India carries out successful test firing of HELINA anti-tank missile

Leh (Ladakh): India on Tuesday carried out yet another successful test of the indigenously developed helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile 'HELINA' in high altitude conditions in Ladakh.

"India today carried out a successful test firing of the Helina anti-tank guided missile from the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter in high altitude areas of Ladakh. The missile was tested yesterday also in the same area where it successfully hit a simulated tank target," DRDO officials told ANI.

On Monday, the missile, being equipped on the variants of indigenous ALH Dhruv chopper, was successfully flight tested at high-altitude ranges as part of user validation trials.

The flight test on Tuesday was jointly conducted by teams of scientists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Indian Army, and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The flight trials were conducted from an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and the missile was fired successfully engaging a simulated tank target.

The missile is guided by an Imaging Infra-Red (IIR) Seeker operating in the Lock on Before Launch mode. It is one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons in the world, DRDO officials said.

Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the teams for the commendable job performed in difficult conditions.