The Hindu : Pact signed for designing new anti-tank missile

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 08, 2003

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Pact signed for designing new anti-tank missile

By Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI FEB. 7. India is looking westward for a number of third generation short-range missiles, capable of hitting moving targets, with indigenous efforts slow due to the technical complexity of the work involved. This is apparent from an agreement signed on Thursday between MBDA Missile Systems, a French company, and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), the country's prime agency for missile development.

The two have a partnership dating two decades back in the area of the well-known Milan anti-tank missiles and this is sought to be extended for designing a new anti-tank missile and also technical cooperation in future production of air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles by India. "The agreement was on an exclusive basis," the MBDA CEO, Marwan Lahoud, told The Hindu.

In the immediate future, India would be interested in producing four-km-range advanced versions of the Milan anti-tank and Mica fighter jet (air-to-air) missiles with the French company's help.

Of the three versions of the Nag anti-tank missiles, the wire-guided version was cumbersome and officially dropped. The imaging infra-red (IIR) has limited all-weather capability and the millimetric wave version still needs substantial improvements. This breach could be provisionally filled in by the Milan 3 or the Trigan. , based on the Milan 3 firing range and Trigat missiles. Equipped with `thermal sights', this man-portable missile is effective at a distance of 4 km. with a high explosive warhead designed to penetrate the armour of the latest tanks, as well as bunkers and buildings. However, development of the third generation Nag missile would continue, as scientists believe that it will emerge as one of the best missiles. that are infantry's main method of destroying tanks.

Since India is negotiating the purchase of Dassault's Mirage 2000-5 fighters, the agreement could lead to co-production of Mica-RF multi-target missile, the prime weapon for this aircraft, fitted on two French Air Force squadrons of this Mirage version. Mr. Lahoud said the "joint production" agreement is valid for "any new missile acquired by India. Be it air-to-air (Mica for Mirage 2000) or surface-to-air missiles."

Top officials of EADS, (formed with the merger of Daimler Chrysler Aerospace, Aerospatiale Matra and CASA of Spain), of which MBDA is a part, also met Defence Ministry officials to express their interest in an Army tender for acquisition of high-altitude helicopters.

According to the EADS Chief Executive Officer, Philippe Camus, his company is better placed than others (such as the U.S. based Bell Helicopters).

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