The defence ministry’s (MoD’s) ambitious project to develop a
world-class tank-killer missile has run into unanticipated trouble. But,
encouragingly, instead of the customary blame game between the Army and
the development agency—the Defence Reserach & Development
Organisation (DRDO)—there is cooperation and a joint effort to overcome
the problem.
The problem with the DRDO’s anti-tank guided missile (ATGM),
christened the Nag (Hindi for cobra), is its range. For most of the day
and night, the Nag unerringly strikes its targets out to four
kilometres, the range that the army demands. But in extreme heat,
especially in summer afternoons in the desert, the missile cannot pick
up targets beyond 2.5 kilometres. Once the temperature cools, the Nag’s
seeker differentiates again between the target and surrounding objects
(or ground clutter).
Dr Avinash Chander, the DRDO’s missile chief, told Business Standard,
“Even in the worst conditions, the Nag is 100 per cent accurate out to
2.5 kilometres. Except when the temperature is really high, it is also
accurate at four kilometres. By the year-end, we will develop a seeker
with higher resolution, which will be accurate at four kilometres in any
conditions.”
The DRDO’s unusual frankness in admitting a problem has been matched
by the Army’s unusual helpfulness in working through it. The Army has
decided to buy 13 Nag carriers (NAMICA, being developed by BEL and
L&T), and 443 Nag missiles in the current state. These will be
deployed in areas like Punjab, where close-set villages, groves and
electricity transmission cables seldom permit visibility beyond 2.5
kilometres. When the DRDO demonstrates improved performance with a
better seeker, a larger order will follow.
“This is a top-class missile in every respect except for this
problem. While we must have a range of four kilometres for the open
desert, the reduced 2.5 kilometre range is acceptable for developed
terrain like the Punjab. We will buy 13 Nag carriers and use these to
familiarise ourselves with the system. And, in Phase II, we will order
the four kilometre missile in bulk quantities,” says a top general who
decides such contracts.
For the Army, the delay is a disappointment. Indian infantry
formations badly need a potent ATGM to handle Pakistani tank forces that
now bristle with capable Ukrainian T-80 and Chinese T-85 tanks. As far
back as 2010-11, the Army had budgeted Rs 335 crore for the first batch
of Nag missiles.
The DRDO, for whom this is a prestigious project, says that the
Hyderabad-based laboratory, Research Centre Imarat (RCI), will soon
develop a seeker that can work through the hottest desert temperatures.
This will feature an improved Focal Plane Array (FPA), a detector on the
missile tip that picks up the target’s infrared signal. Since the
DRDO’s own FPA programme is still at an early stage, the Nag’s improved
FPA will be supplied by French company, Sofradir. RCI will integrate
Sofradir’s FPA into an improved Nag seeker.
A third generation ATGM like the Nag is amongst the most complex land
systems. Here’s how it works. The Nag missile pilots scan the
battlefield for enemy tanks with thermal imaging telescopes, which picks
up targets by day or night with equal facility. Having picking up an
enemy tank, the Nag pilot locks the seeker onto it. Immediately, a
digital snapshot of the target is taken, which serves as a reference
image. As the Nag streaks towards the target, at 230 metres per second,
the seeker takes repeated snapshots of the target; each one is compared
with the previous image. The deviations are translated into corrections
to the Nag’s control fins, which autonomously steer the missile onto the
target. This is termed a “fire-and-forget” missile, relieving the pilot
of the need to expose himself to enemy fire after launching the
missile.
The world has just a handful of “fire-and-forget” missiles, such as
the FGM-148 Javelin, built by American companies, Lockheed Martin and
Raytheon; and the Spike, built by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense
Systems. The Javelin and the Spike are lighter, “man-portable” missiles
that can be carried by an infantry soldier; the Nag is a heavier and
more powerful missile that operates from vehicles and helicopters.
But the Nag’s weight is turning out to be a problem. The Army is
unhappy that the missile has weighed in at 40 kilos, instead of the
30-35 kilos that the Army had specified. This, senior officers say,
makes reloading difficult. The DRDO has been asked to make it lighter.
The DRDO, however, argues that weight should not be an issue since it
the Nag is carried on, and fired from, a vehicle, the NAMICA. Says
Avinash Chander, “I don’t see why an extra five kg should be an issue.
If the Nag were a man-portable, shoulder-fired missile, weight would be
crucial.
But we will bring the weight down gradually. The Mark II Nag will be about 35 kilos, and we will continue to reduce weight.
Acceptance of the Nag missile into service will conclude the DRDO’s
long-delayed, but eventually successful, Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP).
Initiated in 1983 by then DRDO boss, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the IGMDP
set out to develop five missiles: the Agni and Prithvi ballistic
missiles; the Akash and Trishul anti-aircraft missiles; and the Nag
ATGM. Only the Trishul will have failed to enter frontline military
service.
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