February 4, 2009: India has ordered 4,100 Milan ATGMs (anti-tank guided missile). , as Some 30,000 of these missiles have already been produced in India, under license from European firm MBDA, over the past 30 years. They have also produced nearly 3,000 launchers.

The basic Milan is a 1.2 meter long, 125mm, 7.1 kg (16 pound) missile. It has a minimum range of 400 meters, and maximum range of 2,000 meters. At max range, the missile takes about 13 seconds to reach its target. The missile is guided to the target by the operator via a thin wire. The launcher weighs 21 kg (46 pounds). The missile can penetrate about a meter of armor, making it effective against all but the most modern tanks (M-1, Challenger, Leopard II).

The wire guided missile concept was developed by the Germans during World War II, for use against American bombers. The Indians pay about $30,000 per Milan missile, and have had good success with them in combat. Since the 1970s, over 350,000 Milan missiles, and 30,000 launchers have been built worldwide. More modern ATGM are wireless and require much less effort on the part of the operator, but they are more expensive.