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| Nag Missile Carrier (NAMICA) on Indian Army Day parade last year |
NAG missile also known as “Prospina”, is a 3rd generation, all-weather, fire-and-forget, lock-on after launch, anti-tank guided (ATGM). It has been developed by DRDO to engage highly fortified enemy tanks in day and night conditions. The missile has “Fire & Forget” “Top Attack” capabilities with passive homing guidance to defeat all MBTs equipped with composite and reactive armour. It has a range of 500m–4km. The missile weighs 43 kg and has maximum speed of 230 m/s, armed with 8 kg of tandem shaped-charge warhead. NAG comes with Active Imaging infra-red (IIR) seeker and millimetric wave (mmW) active radar homing seeker. NAG is said to have a Single Shot of Probability score of 0.9 & 10 year maintenance free shelf-life. NAMICA: NAG missile carrier The NAG missile carrier or platform is also called NAMICA. It based on BMP II Sarath with amphibious capability. The NAG missile is produced by Defence PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and platform by Ordnance Factory Medak. NAMICA weighs just 14.5 tonnes in full combat load and is capable of moving 7 km/h in water. NAMICA includes 6 ready to fire & 6 stowed NAG ATGMS. It features, two CoMPASS Electro-Optical sighting systems – one for the gunner and one for the commander, giving it the “hunter-killer” capability and can fire missiles at a target located around 7.5 kilometres. It is also equipped with an advanced land navigation system, helping the commander with better situational awareness on the battlefield. CoMPASS Rev III : Battle proven EO Sensor The CoMPASS Electro-Optical sensor has been developed by the Israeli firm Elbit Systems. BEL had Technical Collaboration Agreement (TCA) with Elbit system for the Transfer of Technology for the manufacture of these EOIR payloads and for providing lifetime maintenance support. This sensor is also used in HAL Rudra and the Light Combat Helicopter and has been put on “hundreds of platforms” including UAVs, Helicopters, and other fixed-wing platforms. The CoMPASS Rev III is a day-and-night surveillance system that includes a Colour TV Daylight Camera, 3rd Generation Medium Wave IR (MWIR) sensor, Laser Target Designator and Range Finder (LTDRF), Short Wave IR (SWIR), internal GPS and automatic tracking capabilities, as well as command and control capabilities. The NAMICA carries six Nag missile in ready to fire mode. All six can be launched in a span of 20 seconds. The missile launcher has 360-degree fire coverage and has an elevation capability of 0 to 24 degrees. The vehicle is also installed with an automatic fire detection and suppression system and features a remotely controlled 7.62mm PKT machine gun. Nag Missile System (NAMIS) Inducted As per latest reports from TeamBHP, Nag missile along with the NAMICA (together called Nag Missile System (NAMIS)) has finally been inducted into the Indian Army. Back in February 2021, it has been reported that, DAC has cleared 293 Nag anti-tank missiles & 13 Nag missile carrier or Namica.
