Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’

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About HELINA-

• It was developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad under the Missiles and Strategic Systems (MSS) cluster of the DRDO. 
• It has a maximum range of 7 kilometers and has been designed and developed for integration on weaponized versions of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH).
• The missile is guided by an Infrared Imaging Seeker (IIR) operating in the ‘lock on before launch’ mode.
• This missile system has all-weather, day and night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as explosive reactive armour. 
• It has been developed for integration with choppers in both the Army and the Air Force. 
• The Air Force version of Helina is sometimes referred to as Dhruvastra.

• Helina can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode. 
• In the top attack mode, the missile is required to climb sharply after launch and travel at a certain altitude and then plunge on the top of the target. 
• In the direct hit mode, the missile travels at a lower altitude, directly striking the target.
• The recent test was part of user validation trials of the third generation ‘fire and forget’ class missiles developed by DRDO. Successful user trials of the missile have been conducted since 2018.

Other anti-tank missile technologies developed by DRDO-

• Nag is a third-generation fire-and-forget missile developed for mechanized formations to engage heavily fortified enemy tanks. 
• The Nag missile is launched from a modified infantry combat vehicle, called the Nag missile carrier or Namica.
• MPATGM stands for Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) which has a range of 2.5 kilometers, with fire-and-forget and top attack capabilities for infantry use.
• SANT is a smart Stand-off Anti-Tank Missile being developed for launch from the Mi-35 Helicopter for the Air Force’s anti-tank operations. 
• ATGM for MBT Arjun is a laser-guided, precision-guided munition which is launched from the 120mm rifled gun of the Arjun tank to engage and defeat Explosive Reactive Armour-protected armoured targets.

Further reading: https://journalsofindia.com/stand-off-anti-tank-sant-missile/

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