Article Posted on : - Nov 29, 2019

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NEW DELHI (PTI): The Indian Army has successfully test fired two Spike long-range anti-tank missiles at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh which are expected to further boost its combat prowess, officials said on Thursday.

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat and several commanders witnessed the firing of the newly acquired missiles on Wednesday.

Spike is a fourth generation missile which can engage any target with precision at ranges up to 4 km, the officials said.

For the last nearly three decades, the Indian Army has been using outdated second generation missiles, said an official.

In 2011, an RFP (request for proposal) was floated for more than 8000 missiles to Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

The Spike missile was the only one to qualify after going through a complex procurement process.

The defence ministry completed the negotiation in 2016 but the programme did not see the light of the day.

To overcome the critical capability void, the Indian Army procured a limited quantity of Spike LR missiles to meet the urgent operational requirement, officials said.

They said the Spike long-range anti-tank missiles will bolster the Army's fire power capability.