MILAN

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MILAN

MILAN 1 missile
Type Anti-tank
Place of origin  France
 Germany
Service history
In service since 1972- present
Used by 41 countries
Production history
Designed 1970s
Manufacturer MBDA, Bharat Dynamics (under license)
Produced 1972
Number built 350,000 missiles, 10,000 launchers
Variants MILAN 1, MILAN 2, MILAN 2T, MILAN 3, MILAN ER
Specifications
Weight 7.1 kg
Length 1.2 m
Diameter 0.125 m

Warhead tandem HEAT
Detonation
mechanism
contact

Engine solid-fuel rocket
Wingspan 0.26 m
Operational
range
400 - 2000 m
Flight ceiling -
Speed 200 m/s
Guidance
system
SACLOS wire
Steering
system
Thrust Vector
Launch
platform
Individual, Vehicle

MILAN (French: Missile d´infanterie léger antichar; English: Anti-Tank Light Infantry Missile, "milan" is French and German for "kite bird") is a European anti-tank guided missile. Design of the MILAN started in 1962. It was ready for trials in 1971, and was accepted for service in 1972. It is a wire guided SACLOS (Semi-Automatic Command to Line-Of-Sight) missile, which means the sight of the launch unit has to be aimed at the target to guide the missile. The MILAN can be equipped with a MIRA thermal sight, to give it night-firing ability.

Contents

[edit] History

MILAN is a French and German missile that has been license-built by the Italians, Spanish, British and Indians. As it is guided by wire by an operator, this missile can avoid most countermeasures (flares and chaffs). The drawbacks are its short range, the exposure of the operator, and that it requires a skilled and well-trained operator.

[edit] Warhead variants

  • MILAN: Single, Shaped Charge (1972)
  • MILAN 2: Single, Shaped Charge (1984)
  • MILAN 2T: Tandem, Shaped Charge (1993)
  • MILAN 3: Tandem, Shaped Charge (1996)
  • MILAN ER: Extended Range

The later MILAN models have tandem HEAT warheads. This was done to keep pace with developments in Soviet Armour technology. Soviet tanks began to appear with explosive reactive armor, which could defeat earlier ATGMs. The precursor HEAT warhead penetrates and detonates the ERA tiles, paving the way for the main charge to penetrate the armor behind.

[edit] Operators

[edit] Gallery

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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