The Nag missile (), also called Prospina for the land-attack version, is an Indian third-generation, all-weather, fire-and-forget, lock-on after launch, anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) with an operational range of 500m to 20km depending on variant. It has a single-shot hit probability of 90% and a ten-year, maintenance-free shelf life. The Nag has five variants under development: a land version, for a mast-mounted system; the helicopter-launched Nag (HELINA) also known as Dhruvastra; a "man-portable" version (MPATGM); an air-launched version which will replace the current imaging infra-red (IIR) to millimetric-wave (mmW) active radar homing seeker; and the Nag Missile Carrier (NAMICA) "tank buster", which is a modified BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) produced under license in India by Ordnance Factory Medak (OFMK).
Development of the Nag is part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP), run by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). India's Ministry of Defence announced on 19 July 2019 that the missile was ready for production. The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully completed the final trial of Nag anti-tank missile using a live warhead on a dud tank at Pokhran army ranges at 6.45 am on 21 Oct 2020.
Development
Development of the Nag missile began in 1988 under A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. The first tests were conducted in November 1990. Development was delayed for several years because of issues with the IIR-based guidance system. The Nag missile underwent successful tests in September 1997 and January 2000. In 2000, MoD announced that the Nag was likely to enter full-scale production in early 2001. By 2008, the development cost had reached . In July 2009, the Nag ATGM was cleared for production. The final user trials were successfully completed in July 2010. The missile was cleared for mass production. BDL planned to produce 100 Nag missiles annually to replace the existing Konkours and MILAN second-generation missiles in the arsenal. The Nag successfully completed its final validation trials and was expected to join the Indian Army's arsenal in 2011.
In 2011, the project suffered a one-year delay due to the army's changing of its requirements for the NAMICA at the last moment. This was due to the failure of the missile to hit the target at 4 km range during the summer trials of 2011 in Rajasthan. The scientists found a fault in the Europe-imported heat-seeker: it was unable to distinguish between the heat signature of the target and its surroundings during high temperatures at long distances. This led to the development of a better indigenous seeker, with higher resolution and sensitivity, by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), that could track and distinguish targets at long distances. The first trials of the new seeker were carried out on 29 July 2013 in hot desert conditions in Rajasthan. The aerodynamic characterization research was conducted at the National Aerospace Laboratories' 1.2m Trisonic Wind Tunnel Facility.
The Nag cleared final developmental trials held by Indian Army in September 2016, making way once again for the weapon system to enter mass production. Its single-shot hit probability was initially 77%, which was later improved to 90%.
The missile was again declared ready for induction on 28 February 2018, after successfully destroying 2 tanks in desert conditions in a test. In 2018, the DRDO chief claimed that the Nag system would be inducted into the Indian Army by 2019. As of 2019, the missile was ready for induction and was expected to enter mass production by year-end, according to a senior DRDO official.
As of 2018, there was a requirement of around 3,000 Nag missiles for the land-launched variant of the Army.
Production NAMIS order 27 April 2018: Defence Acquisition Council, under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence and chairmanship of the then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, cleared the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) of the NAMIS system for the Indian Army at the cost of . The contract included 13 NAMICA carriers and 293 Nag missiles. 2022: The deal was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security. 27 March 2025: MoD and Armoured Vehicle Nigam signed a contract for the purchase of NAMIS (Tr.). The contract includes the procurement of 13 NAMICA carriers and 293 Nag missiles. The system will equip the reconnaissance and support battalions of the Mechanised Infantry Regiment. HELINA order 15 September 2023: The Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), worth , for the procurement of more than 200 units of Dhruvastra (Air Force variant) for the HAL Rudra was cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC). 24 June 2026: Bharat Dynamics announced that it has received a contract from Hindustan Airport to supply Helina missile launchers and line-replaceable units (LRUs) at a cost of along with another contract worth for Counter Measure Dispensing System (CMDS) LRUs. The orders will be executed between 24 and 60 months of signing the contracts. NAMIS Mk II order 22 October 2025: It was reported that the defence ministry is poised to approve the procurement of 2,408 Nag Mk2 missiles along with 107 NAMICA 2 tank destroyers. 23 October 2025: Defence Acquisition Council granted the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for Nag Missile System (Tracked) Mk-II (NAMIS).
Design The Nag missile's exterior is made of fibreglass.
It is developed for engaging heavily armoured tanks in all-weather conditions during day and night with a minimum range of 500m and a maximum range of 4km for the land variant. The third-generation fire-and-forget-class ATGM uses an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker that locks on to the target before launch. The Nag's airframe is constructed from composite materials that exhibit high resistance to enemy countermeasures. The forward dome houses the guidance system, while the middle section of the body accommodates sensor packages and the warhead. A booster rocket is positioned towards the rear end. The Nag features four foldable wings and four tail fins that stabilize it during flight. A real-time image processor, located adjacent to the guidance package, facilitates automatic target detection and tracking capabilities. The digital autopilot assists with guidance, stability, and control after launch.
An electric actuation system also helps in flight control. The guidance system is based on an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker that ensures a high target accuracy in both top and front attack modes. A CCD camera integrated into the guidance system is useful as it is hard to jam. The initial guidance is provided by area correlation around the target, to which is added a centroid tracking mechanism. Homing in the terminal phase is done by area correlation around the centroid.
The Nag rises upwards suddenly and then bends at a steep angle to aim for the target.
Variants
Missiles Nag/ProspiNa - The Nag or ProspiNa missile is the basic variant of the Nag family and is fired from the NAMICA platform. Nag Mk2 - The Nag Mk2 missile is a third-generation fire-and-forget ATGM. It is an enhanced version of the previous land-based Nag variant with a range of . The variant will feature a jet-vane control system inherited from the HELINA variant for increased manoeuvrability. The missile will also feature an enhanced range compared to the previous version. MPATGM - The Man Portable Anti-tank Guided Missile (MP-ATGM) is an Indian-made third-generation anti-tank guided missile derived from the Nag missile. Recently, DRDO confirmed its production to start in 2021. The missile is under user trials phase of development. HELINA/Dhruvastra - HELINA (Helicopter-launched Nag) is air-launched version of the Nag with extended range. HELINA has a range of 7 km which will put the enemy tank commanders in curved terrain at severe disadvantages. The missile weighs only 43 kg which will not cause any burden in limiting conditions of the rarefied atmosphere over Ladakh. In terms of firepower, HELINA can penetrate armour as thick as 800mm which is more than enough for penetrating the armour of the light and medium weight tanks operated in the frontier. It is launched from twin-tube stub wing-mounted launchers on board HAL Rudra helicopters and HAL Prachand manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It is structurally different from Nag and is guided by an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker operating in a lock-on-before-launch mode for target engagement. It supports both top attack and direct attack functionality. HELINA completed all kind of user trials as of 20 September 2021. The Indian Army is ready for the missile acquisition which is expected to cost under . The initial demand is of 500 missiles and 40 launcher tubes. SANT - SANT or Standoff Anti-tank Guided Missile is a fourth generation upgraded variant of HELINA missile developed for long distance airborne anti-armour role.
Platforms As of 2017, the Nag missile's only operational launch platform is the purpose-built NAMICA missile carrier. A number of other variants were in various stages of development and testing.
NAMICA
The NAMICA (Nag Missile Carrier) is a stretched, license-built BMP-2 with additional wheels, nicknamed "BMP-2 Sarath" in India. The NAMICA along with the Nag missile is designated as the NAMIS (Nag Missile System). It is classified as a tank destroyer. It is equipped with various electro-optical systems including a thermal imager (TI) and a laser rangefinder (LRF) for target acquisition. As unveiled in DefExpo 2008, the NAMICA carries a total of twelve missiles, with eight in ready-to-fire mode and four in storage. It has a compact auxiliary power unit (APU) for silent watch operation, a fire detection and suppression system (FDSS) and nuclear, biological, and chemical protection system (NBCPS). The carrier weights 14.5 tonnes in full combat load and is capable of moving 7 km/h in water. The carrier was put through transportation trials, covering 155 km during 2008 summer trials. It has various modes of firing, including top attack and indirect attack mode. It has a lock-on-before-launch system, where the target is identified and designated before the launch. The range of attack is limited due to its targeting system being based on visual identification. It supports a crew of four including the commander who is equipped with Land Navigation System (LNS).
The NAMICA successfully completed amphibious trials in the Indira Gandhi Canal at Rajasthan on 8 August 2008.
Another version of the missile launcher, NAMICA-2, was first tested in 2019. The newer variant was equipped with an improved targeting system and a launcher configuration of six combat-ready missiles against earlier eight. The development received approval in 2018. The launcher was first publicly showcased during the Republic Day parade in Rajpath at New Delhi in 2023.
Guided by NAMICA-2's Imaging Infra Red (IIR) seeker, Nag ATGM has a range of 7.5 kilometres. All the six missiles can be fired within 20 seconds in quick firing mode. It carries a crew of four. The total project cost of NAMICA is ₹3,000 crore and is developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). Ministry of Defence cleared NAMICA for production as of 14 August 2020.
NAMICA Mk2