The Indian Army’s infantry is on the brink of a transformative leap in firepower and battlefield versatility as the Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM), developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), moves steadily toward operational clearance by 2026.
This advancement comes after a string of successful developmental and user-assisted trials over the past few years, with final evaluations expected to conclude in 2026. Once inducted, the MPATGM will replace the Army’s ageing second-generation, wire-guided systems such as the French-origin MILAN and Soviet-era 9M113 Konkurs, marking a watershed moment in India’s drive toward self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
The MPATGM represents a third-generation “fire-and-forget” missile system, specifically designed to neutralise enemy tanks and armoured fighting vehicles equipped with explosive reactive armour (ERA). Unlike legacy systems that require the operator to guide the missile manually via wire, the MPATGM allows soldiers to fire and immediately relocate — a vital advantage in modern, fluid battlefields where exposure even for seconds can prove fatal.
Defence officials closely involved with the programme note that Army evaluators have strongly endorsed the system’s accuracy, lethality, and portability, particularly during joint testing in both high-altitude and urban combat simulations. “The MPATGM has shown consistent performance in extreme environmental conditions, including sub-zero temperatures and rugged terrain,” said a senior DRDO scientist familiar with the trials. “It’s a major step forward for our infantry’s anti-tank capabilities.”
The need for a modern, lightweight, and portable anti-tank weapon was highlighted starkly during the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes, when the lack of advanced man-portable systems restricted infantry manoeuvrability and responsiveness. The MPATGM project was designed to close precisely this gap — offering a mobile, precision-guided, and lethal option for India’s infantry, special forces, and parachute brigades.
The project was officially sanctioned in 2015 by the Ministry of Defence, with an initial funding of ₹73.46 crore, to develop a compact, man-portable variant of the Nag ATGM — India’s first indigenous anti-tank missile family. The Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) was nominated as the lead production agency, and in 2018, it established a dedicated manufacturing facility at Bhanur, Telangana.
While the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant delays in testing schedules, DRDO engineers continued laboratory and simulation-based refinement, ensuring that the system matured to meet modern battlefield requirements.
The MPATGM’s design and performance parameters are on par with some of the world’s leading anti-tank missile systems, such as the U.S. FGM-148 Javelin and Israel’s Spike-LR, while maintaining over 90% indigenous content — a remarkable achievement in high-precision missile technology.
- Guidance System:
The MPATGM is equipped with an advanced Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker capable of locking onto a target’s heat signature. This enables the “fire-and-forget” functionality, allowing operators to disengage immediately after launch. - Portability:
The entire system — comprising the missile (14.5 kg) and Command Launch Unit (CLU) with tripod (14.25 kg) — weighs under 30 kilograms, allowing for easy deployment by a two-person crew. - Range and Accuracy:
It can engage targets from 200 metres up to 4 kilometres, ensuring flexibility across both close-quarter and long-range engagements. - Warhead:
The missile carries a tandem High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead. The precursor charge neutralises explosive reactive armour, while the main charge penetrates up to 650 mm of Rolled Homogeneous Armour (RHA), enabling it to defeat the world’s most advanced tanks. - Attack Modes:
MPATGM can switch between direct-attack (for frontal targets) and top-attack modes, the latter being designed to strike the tank’s vulnerable turret area — a feature critical for modern anti-armour warfare.
The MPATGM’s development journey has been methodical, progressing through multiple test phases designed to validate both performance and reliability across varying operational conditions.
- 2018–2019:
Initial flight trials at test ranges in Rajasthan successfully demonstrated the missile’s flight stability, guidance precision, and top-attack mode functionality. - 2021–2022:
Following pandemic disruptions, post-recovery trials confirmed consistent accuracy at minimum and maximum engagement ranges. These tests also validated the performance of the miniaturised seeker technology developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI). - 2024:
Critical user trials at the Pokhran Field Firing Range confirmed the system’s ability to penetrate advanced armour configurations. The August 2024 tests, in particular, were deemed “decisive,” as they demonstrated consistent target lock and successful tandem warhead detonation under varied climatic conditions.
Defence Ministry sources have stated that all performance parameters were met or exceeded during these evaluations, instilling high confidence within the Indian Army. The final phase of user trials scheduled for 2026 will focus on the missile’s endurance under extreme weather conditions in Ladakh and its adaptability to urban warfare simulations.
The MPATGM’s induction is not just a technological milestone but also a significant industrial achievement. DRDO’s partnership with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and private sector participant VEM Technologies has ensured that India now possesses the complete production ecosystem for advanced anti-tank missile systems — from seeker fabrication to launcher integration.
Once operational clearance is obtained, serial production is expected to begin in 2027, with BDL’s Telangana plant serving as the primary manufacturing hub. The initial order is expected to equip India’s frontline infantry battalions and mountain strike corps, with later production runs expanding to include special forces and airborne units.
The MPATGM’s successful induction will also likely lead to export opportunities in friendly nations seeking affordable, reliable anti-tank systems — especially in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, where cost-effective alternatives to Western missiles are in demand.
For India’s armed forces, the MPATGM represents much more than a new weapon — it marks the closure of a long-standing capability gap. The Army’s dependence on foreign suppliers for anti-tank systems has long been a concern, with previous imports of Israel’s Spike missiles serving only as temporary stop-gaps.
The MPATGM offers a long-term indigenous solution, reducing import dependency and ensuring supply chain security during crises. Moreover, its development has strengthened India’s defence R&D and manufacturing base, demonstrating that complex, high-precision missile systems can now be conceptualised, developed, and produced entirely within the country.
Experts note that the missile’s induction will dovetail with the Army’s broader infantry modernisation roadmap, which includes the procurement of next-generation assault rifles, loitering munitions, and battlefield networking systems. When integrated into these evolving frameworks, the MPATGM will significantly enhance India’s tactical deterrence and offensive mobility in both conventional and asymmetric warfare environments.
With final user trials set for completion in 2026 and production slated to commence a year later, the MPATGM programme is emerging as one of DRDO’s most successful infantry-focused initiatives in recent decades.
Its induction will empower Indian soldiers with a world-class, lightweight, precision-guided anti-tank capability — developed, tested, and built in India. As DRDO’s scientists often note, “The battlefield of the future will belong to those who can move fast and strike first.”
With the MPATGM, the Indian Army appears poised to do exactly that — armed with a weapon that is as nimble as it is lethal, and as Indian as it is world-class.
