Indian army unveils NAMICA new anti-tank tracked armored vehicle
During the latest military parade held on January 26, 2023, to commemorate the Republic Day of India, a new anti-tank armored vehicle called NAMIS or NAMICA (NAG Missile System) was showcased. It is based on a BMP-2 tracked armored chassis and is fitted with a weapon station with six ready-to-fire NAG anti-tank guided missiles.
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The new Indian army NAMICA anti-tank armored vehicle. (Picture source India MoD)
The NAMIS or NAMICA (NAG Missile System) is a new anti-tank armored vehicle fully designed and developed by the Indian Defense Industry and DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) based on the Sarath IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) tracked chassis, which is the Indian version of the Soviet-made BMP-2 IFV.
The chassis and the hull of the NAMIS are almost identical to the Sarath BMP-2 with the driver located at the front left side of the hull and the commander sitting to the rear of the driver. The engine and transmission are to the right of the driver's compartment.
The original turret of the BMP-2 has been removed and replaced by a new weapon station armed with 6 ready-to-fire NAG, an Indian-made anti-tank guided missile. The turret consists of two rows of three missiles with the firing sight system mounted in the middle. The second armament of the vehicle includes one remotely operated weapon station armed with one 7.62mm machine gun mounted to the left side of the driver and commander hatches.
NAG was one of the first five strategic missiles planned to be developed under the Integrated Missile Development Program initiated in the 1980s. The other missiles developed under the project include Agni, Prithvi and Akash, and all three have been successfully developed and inducted into the Indian armed forces.
In 2018, the Indian Defence Acquisition Council approved the procurement of DRDO designed and developed NAG Missile System (NAMIS). in July 2019, DRDO carried out three successful test firings of the missiles in the Pokhran firing ranges. The missiles were test-fired during both day and night.
The NAG (Nagpur Anti-Tank Guided Missile) is an Indian-made third-generation Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) system. It is designed to engage and destroy heavily armored vehicles and fortifications. The NAG missile system was fully designed and developed by DRDO. The missile is capable of hitting targets at a range of up to 4 km. The NAG system is equipped with an imaging infrared seeker for target acquisition and guidance and has the ability to hit targets in top attack mode.