The Ministry of Defence has entered into a contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) on Friday to supply 4,960 anti-tank guided missiles to the Indian Army. The price of these guided missiles is Rs 1,188 crore. The Milan 2t missile was used to destroy the bunkers of the Pakistani army during the Kargil War in 1999. The strong Pakistani bunkers were thoroughly destroyed by the wire-guided Milan missile. The third-generation missiles will be effective to counter the enemy Army Tank Regiment.
BDL doing production after getting a license from a French company
The acquisition wing of the Ministry of Defence signed a contract with the Defence Public Sector Undertaking Bharat Dynamics Limited to supply 4,960 Milan-2t anti-tank guided missile (ATMM) to the Indian Army at a cost of Rs 1,188 crore. This will further promote the government’s ‘ Make in India ‘ initiative. This is a ‘repeat order’ of the contract, which was first signed with BDL on March 08, 2016. Milan-2t is a tandem warhead ATGM with a range of 1,850 metres. Bharat Dynamics Limited is producing Milan-2t under the licence received from the French company MBDA missile system.
Plan to be operational within three years
According to a defence ministry spokesman, these missiles can be fired from the ground as well as from vehicle-based launchers. It can be deployed in anti-tank roles for both offensive and defensive tasks. The missiles are planned to be inducted into the Army within three years, after which the operational preparedness of the armed forces will increase. The project is a great opportunity for the Indian defence industry to show its potential, which will be a step towards achieving the goal of ‘Self-Reliant India’ in the defence sector. The army currently needs 70 thousand anti-tank missiles and 850 launchers. With 2t anti-tank guided missiles, the army’s requirement will be met to a great extent.
Missile Specifications
The Milan 2t missile was used to destroy the bunkers of Pakistani forces during the Kargil War in 1999. Milan 2t is France’s wire-guided ATMM, i.e., the launch unit will have to set the target for the target. Being equipped with thermal site technology from MIRA and Milis, the missile can also distinguish the target at night. In 2017, the Defence Procurement Council headed by Arun Jaitley relied on the Akash missile built in India instead of buying missiles from Israel and Sweden.
