armada international 6-2002 - complete guide to anti-armour weapons

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39Complete Guide by armada

Eric H. Biass and Roy Braybrook

T he cause for this concern arose fromthe fact that Americas worst-casedefence scenario had been reviseddownwards drastically, to consist of twosmaller MTWs (major theatre wars)involving according to the DefenseIntelligence Agency less than 20 percent of the Cold War estimate of oppos-ing armoured fighting vehicles. Despitethis major reduction in the threat, in the1990s the US services had maintainedand improved their inventories ofaround 40 different types of anti-armour systems.The Pentagon nonethe-less expects to spend approximately $ 14billion on the development and acquisi-tion of 13 new guided and unguidedanti-armour programmes.

The General Accounting Office(GAO) reviewed the revised MasterPlan submitted in July 2000, and con-

cluded that it failed to provide a jointeffectiveness analysis. Instead, it wasbased on separate US Air Force andArmy analyses, each without referenceto the other services capabilities. Inessence, computer modelling wasshowing that new anti-armour weaponsystems would result in a favourableconflict outcome being achieved soon-er and with fewer friendly casualties,but it was not assessing the relativeeffects of the various new systems in amulti-service fighting environment.Nobody doubts that current technolog-ical advances can provide improve-ments over existing anti-armourweapons, but the US services are failingto make a credible case for continuingdevelopmental spending in this area,since they are literally incapable ofgetting their acts together.

The GAO accordingly recommend-ed that the Secretary of Defense should

include in his next QuadrennialDefense Review an independent jointservice assessment of anti-armourmunition capabilities, requirementsand priorities.

The anticipated total procurementcost (from FY2001 to completion) ofthe various new US systems is listed inthe box on the following page.

New Technologies and Concepts

In the course of the 1990s several newanti-armour technologies reached thestage at which they were ready fordeployment. These included multi-mode sensors and warheads, millimet-ric-wave radar for all-weather guid-ance, soft launches for firings fromwithin enclosed spaces and automatictarget recognition systems allowingfully autonomous operation of the mis-sile or warhead.

However, while technologies wereadvancing to meet long-standing require-ments, the operators demands werebeing modified to suit the changing faceof warfare.Aside from reducing the num-ber of tanks required to be destroyed toachieve a successful outcome, experiencein post-Cold War conflicts has brought anumber of fundamental changes in theattitudes of some leading services to anti-armour weapon systems.

There is no doubt that America leads in most aspects of anti-armourweapon technology. When we last reported (Armada 6/2000), one ofthe most important developments in this field was that the US House ofRepresentatives Committee on Appropriations had demanded of the Sec-retary of Defense that his next budget submission should include an anti-armour munitions master plan that would quantify the post-Sovietarmoured threat and identify the weapons needed to defeat it.

Do-it-all Anti-armour?

Only if One Believes in Serendipity!

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Friendly fire accidents in the 1991Gulf War emphasised the need to min-imise blue-on-blue casualties. Opera-tions in 1999 in Kosovo broughtdemands to reduce collateral damage.Partly as a result of the Coalitionsmere handful of casualties in the spec-tacularly successful Desert Storm, thegeneral public is now far less willing totolerate personnel losses, especially inthe context of remote conflicts.

Many current weapon systems wereconceived in the days when the challengewas to destroy (at almost any cost) largenumbers of the Warsaw Pact tanks thatwere expected to swarm across Europe.Todays threat is characterised by muchsmaller numbers of armoured targets in afluid situation with no real front-line and

destroy it. In addition, the pilot or gun-ner launching the anti-tank missileshould be exposed as little as possibleto return fire. Priorities naturally varybetween services. For example, the USAir Force is more concerned than the

The principal changes may be illus-trated by reference to some new anti-armour systems. For example, theMBDA Brimstone was designed in thelater days of the Cold War (GEC-Mar-coni at the time) to exploit the potentialof millimetric-wave radar and automat-ic target-recognition technologies inproviding a safe (i.e. against shoulder-launched Sams) day/night all-weatherfire-and-forget capability from fixed-wing aircraft platforms, typically engag-ing a group of tanks, the approximateposition of which is known prior tolaunch. Its successful developmentundoubtedly represents an outstanding

Firing of the MBDABrimstone from aTornado. Note thatthe rear set is tilteddownwards to befired while theforward set is still inplace. (AleniaMarconi Systems/DR)

Todays threat ischaracterised by much

smaller numbers ofarmoured targets in a fluidsituation with no real front-

line and with many of these targets deliberatelydispersed within civilian

areas.US Army to reduce operator workload,since the majority of its tactical aircraftare single-seaters, and since the risk ofexposing an aircraft to enemy fire canbe justified only if it can kill severaltanks in a single pass.

From FY2001 to completion, the price of the various new US systems:(in descending order of magnitude and in terms of then-year [million] dollars)

Bat/Army Tactical Missile System: Army $ 4171Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System: Army $ 3369Javelin: Army/USMC $3012Longbow Hellfire: Army $ 2107Wide Area Munition: Army $ 1733Tank Round M829A2/E3: Army $ 1613Joint Stand-Off Weapon (BLU-108): USAF/USN $ 1571Sensor-Fuzed Weapon: USAF $ 709Predator: USMC $ 592Sense and Destroy Armor: Army $ 29525 mm Gun Round, Army M919: Army $ 242Remote Area Denial Munition: Army $ 151Multipurpose Individual Munition: Army $ 141(Source: GAO-01-607)

Anticipated Total Procurement Cost

Explosive reactive add-on armour was designed to break up a penetrator or a sabot round dart under the shearing effect of an armour plate and of theexplosive charge itself. This is what prompted manufacturers to design tandemcharges, the forward one (precursor) tasked with the setting off of thisprotection to clear the way for the main charge. This in turn prompted thedevelopment of doubled Era plates. Again, missiles found the loophole byadopting larger precursor charges, typically of at least 50 mm in diameter.(Armada/EHB)

with many of these targets deliberatelydispersed within civilian areas.

It has thus become far more impor-tant, firstly, to identify the target cor-rectly, and secondly, to strike it accu-rately with just sufficient energy to

technological achievement. However,when asked by Armada aboutprospects of selling the Brimstonespecifically to the US Air Force, theMBDA briefing executive respondedthat the service is looking for lock-onbefore launch capability and not fullyautonomous operation.

Several changes in demands are illus-trated by new versions of the RaytheonTow,which is launched from both groundplatforms and helicopters. Although thefire-and-forget version has been can-celled, the radio-guided Tow RF will pro-vide substantially longer range, eliminat-ing the limit imposed by trailing guidancewires. It will also be compatible withRaytheons Itas (Improved TargetAcquisition System), the improved reso-lution of which will allow targets to bedetected and identified at four and twotimes present ranges respectively.

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Another anti-armour missile offeringcompatibility with the Itas is theRaytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin, amedium-range system that is especiallysuited to rapid reaction forces. TheJavelin is being produced for the USArmy and US Marine Corps, and has 2.5times the range of the Dragon that itreplaces. It also provides fire-and-forgetcapability by virtue of its IIR (imaginginfrared) seeker, the choice of direct-attack or top-attack engagements and asoft launch, allowing the gunner to firefrom inside buildings.

Other important trends include mod-ular construction and operational flexi-bility, so that the missile can be launchedfrom a variety of platforms and is effec-tive against a wide range of targets.Modular construction is well illustratedby the Raytheon Maverick, with achoice of three guidance heads (TV, IRor laser) and two warheads (a 56.7 kgshaped charge, and a 136 kg blast-pene-trator with fragmentation effects).

In the case of the US Armys Com-mon Missile, which is currently beingcompeted in the system definition phase

and is scheduled to replace both theBoeing/Lockheed Martin Hellfire andthe Raytheon Tow, it is anticipated that atri-mode seeker will be fitted, allowingthe use of active millimetric-wave guid-ance, semi-active laser homing or man-

in-the-loop IIR guidance. Emphasis isplaced on minimising the risk to theoperator by increasing range and reduc-ing time of flight. This is an interestingdevelopment because until recently, fire-and-forget was all the rage.As repeated-ly noted by Armada, this would havebeen the panacea in a West-East con-frontation with a clear red line separat-ing the two. Now, however, the situationis quite different, and as Kosovo-likeoperations have recently demonstrated.There are two important factors thathave to be taken into account: Observation: anti-armour weaponsare emplaced at sensitive points andused for long, protracted observationperiods of time. Here, ergonomics playa major role. Collateral: armoured enemy forma-tions now have a propensity to movewith buses full of civilian hostages or

T he question that is giving both deci-sion-makers and missile manufac-turers a considerable headache iswhat anti-armour weapon should weuse in urban warfare? As recent urbanconflicts proved, none of the existingmissiles really offer a suitable answer.Fire-and-forgets have the tremendouslimitations mentioned in this article,plus the fact that the pop-up and divecategory may have a tough time findingtheir targets on the way down in a tree-lined avenue.Then full-size anti-armourwarheads might prove totally unsuitedto defeat lighter vehicles (even if theyare heavily armed) since their penetra-tors can pierce them completely and stillhave sufficient energy to wreak havoc inwhatever might be behind them. Finally,with the emergence of urban warfare,

anti-building weapons are also neededwith all the logistical problems havingdifferent categories of weapons entails.

Weapon projects featuring inter-changeable warheads have been playedwith but have proven unsatisfactory one main problem stemming from triv-ial centre of gravity alteration issues.Moreover, guidance is not really neededagainst a building, in any case.

This may explain why new missilesare not being purchased in large num-bers right now, and why a number ofnew weapons have been and still arebeing cancelled like the Sraw, theTow-FF and the Trigat-MR and whyno decision regarding their replace-ment has yet been envisaged. The sta-tus quo on the Trigan nicely illustratesthe current blur.

What Next?

One of the most important anti-armour missiles for light forces is the LockheedMartin/Raytheon Javelin, shown here at Farnborough International 2000.(Armada/RB)

Upon explosion of thecharge, the copper lineris crushed towards thecentre and simultane-ously turned inside outas one would do with asock. The effect is ahigh-density and high-speed dart that willeventually separate fromthe core (which followsthe dart) and forge itsway into the armour. Itspower is directlydetermined by thesquare value of itsoriginal frontal diameter.(Armada/EHB).

prisoners, which precludes the use ofnot having a man in the loop.

The United Kingdom is funding 15per cent of the current phase, whichruns to September 2003. The competi-tors for the eventual British Armyorder are understood to be the Spike-ER and a Next Generation Tow.

Warhead Technology

Armour and anti-armour have beenplaying a cat-and-mouse game eversince they were invented. Today, thewarhead definitely appears to have anedge because the weight penalty itimposes on armoured vehicles is becom-ing hardly bearable. The only futurealternative appears to be active self-pro-tection systems like the Arena inwhich the Russian manufacturers have adefinite lead. The Arena designed byKBM is a vertical pod mounted in acommanding position on the rear ofthe turret, if a tank is involved. It houses

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a number of charges that can be fired360 around the vehicle. These are trig-gered by a detection radar (also mount-ed on the turret) and literally thrown inthe path of the incoming penetrator todestroy it or at least considerably dis-turb its destructive action.

Failing this, the warhead still has topenetrate and pierce. In a majority ofcases, missiles use hollow charges. Theireffectiveness (i.e. penetration power) isproportional to their diameter, although

Bill 2, the warhead of which was devel-oped by Ruag. This Swiss company hasspecialised in isostatic pressing andshrink fit warhead assembly. Thisenables the warheads to be accuratelymachined and their density controlled.For example, Ruag has managed todevelop an asymmetrical hollowcharge that allows the impact of thedownwards-fired dart to remain overthe same single spot on the attackedarmour in spite of the forward move-ment of the horizontally moving war-head.Without this trick, the dart woulddrag over the surface.

Another type of warhead is the explo-sively forged projectile, also referred toas EFP. This roughly follows the sameprinciple as the hollow charge (orshaped charge) except that the copperliner is replaced with a tantalum lens thatis forged into a high-speed slug. This is apreferred solution for top-attack war-heads dispensed from a higher altitudethan the over-flight missiles, like the Tex-tron BLU-108 skeet warhead.

A hollow charge requires a certain distance to form itself ahead of the target.Missiles like the Raytheon Tow use telescopic probes while others, like thisEryx, see their main warhead mounted behind the motor, which is itselfpacked around a central tube. (Armada/EHB)The feat: many of us remember

the school-time broken pencilexperiment that demonstrateshow different diffraction indicesdisturb the path of light. Althoughthe reasons are quite different inthe armour context, it doesillustrate the way varying densitymaterials can affect thebehaviour, and thereby theshape, of a penetrator incomposite armour, at rightrepresented by a sandwich ofsteel, glass, ceramic, glass andsteel. (Armada/EHB)

found an appropriate answer to the chal-lenge. The Swiss company is currentlyexperimenting with a penetrator calledthe Mep (modular explosive penetrator)that uses the reverberating shockwavesto penetrate the hardest concretes andexplode inside the building (see fulldetails in Armada 4/2002,page 41) underthe control of an accelerometer fuze.High explosive is currently used, but thefirm is also looking at the possibilitiesoffered by thermobaric warheads.

As remarkably demonstrated by this sequence, firing a hollow charge againsta concrete wall at short range will make life as uncomfortable for the gunnerand his pals as for those on the other side. Other solutions are being soughtfor urban warfare. (MBDA)

The Textron Systems skeet pushesthe explosively forged projectileart to the extent of alsoproducing a crown of fragments.(Textron Systems)

minor improvements (10 to 15 per cent)are achieved through tweaking theshape and density of the copper lining.Looking at the fold-out table provided inthis special supplement will reveal thatall charges have a diameter of at least130 mm (except the top-attack variety),and that virtually all precursors have adiameter of about 40 mm or more thisdue to the more efficient explosivelyreactive armour now available.

Talking of top-attack leads us to aninteresting development the Swedish

A new requirement has emerged inthe wake of recent conflicts, Kosovobeing one example, which is building,bunker and sandbag penetration. As thepictures herewith show, an ordinaryanti-armour missile tends to cause a ter-rific blast outside the target and there-by produce unwanted results in urban,short-range use. As explained elsewherein this survey, various solutions such ascombining a hollow charge with a retard-ed grenade did not prove satisfactory.Ruag Munition again seems to have

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Brimstone

The MBDA Brimstone was developed tomeet British requirement SR(A)1238,using as its basis the helicopter-borne,laser-homing Boeing AGM-114A Hell-fire.The aim was to suit use on fast jet air-craft, providing a fire-and-forget day/night all-weather attack capability with afully autonomous weapon providing mul-tiple kills per pass. The 600 million ($ 900 million) development and produc-tion contract was awarded in late 1996.

nises all tracked fighting vehicles (tanks,armoured personnel carriers, self-pro-pelled guns and air defence units), andwill attack provided it can see at leasthalf the target.There is potential for thealgorithms to be modified to allowrecognition of aircraft and radars on theground, surface-to-surface missilelaunchers and small naval vessels.

The Brimstone can be instructed tosearch in a variety of modes (column,point and area), with pre-set distances tostart search, stop and self-destruct (by

Production deliveries for the RAF Tor-nado GR4 will begin in early 2003. Toavoid conflict with the Longbow Hell-fire, MBDA has agreed not to marketthe Brimstone actively for helicopterapplications. Looking to the longerterm, there have been references to theaddition of a laser seeker to minimisethe risk of collateral damage, and analternative blast-fragmentation war-head to suit other types of target.

Maverick

Deliveries of the Raytheon AGM-65Maverick began over 30 years ago.More than 66,000 have now been pro-duced for the US services and 28 inter-national customers. Some 6000 havebeen used in combat, with a 93 per centsuccess rate. As mentioned earlier, theMaverick has a modular design, withTV lock-on for the AGM-65A/B/H,IIR (imaging infrared) for the AGM-65D/F/G, and laser spot-homing for theAGM-65E. A 57-kg shaped charge is

Fixed Wing AircraftThis section deals with the principal anti-armour weapon systems, begin-ning with guided missiles, designed to suit use by fixed-wing aircraft. Thisis followed by systems primarily designed for helicopters and finallyground-to-ground systems. As will become clear, there is considerable over-lap between these categories, due to the need to minimise developmentspending and the number of different weapons in any nations inventory.

The Ruag Mep is beingdeveloped to cleanly penetrate250 mm of reinforced concreteby sheer force and only then,explode, as seen in this high-speed camera sequence. (RuagMunition)

Many tanks have been killed by laser-guided bombs, exemplified here by aRaytheon Paveway II GBU-12 (Mk82), carried by an F-15E on a conformaltank pylon. (Armada/RB)

The left-hand example ofthis array of 122 mmrockets presented by thisMi-35M at ILA-2002appears to represent thelaser-guided S-13Lversion. (Armada/RB).

Brimstone has a 0.3 kg precursor and a6.2 kg main charge and is effective againstall known and projected armour, includ-ing ceramic materials and two-layer ERA(explosive reactive armour).

Emphasis is placed on light weight:the Flight Refuelling reusable launcherwith three rounds weighs only 235 kg,and goes on a pylon that would nor-mally carry a single Maverick.The stan-dard load for the Typhoon, Harrier orTornado is four triple launchers, butwithout external fuel these aircraft willbe able to carry a total of 18 Brim-stones. (Whether Brimstone will actu-ally be applied to the Harrier remainsto be seen).

Since the Hellfire was designed for a220-km/hr helicopter, considerableredesign was necessary to suit carriageon fixed-wing combat aircraft.Althoughthe external shape is similar, very littleof the original missile remains. The Ale-nia Marconi Systems active 94 GHzradar (replacing the passive laser seekerof Hellfire) also controls missile altitudeand provides terrain avoidance. Makingapproximately 35 radar cuts per vehi-cle, the Brimstone automatically recog-

diving into the ground). A salvo of mis-siles can be told to fan out and search. Ifthe launch aircraft has Link 16, target co-ordinates can be inserted into the missiledirectly from external sources such asthe Jstars aircraft. If the Brimstone isfired from above its normal 500 ft cruisealtitude, it will dive until it detects theground. If its radar is jammed after it hasdetected its target, it will continue tonavigate on memory.

The final ground firing of Brimstonewas carried out in June 2001, and pro-duction acceptance flight trials with fourtriple releases (following weapon evalu-ation trials with six single and two triplefirings) are due to be completed shortly.

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(Black Mamba) is being developed forthe Rooivalk helicopter and is also tobe qualified on a ground vehicle forexport purposes. It was hoped to suc-cessfully market this weapon as anoption for the Tiger helicopter, but thequalification of Hellfire on the Tiger forAustralia now makes this less likely.Upgrades with millimetre-wave or IIRguidance are planned.

The tube-launched laser beam-ridingKBP 9M121M Vikhr-M (AT-16) isbelieved to be a derivative of the 9M120Ataka (AT-9) series, combining a peakspeed of around Mach 2.35 with a rangeof 10,000 metres. Unlike the Hellfire, theVikhr is designed to be used from bothrotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. Beam-riding suggests that it cannot be used inan indirect-fire mode, but it may have alaser seeker in the nose. Its warhead isdescribed as combining shaped-chargewith blast and fragmentation effects.However, the Vikhrs slender body(approximately 130 mm, compared to178 mm for Hellfire and Mokopa) sug-gests that its armour penetration is more

limited. It is said to penetrate 900 to1000 mm of armour behind ERA.

Trigat-LR

Another relatively long-range helicop-ter-launched anti-armour missile is theMBDA Trigat-LR, which employs imag-ing infrared guidance for fire-and-forgetcapability. However, the only potentialcustomer in prospect appears to be theGerman Army, which may possibly use iton the Tiger. France will definitely notbuy it before 2008, and a rumoured unitprice of around 500,000 will notencourage exports. The Trigat-LR maysee ground vehicle-launched applica-tions.A project calls for a telescopic plat-form that could hoist up several launch-

wire-guided Euromissile Hot, whichhas already gone through several stagesof development, notably with the Hot-2T, which introduced a telescopic pre-cursor charge.

Tow

The Hot currently provides somewhatmore range than the Raytheon BGM-71 Tow, but this deficiency is being rec-tified (at least in the case of the top-attack Tow-2B) by the introduction of aless blunt nose and more guidance wire,which increases the maximum rangefrom 3750 to 4500 metres. Flight trialsof this Tow Extended Range beganearly this year.Whether the same rangecan be achieved with the direct-attack

Looking like a central heatingduct, the supersonic laser beam-riding KBP Vikhr-K seen here atEurosatory 2000 has now beensuperseded by the Vikhr-M.(Armada/RB).

Exhibited by Israel Aircraft Industries at the Paris Air Show of 1999, thisupgraded Mi-24 carried KBM Ataka missiles outboard and Rafael Spikemissiles on the mid-span pylon. (Armada/RB).

Tow-2A (the telescopic nose of whichcomplicates aerodynamic improve-ments) remains to be seen. Switzer-lands Ruag Munition manufactures animproved warhead for the Swiss Armyversion of the Tow-2A, known as theTow WH96, and Miltec produced thesafety and arming system under Amer-ican licence.

Raytheons current emphasis is onenhancing the effectiveness of the Towby means of the Itas (Improved TargetAcquisition System), which allows tar-get detection and identification rangesto be increased by factors of four andtwo respectively. The next majoradvance will be provided by the radio-guided Tow RF, which will overcomethe limitations imposed by the guid-ance wires of the existing system.Raytheon uses the term Next Genera-tion Tow to apply to both the TowExtended Range and the Tow RF. TheTow series is in use in over 45 countries.

Common Missile

In the longer term both the Tow and theHellfire are to be superseded in the USArmy inventory by the new CommonMissile, which is now in the pre-EMD(Engineering and ManufacturingDevelopment) phase and is being com-peted by a Boeing/Northrop Grummanteam, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

ers and the thermal sights enabling thevehicle to remain concealed behind man-made or natural obstacles.

Spike-ER

An alternative to the Trigat-LR is theIsraeli Rafael Spike-ER, which is beingpromoted in Germany by the Eurospikeconsortium, combining Rafael withRheinmetall, Diehl and STN Atlas. Pre-viously referred to as the NT-D (Nun Tet Dandy), it is a larger version of theSpike/Gill family, with a range of sixkilometres, a fibre-optic link and thechoice of CCD or IIR seekers.

Hot

Instead of using the Trigat-LR, theFrench Army will continue with the

The Common Missile is scheduled to enter the SDD phase in late 2003,followed by first flight in 2006, low-rate initial production in 2007 and serviceentry in FY2010. It should weigh around 32 kg and have a range of over12,000 metres. (Raytheon)

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The missile should provide improve-ments in range and time-of-flight andfeature a multi-mode (laser/imaginginfrared/mm wave) seeker allowinglock-on after launch, a mission-selec-table warhead and a controllable-thrust rocket motor. The key to con-trolling thrust may lie in the use of agelled propellant with metal additivesin a hydrocarbon fuel. This can bestored like a solid propellant, but whenunder pressure flows like a liquid, andis thus throttleable.

Shturm

Older long-range missile systemsinclude the supersonic (Mach 1.55)KBM 9M114 Shturm (AT-6), which hasradio saclos guidance, a range of 6000metres and entered service on the Mi-24 in 1976. Aside from being the firstsupersonic Soviet missile in this class, itwas innovative in flying well above theline-of-sight and diving on the target in

the last few hundred metres. Like allthe helicopter missiles discussed above,the Shturm can be fired from groundvehicles. In the mid-1990s it was pro-moted in 9P149 Shturm-S form, basedon an MT-LB tracked vehicle that car-ried twelve rounds.

The latest known variant for theShturm-V system used on the Ka-29 andMi-24 appears to be the 9M120 Ataka-V(AT-9), which was promoted atEurosatory 2000 by the Kovrov Mechan-ical Plant. Last June it was reported thatthe plant had been funded by RussiasDefence Ministry to restart productionof the 9M120, to replace rounds used inChechnya. Production had stopped inthe early 1990s due to lack of funds, butthe 9M120 is used on Mi-24/35 upgradesand the Mi-28 family.

South Africas Kentron Ingwe(Leopard) is a Tow-class laser beam-riding missile with a maximum range of5000 metres. For export customers, ithas been cleared for use on the Mi-24

(presumably for Algeria) and one typeof ground vehicle.

Medium Ranges - Malyutka

Offering half the range of the Shturm/Ataka series, the saclos wire-guidedKBM 9M14 Malyutka (Baby) or AT-3,which entered service in 1961, is still beingupgraded. The Mayutka-2 used on heli-copters such as the Mi-17 has a heaviertandem warhead and an improved rocketmotor, giving a reduced time-of-flight. Inground-based form it is used with theLomo Lcem (Land Control EquipmentModule), which reduces its field of viewto suit the distance to the target, minimis-ing susceptibility to countermeasures.The Lcem also detects the rotation of themissile by means of its two base-mountedflares, thus ignoring simple decoys. TheMayutka M2T is a joint development byRomanias Arsenalul Armatei andEuromissile,substituting the tandem war-head from the Milan 2T.

Ground Vehicle Systems

One way to deal with armoured formations close to the front line is todispense submunitions from artillery rockets.

Atacms

Lockheed Martin Missiles and FireControl is responsible for the designand manufacture of the MLRS (Multi-ple Launch Rocket System), in whichthe M270 tracked vehicle fires twelveM26 or two Atacms (Army TacticalMissile System) rockets. During DesertStorm, 32 Atacms and over 10,000M26s were fired. The MLRS is nowfielded in 14 countries.

The baseline M26 delivers 644 dual-purpose M77 grenades over 32 km,while the extended-range M26A1/2carries 518 over 45 km. The German-manufactured AT2 version dispenses28 anti-tank mines. The Atacms BlockI delivers 644 dual-purpose M74 sub-munitions to a maximum range of 165km, while the Block IA has GPS guid-ance and carries 300 M74s for 300 km,and the Block II takes 13 NorthropGrumman Bat anti-armour submuni-tions to 140 km. In principle, theAtacms Universal Dispenser can dealwith other submunition loads, such asfour Locaas, eight BLU-108s or 32Sadarms. The latest vehicle in theMLRS family is the Himars (HighMobility Artillery Rocket System),

which mounts six M26-series rocketsor one Atacms missile on the FMTVfive-ton truck, which can then be trans-ported in a C-130. The even lighterLimaws is planned for service entrysometime in 2006.

The Bat is the responsibility of theElectronic Systems division ofNorthrop Grumman and in its baselineform employs a combination of passiveacoustic and imaging infrared seekersto detect and home on to movingarmoured targets. It is currently in thelow production phase for the US Army.The P3I Bat will add an advanced mil-limetre-wave radar and an improvedimaging infrared sensor to expand thetarget set to include stationary and coldvehicles, including Sam and Scud-typelaunchers as well as artillery rocket sys-tems. Tests from a helicopter haverecently demonstrated the feasibility ofreleasing the Bat from a UAV such asPredator using a Bat UAV ejectiontube (Buet).

Future development potential forMLRS includes the use of later pay-loads, notably the Lam (LoiteringAttack Munition) being developed forthe NetFires system, which is discussedlater in this report.

Smerch

Russias equivalent of MLRS is the 12-tube Smerch system, mounted on the9A52-2 8 x 8 combat vehicle. It fires the300 mm 9M55 family of rockets for adistance of up to 70 km. The 800 kg9M55K1 weighs 800 kg and carries fivetop-attack anti-armour submunitions,each weighing 15 kg and equipped witha two-band IR seeker.The 9M55K4 dis-penses 25 anti-tank mines, each weigh-ing 4.85 kg.

Khrizantema

The KBM Khrizantema system ismounted on the BMP-3 tracked ICV

The Russian Smerch multiplerocket launcher system picturedhere at an Idex exhibition in AbuDhabi rests on a 9A52-2 carrier.The full complement of twelverockets can be launched in under40 seconds. (Armada/EHB)

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(infantry combat vehicle) chassis, whichhouses a retractable fire control radarand 15 supersonic missiles in expend-able tubes.The missiles are extended ona two-round launcher, which, after fir-ing, is retracted to be automaticallyreloaded. Two targets can be engagedsimultaneously, one missile using mil-limetre-wave radar guidance and theother laser beam-riding.

Losat

The trend to more easily deployed sys-tems is illustrated by the LockheedMartin Losat (Line-Of-Sight Anti-Tank), which is based on an air-mobile,up-armoured Hummer chassis. It has acrew of three and is equipped with asecond-generation flir/video sensorand four Kinetic Energy Missiles(Kem) that can defeat all projectedarmoured fighting vehicles and canout-range tank guns. Eight reloads canbe carried on a trailer.The Kem weighs80 kg and houses a long rod penetrator.It has a maximum speed of Mach 4.5and a range of over 4000 metres. Themissile follows a lofted delivery to keepits exhaust plume above the line-of-sight, and it receives target positionupdates from the launch vehicle bymeans of a laser beam.

The Losat vehicle weighs approxi-mately 5.5 tonnes and can be reloaded inless than ten minutes using an on-boardmateriel-handling system. Last AugustLockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Con-trol received an initial $ 9.3 million production contract for 108 Kems. Thecompany is already producing 44 mis-siles and 13 fire units under the ACTD(advanced concept technology demon-stration) programme, and it is plannedthat, in an emergency, a company of theUS Armys 5-11th Parachute InfantryRegiment could go to war with twelveLosat fire units in 2004. The US Armyeventually hopes to acquire 172 morefire units and around 1600 missiles.

Lockheed Martin has studied the use ofKems on a modified LAV III chassis,which would carry eight rounds exter-nally and eight reloads internally.

Ckem

The US Army also has a programme fora lighter (23 kg) but faster (Mach 6.5)Compact Kinetic Energy Missile with arange of 5000 metres to act as the primary direct-fire anti-armourweapon for the Future Combat System(FCS). The concept definition and risk-reduction phases are being competed byLockheed Martin, Raytheon and a teamcombining Northrop Grumman and Mil-tec. The SDD phase is expected to last

from late FY2003 to late FY2007, leadingto deliveries in FY2008. On 6 August2002, a ballistic test firing of RaytheonsHypervelocity Anti-Tank Missile (Hatm)took place in Norway. The Hatm isdesigned for compatibility with existingTow launch systems, of which the USArmy and Marine Corps have more than6000. The firing was carried out from aprototype of the Raytheon UniversalLauncher, equipped with the Itas andmounted on a Hummer.

It may be explained that, as currentlyplanned, the FCS is to consist of up to 20different manned and unmanned groundand airborne platforms.The ground vehi-cles will weigh 16 to 20 tonnes, and thusbe transportable in a C-130 or its replace-ment. The concept technology demon-stration phase is being conducted byBoeing teamed with SAIC. The decisionto go ahead is scheduled for 2003, whichwill lead to the first unit being equippedin 2008 and deployed in 2010.

Aside from the Ckem, the other mis-sile element of the FCS is the NetFires,which, funded by the Darpa, will provideindirect fire support. The NetFiresinvolves the remote control of contain-er/launcher units (CLUs) of low-cost,vertically launched precision and loiter-ing attack missiles (Pam and Lam), eachweighing around 45 kg.The CLUs wouldbe dispensed across the battlefield fromground and airborne vehicles. The Lamis envisaged as a turbojet-powered, can-ister-launched, swing-wing Ucav with aloiter time of around 45 minutes, a rangeof over 250 km, a dual-mode (laser/ladar) seeker for surveillance/ recon-naissance duties and a multi-mode war-head. The first flight of a Raytheon Lamtook place on 17 June 2002.

The Pam will be more like a conven-tional missile in configuration, with anuncooled IR seeker and a variable-thrustrocket motor. It would carry out long-range (50 km) precision attacks againstarmoured targets such as tanks and com-mand and control vehicles. Both missilesand launcher should have been demon-strated by the second quarter of 2004.

Caught in the act,the LockheedMartin Line-Of-Sight-Anti-Tank(Losat) sports fourkinetic energymissiles that out-range tank guns,which is a goodidea since thereis nought but anup-armouredHummer chassisto protect theinstigators.(Lockheed Martin)

It may be explained that,as currently planned, the

FCS is to consist of up to 20different manned andunmanned ground andairborne platforms.

The KBM Khrizan-tema-C is described as a multiple-purposemissile as, apart fromreactive armour-protected vehicles, itcan defeat ships, lowflying targets andshelters. The system isseen here in twin-launcher guise on aBMP at the Maks show in 2001.(Armada/EHB)

Complete Guide


Tank Barrel-launchedSystemsRussia, then the Soviet Union, has largely pioneered the firing of missilesfrom within a tank, in other words, by using the main armament of thevehicle itself, the turreted barrel. The concept has since been applied byIsrael and now guided missiles are also fired from existing howitzers.

T he US Armys laser spot-homing155 mm Lockheed Martin Copper-head artillery round was cancelledin 1990, but its development may haveencouraged Russias work on the 2K24Santimetr (Centimetre) system, which,entering service in the 1980s, fired the152 mm 30F38 projectile.

Krasnopol

KBP has since developed the 120/122mm Kitilov-2/-2M and the 152 mmKrasnopol, which has a range of 22 km.The smaller guidance components ofthe Kitilov were then applied to thelarger round, producing the Krasnopol-M, which can be fitted with larger driv-ing bands to suit Western 155 mm guns.KBP has also developed 100, 115 and125 mm laser-guided rounds for tankguns, and is working with Diehl andKrauss Maffei Wegmann (KMW) onthe 105 mm Spear round.

Term-KE

The most important guided tank roundin the near term may well be the 120 mm Alliant Techsystems XM1007Term-KE (Tank Extended-Range

Munition-Kinetic Energy), a rocket-assisted munition with active millime-tre-wave radar guidance and a long-rodpenetrator. Nose-mounted thrustersprovide control in the terminal phase.A 105 mm derivative has been pro-posed for the FCS.ATK is also assistingLockheed Martin in a competition withRaytheon to develop the Mraas (Multi-Role Armament and Ammunition Sys-tem) for the US Armys Block 2 FCS.The Mraas ammunition suite will con-sist of three types: anti-armour, guidedmedium-range and guided extended-range.

Smart

Large calibre artillery rounds providethe possibility of killing two or moretanks with a single shot, by dispensingsubmunitions. The Sadarm programmefrom ATK and the Aerojet ElectronicSystems Division of GenCorp. appearsto be dead, and ATK is now promoting

the Giws (Rheinmetall/Diehl) 155 mmSmart (Sensor-fuzed Munition forArtillery), which delivers two para-chute-equipped submunitions withEFP warheads, in this case with anMMW/IIR and radiometer sensor sys-tem. The Smart has been described asthe worlds only gun-fired, tri-modesensor, 155 mm smart submunition cur-rently in production. Approximately9000 are on order for the GermanArmy for use from its PzH 2000, andthese shells have also been ordered byGreece and Switzerland.

Excalibur

Raytheon, in a partnership with PrimexTechnologies, is responsible for the 155 mm XM982 Excalibur, which hasGPS/INS navigation, a variety of war-loads and a range of up to 50 km. Initialdeliveries to the US Army and USMarine Corps are due to begin in 2005,leading to IOC (initial operationalcapability) in 2006.

Bonus

Another cargo round is theBofors/Giat 155 mm Bonus, which hastwo submunitions with metal wingsthat produce both retardation and rota-tion. A multi-band infrared sensor byIntertechnique triggers an EFP war-head. The range of the base-bleedBonus shell is 34 km, but the Giat Peli-can is expected to carry five of thesesubmunitions to more than 80 km.

The Bonus 155 mm artilleryround, developed by GiatIndustries and Bofors, dispensestwo submunitions with metalwings and IR sensors byIntertechnique. (Armada/RB)

Guided Mortar Bombs Russia appears to have led in the operational use of laser-guided mortarbombs, with the 240 mm 1K113 Smelchak (Braveheart) system, whichwas employed in Afghanistan in the 1980s. However, the trend is nowgathering momentum in the western world.

Gran

The KBP-designed Gran 120 mm guid-ed mortar round made its Westerndebut at Eurosatory 2000. It provides amaximum firing range of 9000 metres,although the 1D20 laser ranger/desig-nator (which is also used for theKrasnopol/Kitilov guided artilleryrounds) has a designation range of only7000 metres if the target is stationaryand 5000 metres if it is moving.A firingrate of over two rounds/min can beachieved, and the system can engagetargets 300 metres apart withoutadjustment to the mortar.

Strix

The Swedish Army ordered the SaabBofors Dynamics Strix in 1991, aninfrared-homing mortar round with arange of 5000 metres, although this canbe extended to 7000 metres through theaddition of a sustainer motor. Missiletrajectory correction takes place in theterminal diving phase, with the seekersending firing commands to a crown ofsmall reactive charges convenientlylocated around the bodys centre ofgravity, displacing it laterally until theseeker sees the target centred in itsvirtual crosshairs.

Complete Guide


PGMM

The 120 mm Lockheed Martin/DiehlXM395 PGMM (Precision GuidedMortar Munition) is a further develop-ment of the latter companys Bussardtechnology demonstrator, equippedwith an imaging infrared seeker andfour switchblade wings, which providean effective range of up to 15,000metres. The US Army plans to field thePGMM in 2006.

Russias equivalent of the Milanseries is the KBP-designed Metis-M, which has a range of 1500metres and is also available witha fuel-air explosive warhead.(Armada/RB)

Ground-based Missiles

The Euromissile Milan series entered service in 1974 and shortly aftersaw active use in Lebanon in 1996. The Milan is probably still the mostpopular man-portable anti-tank missile in the world and its concept hasbeen applied to many others, amongst which are more notably theSwedes and the Russians.

T he Milan may also be able to claima record for versatility as it hasbeen successfully used as an anti-personnel weapon (by the BritishArmy in the Falklands) and missilelauncher destroyer (with the SAS inIraq). It is also know to have been usedin anti-aircraft skirmishes (during theIran-Iraq war) and a Belgian Armyfired round is reported to have sunk aboat in the Persian Gulf. Interestingly,versatility is also a virtue sought byother manufacturers, like Bofors withthe Bill 2. However, this has a price anda number of forces around the worldare now wondering how targets of vary-ing natures can be treated economical-ly since the tank no longer appears tobe a priority target in the new worldorder (see What Next? page 42).

Milan

The original Milan was followed in1984 by the Milan 2, which boasted anincreased diameter warhead, and in1991 by the tandem charge Milan 2T.The Milan 3, with a coded xenon bea-con, providing increased protectionagainst countermeasures, followed in1995. It is used in conjunction with theSagem Milis thermal sight, which candetect targets at up to 4000 metres innight operations. More than 330,000Milan rounds and 10,000 firing unitshave been produced for 43 countries.There is a project in Germany theMilan AJ, which probably has atweaked hollow charge to increase itspenetration capability to the equiva-lent of 1000 millimetres of RHA.

Trigan

It was planned that the Milan serieswould be superseded by the laserbeam-riding, top-attack MBDA Trigat-MR, but this programme was aban-doned in 2000. Instead, a Trigan I in theform of a less expensive wire-guidedversion of the Trigat-MR missile will befired from a modified Milan firing post,which has been lightened and fittedwith an improved sighting system. Thelater Trigan II with a more effectivewarhead and fibre-optic guidancebased on a nose-mounted IIR seeker, isintended to enter service between 2010and 2015, and may well be approved forlonger ranges than its predecessors2500 metres. However, the Trigan proj-ect is now currently in the doldrums, noone in Europe being willing to commitany funding to a programme of this

nature as usual, as one could betempted to say.

Metis-M

Russias equivalent of the Milan is theKBP-designed 9M131 Metis-M, whichis likewise available with a thermalimaging sight. The Metis-M employstwo types of warhead: a tandemshaped-charge, and a fuel-air explosive(FAE) device. The containerised mis-sile weighs 13.8 kg and has a range of1500 metres, but the same launcher canalso be used with the much lighter (6.3kg) 9M115 Metis (Mongrel) missile to arange of 1000 metres. The older missilehalves the minimum firing range of theMetis-M to 40 metres.

Kornet-E

Russias competitor to the Trigat-MR(and its substitutes) is the laser beam-riding KBP 9M129 Kornet-E, which hasa maximum range of 3500 metres atnight and 5500 metres by day. Like theMetis-M, it is available with either a tan-dem or FAE warhead. The latest litera-ture shows the Kornet-E installed on aBMP-3 chassis (with 16 rounds), a BTR-80 (twelve rounds) and a Humvee (ninerounds). Such marketing may beencouraging Raytheon to extend the fir-ing range of the Tow series.

Spike

The Rafael Gill/Spike family is used inlofted trajectories for top attacks atranges up to 4000 metres. The baselineGill, now renamed Spike-MR, is a 2500metre fire-and-forget missile, using aCCD/IIR dual-mode auto-tracking sys-tem. The longer range Spike, recentlyredesignated Spike-LR, can be used inthe same way, but it also transmitsimagery back to the launch station via

The KBP-designed Kornet-E is alaser beam-riding missile with aneffective range of 5500 metres indaylight, reducing to 3500metres at night. (Armada/RB)

Russia leads in the use of laser-guided mortar bombs,exemplified here by the KBP-designed Gran 120 mm, whichmade its Western debut atEurosatory 2000. (Armada/RB)

Complete Guide


an optical fibre, allowing the operatorto make corrections to the flight path. Itcan also be used in a non line-of-sightmode. The Spike-LR is in service withthe forces of Israel and Singapore andhas been ordered by Finland and theNetherlands.

Bill 2

One of the most sophisticated systemsin this category is the saclos wire-guid-ed Saab Bofors Dynamics Bill 2, whichis basically an overflight missile but canalso be employed in a direct attackagainst an unarmoured target as well asan overflight anti-personnel weapon.The missile is normally commanded tofly 1.05 metres above the line-of-sightand is equipped with downward-look-

ing optical (laser-ranging) and magnet-ic sensors to determine when it over-flies a tank. An impact fuze is providedfor direct attacks.The round carries twodownward-firing warheads, one ofwhich is tilted from the vertical to com-pensate for the velocity of the missile,so that the whole length of the secondjet passes through the same spot on thesurface of the target after the first onehas blown up the ERA if there was any.Maximum firing range of the Bill 2 is2000 metres.

Javelin

The Javelin is a joint project byRaytheon and Lockheed Martin andworks in basically the same way as theRafael Gill/Spike-MR, with an IIRseeker providing lock-on prior tolaunch followed by a lofted trajectoryfor a top attack. Maximum range is2500 metres, benefiting from thesmoke-piercing capability of the longwavelength used in the staring focalplane array. Minimum range is given inunclassified leaflets as 65 metres, butthe true figure appears to be classified.A soft launch allows for firings frominside buildings. In tests of more than800 rounds, over 85 per cent of tank hitshave been on the turret, and over 90 percent of all tanks hit have been killed.

Production of the Javelin began inJune 1994, leading to service entry withthe US Army in 1996 and with the MarineCorps in 1999. Both services have

The Spike missile family uses aCCD/IIR dual-mode auto-trackingsystem that is either locked on tothe target before launch, orcontrolled via an optical fibre.(Armada/RB)

The Saab Bofors Dynamics Bill 2is an overflight missile systemwith a laser-ranger and magneticsensor to detect the tank and firetwo downward-directedwarheads. (Bofors)

deployed the missile to Afghanistan,where the thermal imager of its commandlaunch unit (CLU) has become the pri-mary surveillance device for light forces.By the middle of 2002, over 5000 rounds(of 21,000 ordered) had been delivered.In 2001, Jordan, Lithuania and an unspec-ified third nation selected the Javelin.More recently, Taiwan is to have joinedthe list of customers. An announcementby Britain (where it is competing with theRafael Spike-LR promoted by MBDA) isexpected by early 2003.

Drones

Although this now appears to be stating the obvious today, mentioningthe use of drones as armour attack platforms invariably made one looksuspiciously insane only a few years ago.

The Lockheed Martin/RaytheonAirborne Javelin was unveiled atEurosatory 2002 alongside theSagem Sperwer-LE UAV, whichwould carry two rounds.(Armada/RB)

R ecently, (on 3 November) a Hell-fire-equipped Aeronautical Sys-tems Predator was reported tohave successfully destroyed a vehiclethat carried a prominent al-Qaedaleader in Yemen. No details have beenofficially released since this operationwas carried out by the CIA.The Preda-tor can carry two AGM-114s.

Other armed drone developmentsinclude fitting them with Bats.Northrop Grumman, the manufacturerof the Bat smart munition, is currentlyengaged in this project, having devel-oped an ejection device called the Buet(Bat UAV ejection tube) for both thePredator and the Hunter. Sponsored by

the Air Forces UAV Battlelab, a bat-tery of tests at Eglin Air Force Base inFlorida from a UH-1N helicopterequipped with a special rack haverecently demonstrated the feasibility ofreleasing the Bat from a UAV. In addi-tion, by the time these lines will be pub-lished the US Army and NorthropGrumman should have completed sim-ilar tests at White Sands to prove thefeasibility of launching Bat munitionsfrom a Hunter.

The trend seems to be catching on inEurope as would seem to testify thepresence of the new airborne Javelin atEurosatory 2002 alongside a SagemSperwer.

Complete Guide


Eryx

The first of the third-generation ofshoulder-launched anti-armour mis-siles, suitable for very short-rangeurban warfare, was probably the sacloswire-guided MBDA Eryx, of whichover 50,000 have now been sold. Cus-tomers include Brazil, Canada, France,Malaysia and Norway. The Eryx has a136 mm diameter and tandem shapedcharges, with the main warhead locatedin the rear of the body, hence the rock-et motor is centrally placed, exhaustingthrough angled nozzles with jet deflec-tors for control. For night operationsthe Mirabel sight is clipped to thelauncher; for longer-range engage-ments (300 to 600 metres) the use of atripod is mandatory.Another feature ofthe Eryx is that it can be fired from con-fined spaces through a soft launch.

MBT Law

The Saab Bofors Dynamics MBT Law isa slightly lighter fire-and-forget system,in which the operator tracks the targetfor two or three seconds prior to firing,the measured sightline spin-rate tellingthe missile where to go to overfly the tar-get. It thus may not be regarded as a guid-ed missile in the conventional sense.

The MBT Law can also be used in adirect attack mode, using an impactfuze. Warhead calibre is 115 mm, andmaximum range is 600 metres. The sys-tem has been selected for acquisitionby the British and Swedish armies. Foruse by the British Army, final assemblywill be performed by Thales AirDefence in Belfast.

The principal competitor to MBTLaw in Britain was a derivative of theLockheed Martin Predator, an inertially

Armour behind the battlefrontmay be attacked by UCAVs suchas the STN Atlas Taifun, of whichthe shaped-charge warhead isshown here in cut-away form.(Armada/RB)

Shoulder-launched, GuidedWhile shoulder launched, bazooka-like weapons have been in use forover half a century, the novelty is to make these guided, as indeed tanksand now even wheeled armoured vehicles have the ability to move cross-country at quite high speeds.

Unguided Missiles

As said in the previous introduction, unguided rocket launched weapons,often called recoilless guns, have been around for a while. However, dueto their restricted calibres they cannot be regarded stricto sensu as anti-tank weapons, but rather as anti-light armoured vehicle armament.

guided, top attack, fire-and-forget missilewith an EFP warhead and jet reactioncontrols. The British-tailored versionknown as the Kestrel with a direct attackmode was proposed by MBDA.

Rafael is now developing a short-range version of the Spike series(Spike-SR) to compete with missilessuch as the Eryx and the Predator.

A s we shall see, they have come along way from the bazooka andcan incorporate a number of fea-tures, not the least being sophisticatedaiming and sighting systems. Due totheir sheer number it will not be possi-ble to examine all types here. Howevercoverage is given of the most recentdevelopments

Alcotan 100

Developed by Instalaza in Spain, theAlcotan 100 is probably the latestweapon to have entered this category,having been Stanag and Mil-STD type-certified by the Spanish Ministry ofDefence in September 2002.

Armada has recently received con-firmation that a first batch has beenordered in mid-2002 by the Spanish

Army and deliveries are to have begunin late November 2002.

As its name suggests, this is a 100 mmwarhead calibre weapon. It almost goeswithout saying with a new-generation

weapon of this sort, the Alcotan 100 canbe fired from confined spaces thanks toits Davis principle counter mass. Its rock-et motor enables it to have a constantspeed to a range of 600 metres.This is animportant feature because of another ofthe Alcotan 100s very important charac-teristics its sighting system. It has beendesignated Vosel, and apart from it beingequipped with a laser rangefinder, thissight incorporates a three-axisaccelerometer which achieves a goal thatis somewhat similar to that of theSwedish MBT Law i.e. hit a transverse-ly moving target but in a different man-ner, since it does not involve steering theprojectile itself: the operator keeps thetarget in the cross-hairs and the angle

The Panzerfaust seen here is equipped with the new Mep concrete penetratorwarhead being developed by Ruag Munition. (Armada/EHB)

Complete Guide


rates are recorded by the accelerometersand, without the operator even noticingit, presents him with a corrected aimingpoint. In other words, the projectile isautomatically fired in the directionwhere the vehicle will be at time ofimpact, as determined by the rangefind-er.The Alcotan will be available with dif-ferent warheads, one of them beingdeveloped by Ruag Munition.

AT4CS

Son of the ubiquitous Bofors AT4, theAT4CS is the penultimate version ofthis 300-metre range Swedish weapon -the new suffix standing for confinedspace, meaning Davis. The very latestversion ads a T to the suffix, signifyingtandem-charge. The AT4 is an 84 mmcalibre one-shot weapon that wasdeveloped in the wake of the renownedCarl Gustaf. It uses a disposable glass-fibre launch tube and is manufacturedin the Unites States by ATK. The USArmy has ordered well over 600,000units, but it has also been exported toDenmark, the Netherlands and Brazil.It is also in service in Sweden, of course.

Carl Gustaf

This Bofors veteran might look com-pletely out of place in a modern weaponsurvey. However, if the name is old, thewarheads are not, having been in con-

stant development at the Karlskogaworks.This loadable 84 mm gun can firea wide variety of charges, like the Heat781 with a precursor, which is capable ofredesigning 425 mm of ERA-protectedarmour at a range of over 500 metresafter travelling through bushes (havinga bush safety fuze), the Heat 551 whichwill penetrate over 400 mm of armour ata range of 700 metres, the HE441Bwhich can be fuzed to either burst in theair or into soft targets. Smoke and illu-mination rounds are also available, butperhaps the most interesting of the stackis the HEDP 502 munition; devised forurban warfare this dual-purpose, fin-stabilised munition is fuzed for impactor delayed action simply depending onwhich way the round is loaded into thegun, in other words whether the whitedotted line painted on the body is facingupwards or downwards a gracefulembodiment of simplicity itself. Armingrange is as short as 15 metres.

Shipon

The Shipon, from Israel Military Indus-tries, on the other hand, uses a dispen-sable composite material canister theonly reusable part being the 2.5 kg firecontrol system.The total system weighs9.5 kg and comes with two warheads:a dual anti-tank/anti-bunker tandemwarhead which is able to penetrate 800 mm of armoured steel or 500 mm ofreinforced concrete (precursor diame-

ter unknown, main 100 mm); and a dualmode anti-bunker/anti-personnel muni-tion with a reinforced concrete pene-tration capability of 300 mm and a fol-low-through charge that explodesinside the building thereafter (both 100 mm calibre). If the anti-personnelmode is selected, warheads separateand explode above the target area. Thelatter charge is a development of the 84 mm warhead used by the B300.

Panzerfaust

This is another die-hard weapon, fromGermanys Dynamit Nobel, but whichbares little resemblance to its initialmodels. The Panzerfaust 3 is alsoreusable, has a Davis counter-mass sys-tem, but the oddity of the design is thatthe warhead hangs outside the launchtube enabling out-of-calibre warheadsto be fitted. The ultimate version is the3-T 600, which carries an integral laserrangefinder and a computerised sight-ing system into which wind speed canbe entered for corrective aiming. Nowthe Panzerfaust is being given a verynasty effectiveness for urban warfarethrough the new warhead developed byRuag Munition (see the Warhead Tech-nology section). Unlike the tandemhollow charge follow-through grenadedesign of the Bunkerfaust, this roundwill penetrate cleanly into 25 cm of sollid concrete to explode inside thebuilding. a

The Instalaza Alcotan 100sVosel fire control system enablesthe missile to be automaticallyaimed at the predicted point ofimpact. (Instalaza)

Volume 26, No. 6, December/January 2002/2003

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The Shipon is in an advanced stage of development. IMI awaits a launchcustomer to complete the full-scale development that could be completed inabout 18 months. IMI, however, is working on a Shipon 2 but the programmeis highly classified which gives one every reason to believe thatdevelopment is customer-funded. (Armada/EHB)

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Complete Guide


AFDS & Msov

Other submunition dispensers includethe Eads AFDS (Autonomous Free-flight Dispenser System), a lifting bodywith stub wings that provide a range ofaround 10 km from low-level release and20 km from altitude.The AFDS was orig-inally fitted with only inertial guidance,but (as in the case of the DWS24/39 soldto Sweden) is now also available withGPS.The Israel Military Industries Msov(Modular Stand-Off Vehicle) is a swing-

wing glide dispenser with GPS/INS nav-igation and a variety of submunitions.Maximum range is 100 km.

Jsow

The somewhat more refined shape ofthe Raytheon AGM-154 Jsow (JointStand-Off Weapon) provides a range ofup to 130 km. Combined GPS/INS nav-igation is used. Development of thededicated anti-armour AGM-154Bwith six P3I BLU-108 submunitionsfrom the SFW has been completed, andthe US Navy may purchase it at a laterstage. Meanwhile, the baseline AGM-154A with 145 BLU-97 CEBs is inseries production and provides somecapability against lightly armouredvehicles.The US Air Force plans to buy3000 and the US Navy 8800.

Locaas

One of the most advanced submuni-tions is the Lockheed Martin Missilesand Fire Control Locaas (Low-CostAutonomous Attack System), a US AirForce project that is currently in theadvanced technology demonstration(ATD) phase. In essence, the Locaas isa swing-wing turbojet-powered missilecombining GPS/INS mid-course navi-gation with a ladar terminal seeker,automatic target recognition and a

multi-mode warhead by Alliant Tech-systems (ATK).This is basically an EFPwarhead, but it can also be made tofunction in a long-rod penetrationmode for close-in heavily armoured tar-gets, as an aerostable slug for longerstand-off distances or in a multi-frag-ment mode for softer targets. Unit pricefor the Locaas is expected to be approx-imately $ 33,000 in FY98 values. Ifdevelopment is successful, three Locaascould be carried in the Lockheed Mar-tin AGM-158 Jassm (Joint Air-SurfaceStand-off Missile), four in a TMD andten in the proposed Lodis dispenser.The Locaas could also be delivered bythe US Army MLRS (Multiple LaunchRocket System) or Atacms (Army Tac-tical Missile System).

The Lockheed Martin Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser(WCMD) tailkit allows arma-ments such as the Sensor-FuzedWeapon to be released frommedium and high altitudes.(Armada/RB)

The AGM-154A was first usedoperationally over Iraq inJanuary 1999. A turbojet-powered Jsow has been flighttested. (Armada/EHB)

Helicopter Armament

The French Army pioneered the use of missiles from helicopters during itsconflict in Algeria in the 1950s. From that moment, the rotary-wing air-craft became a must platform for anti-armour warfare throughout theworld.

Hellfire

Today, one of the most potent, but at 50kilograms also one of the heaviest, heli-copter-launched anti-armour weaponsis the supersonic, laser-homing Lock-heed Martin AGM-114K Hellfire II,which has a remarkably long range(over 8000 metres) and was recentlybeen selected by Australia to arm itsnew Tiger. It should be explained that,although originally developed by Rock-well, in May 1955 this programmebecame the responsibility of HellfireSystems (HSLLC), formed by what arenow Lockheed Martin and Boeing.However, in February 1999, without dis-solving HSLLC, work-shares were reas-signed, with Lockheed Martin assuming

total responsibility for future market-ing, producing, delivering and support-ing the Hellfire weapon system. HSLLCcontinues as the legal entity for salesand support of the system.

Lockheed Martin has so far pro-duced over 16,000 Hellfire IIs for theUS services and twelve internationalcustomers. Its light weight (45 kg)allows 16 Hellfires to be carried on theUS Marine Corps SuperCobra. The 49 kg AGM-114L Longbow Hellfireemploys millimetre-wave radar guid-ance and is the joint responsibility ofLockheed Martin and Northrop Grum-man.As in the case of the laser-homingversion, it can lock on to the targeteither before or after launch. Over13,000 are on order for use on the

AH-64D Apache Longbow by the USand British armies, and the 5000th wascompleted in March 2002.The RAH-66Comanche will use the AGM-114K andthe -114L. Lockheed Martin is currentlystudying a possible 49 kg IR Hellfire,which would have a 256 256 MCT(mercury-cadmium telluride) imagingseeker.

Mokopa and Vikhr

Two other long-range laser guided mis-siles are the Kentron (Denel) Mokopaand Russias KBP Vikhr. The Mokopa

The Kentron Mokopa is one ofthe latest helicopter-launchedmissiles to have entered the anti-bunker/tank scene.(Armada/RB)

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Complete Guide


fitted to the AGM-65A/B/D/H and a136-kg penetration/blast warhead armsthe AGM-65E/F/G/H/K. Completelynew Mavericks are not currently beingmanufactured, but US Air Force AGM-65Gs are being taken out of storage andre-equipped with CCD (charge-cou-pled device) seekers, giving three timesthe acquisition range of the first-gener-ation TV camera, the round then beingredesignated AGM-65K. The IIR seek-ers being removed are fitted to storedAGM-65As for international sales.

The RAF is buying AGM-65G2swith software modified to suit smallertargets, to fulfil a need established inKosovo for a missile that can attackbelow low cloud and with low risk ofcollateral damage. The US Navy isreportedly interested in Raytheonrestarting production of the AGM-65E(or modifying AGM-65Fs), possiblyusing the improved laser seeker fromthe Enhanced Paveway III LGB. Themanufacturer is also consideringadding a strap-on fuel tank and turbo-jet engine, to produce an extendedrange (ER) version with GPS/INS mid-course navigation and either the CCD-TV or IIR seeker for the terminalphase. Whether or not a turbine engineis introduced, it seems likely thatRaytheon will add a lock-on afterlaunch (Loal) facility, using the compa-nys new low-cost weapon data-link tocombine man-in-the-loop guidancewith an extended maximum range ofaround 40 km. The Loal concept wouldpermit internal carriage on aircraftsuch as the F-35, and would provide agood indication of likely damage to thetarget. All existing Mavericks arelocked on to the target before launchand used in a fire-and-forget mode.

Strela

In terms of operational employment,the Russian equivalent of the Maverickis probably the supersonic Zvezda-Strela Kh-25M (AS-10) series, exempli-fied by the laser-homing Kh-25ML, andthe more recent TV-guided Kh-25MTand IIR-guided Kh-25MTP. Zvezda-Strela is the core of Russias new Tacti-cal Missiles Corporation.

Guided Bombs

Although precision-guided munitions,laser-guided bombs for example, aregenerally discussed in relation to hardtargets, i.e. bridges and bunkers, evensmall bombs such as the 227 kg Mk 82can disable a main battle tank with adirect hit. In Raytheons series of LGBs(of which more than 40,000 have beenused in combat), the Mk 82 becomesthe GBU-12 in Paveway I and II forms,and the GBU-22 in Paveway III form.The GBU-22 weighs 326 kg and hasenlarged fins and a two-stage guidancesystem for longer standoff range, espe-cially from low-level delivery. ThePaveway II/III Enhanced adds a satel-lite/inertial guidance unit with two GPSantennas.

Other precision-guided bombsinclude the Rafael Pyramid glideweapon, which combines a Mk 82 war-head with a TV camera feedingimagery back to the launch aircraftover a data-link. The Elbit Opheremploys a low-cost IIR-homing termi-nal guidance kit and is to be used inconjunction with a modern weapon-aiming system on the aircraft.The ElbitLizard 3 LGB kit is claimed to be supe-rior to the Paveway II.

In its later (2007 delivery) form, theSagem AASM (Armement Air-SolModulaire) will provide precision(metre-class) accuracy for a 250 kg war-head such as the Mk 82, BLU-111 orCbems. In its most basic form theAASM is a guided bomb, but its modu-larity will allow the use of a range-extension kit and a rocket motor. TheFrench services have ordered a total of3000 units, of which half will be theday/night precision version (ratherthan the earlier all-weather ten-metreclass weapon).

There is a massive potential market for laser guidance kits to be added to 70 mm rockets. This APKWS (AdvancedPrecision Kill Weapon System) is proposed by Raytheon. (Armada/RB). The Raytheon document to the right, shows thegeneral layout of the rocket-become-missile.

One of the principal anti-armour dispensers is the Textron Systems CBU-97/BSensor-Fuzed Weapon, which carries ten BLU-108/B submunitions, each withfour Skeet warheads. (Armada/EHB)

Guided Rockets

One of the weapons traditionally usedby both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraftagainst armoured fighting vehicles isthe high velocity rocket. The mostwidely used calibre is probably 2.75inch (70 mm), although Russia has formany years employed the 57 mm S-5,which now appears to have been super-seded by the 80 mm S-8. It may benoted that at Berlins ILA-2002 theYak-130 and Mi-35M were both exhib-ited with five-round pods of 122 mm S-13 rockets, one of which appeared torepresent the laser-homing S-13L.

For a number of years the US Armyhas been interested in developing arange of guided missiles that can pene-trate armour by virtue of kinetic ener-gy, rather than relying on shapedcharges. One result is the AdvancedPrecision Kill Weapon System(APKWS), upgrading the M151 70 mmrocket with a laser guidance unit andaerodynamic controls. Although it will

For many years the USArmy has been interested in

developing a range ofguided missiles that can

penetrate armour by virtueof kinetic energy

Complete Guide


be suitable for use from fixed-wing air-craft and ground vehicles the, APKWSis intended primarily for helicopters.The ORD (operational requirementdocument) was approved in March2000, following which the service invit-ed Raytheon and BAE Systems (hav-ing private-ventured developments for

the Low-Cost Precision Kill technologydemonstration phase) to provide trialsexamples at their own expense byOctober 2002.The SDD (system devel-opment and demonstration) phase isdue to begin by January 2003, to allowLrip (low-rate initial production) tobegin in 2005.

268 PTAB-1M shaped charge war-heads, each weighing 0.94 kg and capa-ble of penetrating 240 mm of armour.The RBK-500U version houses 15Bazalt SPBE-D sensor-fuzed EFP war-heads, each weighing 14.5 kg andequipped with dual infrared sensors.The smaller RBK-250 can carry 30PTAB-2.5 shaped charge warheads,each weighing 2.8 kg.

Modern Russian helicopters, such asthe Mi-28 and Ka-50 series, can carryup to four KMG-U dispensers, eachweighing approximately 470 kg andtypically housing 96 PTAB-2.5s or 248PTAB-1Ms.

WCMD

Returning to Americas TMD-basedseries, the US Air Force is having up to40,000 fitted with Lockheed MartinWind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser(WCMD) inertial navigation tail kits,with a unit cost of approximately $ 9000. The original objective was toachieve an accuracy of 25 metres indrops from up to 40,000 feet, but therehave been reports that much betterresults have been achieved in tests. TheUS Air Force plans to buy a total of22,000 CBU-103s based on the CEM,5000 CBU-104s based on the Gator,and 4000 CBU-105s based on the SFW.The service is also considering the pur-chase of around 7500 examples of anextended-range version (WCMD-ER)with GPS navigation and folding wings,to reach out to 60 km.

Dispensers andSubmunitionsIn dealing with groups of armoured vehicles, some form of dispenser maybe employed to provide area coverage by means of a number of guidedor unguided submunitions.

The broad aims of the APKWS pro-gramme are to achieve an upgrade unitcost of less than $ 10,000, an accuracy of1.2 metres and a range of 6.0 km. It willbe inexpensive in comparison with the$ 80,000 Hellfire, but on the other handthe APKWS is intended only to destroylightly armoured targets.

S ubmunitions are thus calledbecause they are in effect clusters ofwarheads enclosed in various formsof frames. These can be air-launched dispensers, but also artillery shells orrockets, and now even drones.

CEB, SFW etc.

The basic American dispenser is the450-kg class Alliant Techsystems Tacti-cal Munitions Dispenser (TMD), whichcan be released at speeds from 370 to1300 km/hr, at heights from 200 to 40000 ft, at climb angles up to 30 degreesand in dive angles up to 60 degrees.

In SUU-64 form the TMD carries acombined total of 94 BLU-91/B anti-tankand BLU-92/B anti-personnel mines, andis known as the Gator weapon system,designated CBU-89/B by the US AirForce and CBU-78/B by the US Navy. InSUU-65 form with 202 BLU-97/B Com-bined Effects Bomblets (CEB) andoptional FZU-39/B proximity fuze, itbecomes the Alliant Techsystems CBU-87/B Combined Effects Munition(CEM). The CEB has a shaped charge, a

fragmenting case and a zirconium ring forincendiary effects. In SUU-66 form withten BLU-108/B submunitions, each withfour IR sensor-fuzed skeet EFP (explo-sively-formed projectile) warheads, theTMD becomes the CBU-97/B Sensor-Fuzed Weapon. Prime contractor for theSFW is Textron Systems.

In early 2001, following US Air Forceorders for 2700 baseline SFWs, full-rateproduction of the upgraded P3I SFW wasapproved. The P3I variant introduces amulti-faceted blast-fragmentation ringthat adds a shotgun effect against smaller,softer targets, and an improved radaraltimeter. The modified warhead allowsalmost twice the ground area to be cov-ered effectively. The P3I is estimated toprovide a 140 per cent improvement intargets killed for only a 20 per centincrease in cost (from $ 300,000 to around$ 360,000). The Air Force plans to buyover 300 P3Is annually until 2011.

Bazalt SPBE-D

The Russian equivalent of the TMD isthe Bazalt RBK-500, which can carry

The Bazalt SPBE-D sensor-fuzedwarhead is dispensed from theRBK-500U container, anddescends on a parachute, metalwings rotating it to scan theground with dual-band infraredsensor. (Armada/RB)

The Textron Systems BLU-108/B submunitionis retarded and spun, todeploy its Skeet war-heads, with IR sensorsto detect tanks and firetheir explosively-formedprojectiles. The frag-mentation crownmentioned in theWarhead Technologysection of this survey isclearly visible.(Armada/RB)

armada international 6-2002 - complete guide to anti-armour weapons

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