India successfully test-fires SANT Missile off Odisha coast
21st October, 2020
Context: India successfully test-fired the Stand-off Anti-tank (SANT) Missile off the coast of Odisha.
SANT Missile
The Missile is being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and will have both Lock-on After Launch and Lock-on Before Launch capability.
It is, reportedly, an upgrade on India’s Helina missile believed to have a range of 7 to 8km.
The new missile is said to have a range of between 15 and 20km and comes equipped with a nose-mounted active radar seeker, enabling the launch platform to be located at a safe distance from the target area.
The DRDO’s Nag range
The DRDO has successfully developed several anti-tank missiles in its ‘Nag’ range.
The range of a Nag missile could lie anywhere between 500m and 20km depending on its launch type.
These weapons have a top speed of approximately 230 meters per second (828 km/hour).
The land version of the DRDO’s Nag missile is the Prospina, meant for infantry, and launched via a tracking and launch carrier called NAMICA (Nag Missile Carrier).
The system can be mounted on the light infantry vehicle, BMP-2 capable of carrying up to six missiles.
Each NAMICA can deploy four missiles in a single minute.