India successfully test-fires SANT Missile off Odisha coast
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.
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