Dynamit Noble MATADOR (Man-portable Anti-Tank, Anti-DOor)

History of Dynamite Noble MATADOR (portable anti-tank, anti-door)

The MATADOR shoulder-fired single-use anti-tank missile system was developed in the second half of the 1990s as a successor to the 1980s 67mm "crossbow" weapon (detailed elsewhere on this site) with the same role on the battlefield superior. West Germany first brought the crossbows and then sold their rights to Singapore Chartered Industries (CIS), which later became ST Kinetics.

The Matador is a jointly developed weapon by Germany, Singapore and Israel (with the participation of Dynamit Nobel Defence, the Defense Science and Technology Agency and Rafael Advanced Systems respectively) and focuses on a powerful 90mm projectile that is also effective against two moving armored targets More effective than fixed reinforcement structures. In this way, the MATADOR system can neutralize the threat of modern Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) and act as a "bunker breaker", taking a hard line against concrete walls.

Matador is also known as "Panzerfaust 90 (Pzf 90)" and "RGW 90". The MATADOR's name comes from the description "Portable, Anti-Tank, Anti-DOoR".

To keep up with the shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon systems seen elsewhere, the Matador relied on a disposable launch tube design, meaning it was essentially a ready-to-fire single-shot weapon for a single man Use infantry. It has an overall length of 3.2 feet, weighs 9 kg, and features an optical mount and an integrated trigger/pistol grip assembly.

Shoulder straps aid in the transport of weapons, allowing infantrymen to retain primary weapons.

As with the crossbow design shown earlier, the Matador's firing action uses a "balanced" method, where the force of the fired missile is offset at the muzzle by a mass of plastic debris ejected from the rear of the barrel. This method of balancing cancels out most of the recoil forces encountered while firing and reduces the reliance on complex and expensive recoil mechanisms.

The result is an anti-tank/anti-wall solution that allows operators to fire in tight spaces - a useful feature for urban warfare environments. Additionally, the balance method creates a more precise weapon. The launch tube has a section of Picatinny rail for mounting night vision optics.

The tube also features a reflex sight and laser rangefinder for improved response time and accuracy.

The bullfighter's baptism by fire took place during an Israeli army operation during "Operation Cast Lead" in the Gaza Strip in 2009. Due to the lack of armored vehicles of the enemy, the gun was mainly used for breaking walls.

Due to the weapon's small rear burst footprint, it proved useful when firing from tight spaces.

The MATADOR holds 90mm rockets and comes in three different styles - the multipurpose MATADOR-MP, the wall-destroying MATADOR-WB variant (explosive annular warhead), and the bunker-destroying MATADOR-AS (tandem warhead). The muzzle velocity reaches 820 feet per second, and the effective range is up to 1,600 feet.

Current (as of 2015) users of the MATADOR system include the British Army, Israel, Germany, Singapore, Slovenia and Vietnam.

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