BREAKING THE ENEMY'S ARMOURED SPINE

India’s evolving anti-tank warfare capability has undergone a paradigm shift in recent years, writes AMARTYA SINHA

In October last year, the Indian Army carried out an extensive demonstration of its anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) capabilities at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. During the mock drill in high-altitude terrain, Indian soldiers were seen taking positions atop mountain ridges in order to monitor the enemy’s movements on a road in the distance. As the visibility fell due to dense fog, a trooper was seen using his field radio to coordinate the engagement, a procedure known as the ‘radio-telephony procedure’. After receiving a nod from the commander, the tracker alerted the firer. The launcher was quickly configured with the projectile loaded in it, and the target was deemed to have been destroyed within seconds. The exercise was a befitting reply to the recent Chinese adventurism in the Himalayas, which sent ripples down the corridors of power in Beijing.

Evolution of ATGMs 

Since the end of the Second World War in 1945, high velocity heavy calibre projectiles, explosive rounds and landmines have always remained the most favoured weapons of professional armies all across the world. While it is easy to engage a stationary human target with a sniper rifle from large distances, it is tremendously difficult to engage highspeed mobile targets like battle tanks and armoured vehicles with LRDLOS (Long Range Direct Line of Sight) shooting.