the precise location of the target tank at a distance of
3.3 km, as required by the Indian Army. The Indian Army is also extremely satisfied with the performance of
the warhead of the missile.[14] The test conducted on 28 December 2008 was successfully completed by the
Indian Army. During the test a moving target at 1.8 km was targeted in the top attack mode and a stationary
target at a distance of 3.1 km. The two targets were completely destroyed.[15] A total of five missiles were fired
during day and night against stationary and moving targets. Summer trials were completed in the summer of
2009.[16]

In July 2009 the Nag anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) was cleared for production.[17] The production of the
Nag missile was ordered after successful summer trials were carried out in the Rajasthan desert.

The trials of the missile were conducted using an advanced imaging infrared seeker head, as per Army's
requirements. On 20 January 2010, field tests of the Nag’s Thermal Sight system saw the system identify and
lock on to a T-55 tank at a range of 5 km. The tank was then engaged and destroyed at a range of over 4 km
[12] thus the missile’s fire-and-forget capability has been established using the day version of the IIR passive
seeker. In its IIR form the Nag has limited all weather capability. This has given added impetus to develop the
mmW seeker. Efforts are on to provide special embedded on-board hunters, that can hunt for targets using ‘day
seekers’ and ‘day-&-night seekers’. During trials in June 2010, the short range capability of the missile to hit
targets was validated. Nag missile hit a target at a range of half a kilometers in just 3 seconds.[18] In the follow
on test a moving target was hit within 3.2 seconds after launch.[19] The final user trials were held during July
2010 and successfully completed. The missile has been cleared for mass production. Bharat dynamics plans to
produce 100 missiles per year. The Nag missile will replace the second generation anti-tank missiles in Army
armoury.[20]

The Nag will replace the existing Russian Konkours and European missile Milan, both of which are
manufactured under license by Bharat Dynamics Limited. An Indian official said a country in the Middle East
had shown keen interest in Nag anti-tank guided missiles during Abu Dhabi Defence Expo-2009.

Nag has successfully completed its final validation trials and is expected to join the Indian Army in 2011. Two
missiles were launched against a moving target at a time another two missiles were launched against a
stationary Vijayanta tank in quick succession and successfully hit the targets. Indian Army is happy with the
performance and is expected to buy 443 missiles for ₹3.35 billion (US$52.2 million).[20]

The project suffered a delay of one year due to army changing its requirements with the carrier of the missile
(NaMiCa) at the last moment.[21]

The missile tested during the summer in Rajasthan failed to achieve its objective of hitting the target at the
intended 4 km range. The scientists found the fault with the heat seeker unable to distinguish the heat signature
of the target and the surrounding during extreme temperate at great distance. This led to the development of a
better seeker with higher resolution and sensitivity by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), that can track and
distinguish targets at long distances. The first seeker trials were carried out on 29 July 2013 in the hot desert
conditions in Rajasthan.[22] The evaluation trials carried out in September/August 2013 with the improved
seeker provided fairly accurate results. The actual trials is expected to begin in early 2014.[23]

Nag, scored a “bull’s eye” and successfully hit the target 4 km away during a night trial in the Mahajan Field
Firing Range, Rajasthan in Jan 2016.During the test, the Thermal Target System (TTS) developed by a defence
laboratory at Jodhpur was used as target for the missile, which is in the final user configuration. TTS simulated
a target similar to an operational tank as thermal mapping from tank to TTS was carried out for generating
thermal signature.The trial validated the enhanced 4-km range capability of Imaging-Infrared seeker, which
guides the missile to the target after its launch.[24][25]

Nag cleared final developmental trials held by Indian Army in the month of September 2016, making way for
the indigenous Anti-tank weapon system to enter mass production .[26]

The missile has been tested successfully in 5 June 2017 at its full range of 4 km in hot desert conditions in a
daytime trial at the Chandan Field Firing Range near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, with a successful follow-up test
taking place on 13 June 2017.[27]

DRDO officials shared that the trials which concluded on Monday were successful for the extreme heat weather
day conditions of the desert here. DRDO officials revealed that the missile would now handed over to Army
with a 4-km range even during the peak day hours. Highly sensitive detectors have now been placed on missile
tip for sensing heat or infra-red signals in three different thermal scenarios including that of a thermal
differential within the target, between the target and the background and surrounding temperature variation.
Prospina shall be mounted and transported on a Mechanised Infantry Combat Vehicle. If the official sources are
to be believed, the next trials will be those of 'User Acceptance Trials' by Army. Interestingly, the DRDO has
bailed out the user from compromising upon the range of the missile which was earlier being offered at a 3-3.2-
km range.[28]

On 8 September 2017, India's Ministry of Defence announced that DRDO has successfully twice flight tested
the missile against two different targets in the ranges of Rajasthan. "The ATGM Nag missile has successfully
hit both the targets under different ranges and conditions with very high accuracy as desired by the Armed
Forces. With these two successful flight trials, and the flight test conducted earlier in June in the peak of
summer, the complete functionality of Nag ATGM along with launcher system NAMICA has been established
and marked the successful completion of development trials of Nag Missile," said a press release issued by
Ministry of Defence.[29]

Operators
India

Reportedly, 450 Nag missiles along with 13 NaMiCA carriers were to be inducted into the Army's arsenal by
2011 with the successful completion of final validation trials in Rajasthan, however, this may now take some
more time after the missile's failure in the user validation trials.[30] The Army also projected in their perspective
plan the need for 7000 Nag missiles and around 200 NAMICAs.[31]

Specifications
Attack Mode: Lock-on-before-Launch - Top attack
Seeker: IIR Cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) and a millimetric wave (mmW) version is recently tested
Single-shot hit probability: 0.9

See also
Comparable weapons
 PARS 3 LR
Spike (missile)
FGM-148 Javelin

Related lists

List of anti-tank guided missiles

List of missiles

References

1. Ajai Shukla (8 March 2010). "Army opts for Nag missile as it enters final trials" (http://www.business-sta
ndard.com/india/news/army-opts-for-nag-missile-as-it-enters-final-trials/387858/). Retrieved 6 February
2015.
2. "Kalam's unrealised 'Nag' missile dream to become reality next year" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
city/hyderabad/Kalams-unrealised-Nag-missile-dream-to-become-reality-next-year/articleshow/4826734
2.cms). 30 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
3. Nag anti-tank missile back in reckoning (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-07-12/india/27
933425_1_nag-missile-sensor-based-seeker-namica)
4. (FINN) Frontier India News Network. "HELINA missile’s two-way RF command-video data link
realised" (http://frontierindia.net/helina-missiles-two-way-rf-command-video-data-link-realised).
Frontier India. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
5. http://i.imgur.com/zJQ4jsc.jpg
6. [1] (http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?shop=dae&modele=release&prod=1652
54&cat=3)
7. "Helicopter version of Nag under way" (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/03/25/stories/20050
32501700400.htm). The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
8. "Nag missile testfired" (http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/06/stories/2008080651801400.htm). The Hindu.
Retrieved 6 February 2015.
9. [2] (http://www.brahmand.com/news/Indias-Nag-missile-completes-final-validation-test/4473/1/10.html)
10. "Nag test-fired again" (http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/07/stories/2008080754951400.htm). The Hindu.
Retrieved 6 February 2015.
11. "Nag Missile to be tested by Indian Army in July" (http://frontierindia.net/nag-missile-to-be-tested-by-in
dian-army-in-july). Frontier India. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
12. "Namica amphibious trial successful" (http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/08/stories/2008080856751400.ht
m). The Hindu. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
13. "India successfully test fires anti-tank missile" (http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content
&task=view&id=18796&Itemid=57). Retrieved 6 February 2015.
14. "News Archives: The Hindu" (http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/26/stories/2008122655801200.htm).
Retrieved 6 February 2015.
15. "Two flight tests of Nag missile successful" (http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/29/stories/20081229592111
00.htm). The Hindu. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
16. "Army may induct Nag missile soon" (http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/31/stories/2008123155171100.ht
m). The Hindu. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
17. "India Clears Anti-Tank Nag Missile for Production" (http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=417741
5). Retrieved 6 February 2015.
18. Y. Mallikarjun. "Nag hits target in three seconds after launch" (http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/a
rticle448188.ece). The Hindu. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
19. "News Archives: The Hindu" (http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/14/stories/2010061455271200.htm).
Retrieved 6 February 2015.
20. "News Archives: The Hindu" (http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071653531500.htm).
Retrieved 6 February 2015.
21. "Nag induction likely to be delayed"
(http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/19/stories/2011041957821000.htm). The Hindu. Chennai, India. 19
April 2011.
 22. Y. Mallikarjun. "Seeker evaluation trials for Nag carried out in Rajasthan" (http://www.thehindu.com/ne
ws/national/andhra-pradesh/seeker-evaluation-trials-for-nag-carried-out-in-rajasthan/article4970009.ece).
The Hindu. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
23. Nag evaluation trials successful (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-03/hyderabad/4103
2611_1_nag-g-satheesh-reddy-drdo)
24. "Nag missile hits bull’s eye with modified seeker" (http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/antitank-nag-
missile-hits-the-bulls-eye-with-modified-seeker/article8108883.ece). The Hindu. 16 Jan 2016.
25. [3] (http://idrw.org/nag-missile-hits-bulls-eye-with-modified-seeker/)
26. "Indigenous Nag ATGM clears final Developmental Trials - Indian Defence Research Wing" (http://idrw.
org/indigenous-nag-atgm-clears-final-developmental-trials/). Indian Defence Research Wing. 2016-12-
06. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
27. Dominguez, Gabriel (14 June 2017). "India successfully rest-fires Nag anti-tank guided missile" (https://a
rchive.is/dve6j). IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original (http://www.janes.com/article/71423/) on 15
June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
28. "Prospina successfully hits 4-km target during trials" (http://m.timesofindia.com/city/jaipur/prospina-suc
cessfully-hits-4-km-target-during-trials/amp_articleshow/59132335.cms).
29. "Successful Flight Test of 3rd Generation Anti Tank Guided Missile – NAG" (http://pib.nic.in/newsite/Pr
intRelease.aspx?relid=170637) (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 9 September 2017. Retrieved
11 September 2017.
30. "Nag's final validation trials completed" (http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071653531500.
htm). The Hindu. Chennai, India. 16 July 2010.
31. "Nag waits for sweetheart NAMICA" (http://tarmak007.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/nag-waits-for-namica-
emotional-drdl-for.html). Express News Service. Bangalore/Hyderabad, India. 23 December 2011.

External links
Nag ATGM
Nag test video

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