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Army wants 4,100 anti-tank missiles
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NewsByte on 21 May, 2008 04:37:19
 
By SRIDHAR KUMARASWAMI
New Delhi, May 21: The Indian Army is planning to buy 4,100 2-T Milan anti-tank
guided missiles. A meeting attended by the top Army and ministry of defence
(MoD) officials, including Army chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor and the Army’s
director-general of infantry was held on Wednesday at South Block. The Army’s
plans to purchase the anti-tank missiles and the meeting held on Wednesday are
significant, given the sudden tensions with Pakistan that erupted on the Line of
Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Milan anti-tank missiles are manufactured by European consortium MBDA. The
2-T (tandem) military warhead of the missile, that the Indian Army plans to buy,
can "destroy modern reactive armour". The Milan missiles are portable, anti-tank
weapons and have been used by the Indian Army previously in its infantry and on
vehicles. The missile systems have previously been built under license by Bharat
dynamics.
The launch crew of a Milan missile system consists of two persons — a gunner
who carries the firing system and the loader who carries the missiles. After
identifying the target, the missile is launched from the launch container. After
the missile is clear of the gunner, the "sustainer rocket" is ignited. The
missiles can be fired using tripods fitted on tanks and other vehicles as well.
The T-90 tanks of the Indian Army are currently fitted with anti-tank missiles.
The move to acquire these missiles comes after tension at the LoC in the
Tangdhar and Mendhar sectors and the recent infiltration and militant attack in
the Samba sector. The move to buy the anti-tank guided missiles is being seen as
an effort to beef up the defence of the country and ensure that the security
forces are not caught napping in the wake of any eventuality.