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MBDA MILAN (Missile d'Infanterie Leger ANtichar)

1972 COLD WAR MODERN SPECIAL FORCES

History of MBDA MILAN (Missile d'Infanterie Leger ANTichar)

Armored warfare in World War II laid the foundation for many of the technological developments that followed in the Cold War years. Weapons such as the American "Bazooka" and the German "Panzerschreck" have shown that portable tank-killing, armor-piercing firepower can be achieved through the use of unguided rockets with powerful warheads.

As technology advanced in the 1960s, missiles emerged, paving the way for precision-guided munitions to follow. The Americans adopted the TOW series of anti-tank missiles, while the Soviets took stock of a similar type. In Europe, MBDA (including French, Italian and British interest groups, with headquarters in France, Italy and Germany) began work in 1962 on a project that would become the "MAILAND" system ("Missile d-Infanterie Leger ANTichar"), wire guidance An anti-tank missile launch platform that can be deployed via conventional tripod support systems or vehicles.

The evaluation took place in 1971, the weapon entered service in 1972 and continues to be used on the modern battlefield today (2013).

MILAN uses a wire guidance system called "SACLOS" - "Semi-Automatic Line of Sight". This means that once the missile is launched and removed from its tubular casing, the operator will guide it through an attached cable (or conduit) that relays the system's heading corrections to the missile when it is aimed at the target. This approach requires adequate training, limits the range of engagement, and may expose the task force to battlefield hazards, but provides weapons that are less likely to be misled by countermeasures fired by enemy targets. The MILAN missile is a 7.1 kg system including a contact detonating warhead powered by a solid-fuel rocket system with a velocity of 656 feet per second.

The steering of the missile is controlled during flight by a beam deflection system. Each rocket is 1.2 meters long and 0.115 meters in diameter, with tail stabilization. The launcher can be used on-board or via an available heavy-duty tripod - not as portable as shoulder-mounted disposable anti-tank weapons.

The optics are an integral part of the carrier system, and the carrier itself is reusable. For night or low-light action, thermal sights are optional.

To date, approximately 10,000 MILAN launchers have been built to accompany approximately 350,000 delivered missiles. The original rocket, codenamed "MILAN 1", had a caliber of 103 mm and was equipped with a shaped charge warhead. The MILAN 2 of 1982 introduced a probe in the warhead cone to improve penetration (twice the original value) and its caliber was increased to 115 mm. Introduced in 1993, MILAN 2T added the use of explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks and continued to use the main shaped charge while adding another smaller shaped charge at the end of the probe to increase the effectiveness of the new armor protection system. Penetration.

Only the MILAN 3 in 1996 introduced the tandem shaped charge warhead. The tandem arrangement allows the missile to detonate the ERA block with the front charge, while destroying the underlying base armor with the main charge.

Then there is the MILAN ER, which increases the range to 3,000 meters and increases the penetration value to accommodate the development of modern main battle tanks.

The production of the Milan missile was eventually entrusted to some local governments, as was the case in the UK, India and Italy. Operators include Afghanistan, Brazil, Belgium, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Syria, Turkey and Yemen, among others. Some operators have adopted the US FGM-148 Javelin system, as is the case in Australia and the UK.

Singapore opted for Israel's "Spike" series, a 1997 development that found significant use in subsequent Israeli Army operations.

MILAN remains a proven and effective tank killing system that is still widely used. Its successor in service with the French Army is the new, state-of-the-art multi-purpose MBDA MMP (described in detail elsewhere on this website).