Helina: Anti-Tank Guided Missile | 12 Apr 2022
Why in News?
India has successfully flight-tested Helina, an Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM), in Pokhran.
- According to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), it is one of the most advanced Anti-Tank Weapons in the world.
- The test was part of user validation trials of the third generation ‘fire and forget’ class missiles developed by the DRDO.
What is Helina?
- About: Helina has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad under the Missiles and Strategic Systems (MSS) cluster of the DRDO.
- Successful user trials of the missile have been conducted since 2018.
- Features: It has a maximum range of seven kilometers and has been designed and developed for integration on the weaponized version of the ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter).
- The missile system has all-weather, day, and night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as explosive reactive armour.
- It has been developed for integration with choppers in both the Army and the Air Force.
- The Air Force version of Helina is sometimes referred to as Dhruvastra.
- Helina can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode.
- Top Attack Mode: In this mode, the missile is required to climb sharply after launch and travel at a certain altitude, and then plunge on the top of the target.
- Direct Hit Mode: The missile travels at a lower altitude, directly striking the target.
- Other Anti-tank Missiles: The DRDO has designed and developed a range of anti-tank missile technologies that include:
- The Nag: It is a third-generation fire-and-forget missile developed for mechanized formations to engage heavily fortified enemy tanks.
- MPATGM: It stands for Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile which has a range of 2.5 kilometers, with fire-and-forget and top attack capabilities for infantry use.
- SANT: It is a Smart Stand-off Anti-Tank Missile being developed for launch from the Mi-35 Helicopter for the Air Force’s anti-tank operations.
- ATGM for MBT Arjun: ATGM for MBT Arjun is a laser-guided, precision-guided munition that is launched from the 120mm rifled gun of the Arjun tank to engage and defeat Explosive Reactive Armour-protected armoured targets.