Anti-tank guided missile ‘HELINA’ successfully flight-tested

INTERNATIONAL DESK: An Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ was successfully launched from an indigenously-developed helicopter at high-altitude ranges on Monday, informed the officials.

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 one of the most advanced Anti-Tank weapons in the world and was guided by an Infrared Imaging Seeker (IIR) operating in the Lock on Before Launch mode.

The flight test was jointly conducted by the teams of scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Army and Indian Air Force, as part of the user validation trials.

In continuation to validation trials conducted at Pokhran, proof of efficacy at high altitudes paves the way for its integration on ALH. The trials were witnessed by senior Army commanders and senior scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO and the Indian Army for the maiden achievement through joint work.

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