Defence Acquisition Council Okays Rs 1,200 Crore Acquisition Of Milan-2T Anti-Tank Guided Missiles 

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharamana led Defence Acquisition Council on Thursday (31 January) issued the clearance for the Rs 1,200 crore Milan-2T anti-tank missile deal, reports Financial Express. Today’s approval gives the green light for the acquisition of 5,000 of the anti-tank weapons from France for the Indian Army.

The overall needs of the army are for 70,000 anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) and 850 launchers, part of which are to be met with the indigenous Nag missile. As the DRDO is still developing the weapon, India has to meet the urgent requirements of the army with the second-generation Milan.

ATGMs are crucial for an army’s ability to fight against the enemy’s armoured divisions consisting of tanks. The Indian Army is looking to start moving from its current arsenal of Milan-2T and Konkurs ATGMs to third generation weaponry.

Milan-2T is an upgraded version of the original Milan that goes back to the 1970s; the newer variety was developed specifically to counter the adoption of ‘reactive armour’ by militaries in the 1990s.

The Milan ATGM has a waterproof launch tube and uses a shaped charge warhead that is effective against thick composite armour. The upgraded 2T can also penetrate reactive armour.