Type 01 LMAT

Type 01 LMAT History

The modernization of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) in the 1990s culminated in the introduction of the "Type 01 LMAT" - a light, portable, shoulder-fired anti-tank missile launcher - to replace Carol Guth An aging, dying stock of Carol Gustav's recoilless rifle ("Sumitomo FT-84"). Development began in the mid-1990s and went through an extended testing and trial phase, leading to official service in 2001.

Design work was performed by the Defense Agency's Technology Research and Development Institute (DATRDI), and manufacturing was performed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI). trademark. In production since 2001.

The weapon was developed under the provisional designation "XATM-5", expected to enter service under the designation ATM-5, and completed upon acceptance under the designation "01 LMAT". The "LMAT" part of the name stands for "Kei-Tai-Sensha Yudo-Dan", which means "Lightweight Anti-Armor Guided Missile".

Japanese engineers have developed a shoulder-fired launch tube with integrated optics and ready-to-fire missiles - comparable to the US FGM-148 Javelin series. The entire system weighs 17.5 kg and the missile weighs 11.5 kg. The launch tube is 970mm long and 140mm in diameter, with an actual caliber of 120mm. The integrated optics (thermal imager) is located on the left, front side of the weapon, has an optimal attack range of up to 1.25 miles, and detonates tandem-loaded HEAT (High Explosive, Anti-Tank) warheads via base impact. At the heart of the system is its missilea rocket-propelled solid-fuel munition that travels at 13,000 feet per second while being guided by an image-infrared homing design.

Unlike early Cold War wire-guided AT missile systems in service at JGSDF and elsewhere, the Type 01 LMAT has become a true "fire-and-forget" system that requires no direct line-of-sight (LoS) operator and target, and operates when the missile flies to the target. Operator control is also not required during this period.

The Type 01 LMAT is a relatively compact battlefield weapon, aided by a full shoulder in transport and marching. The system can be operated by a single personincluding airborne forces that desperately need this firepower, especially against tank threats.

The missile is capable of defeating current generation main battle tanks as well as more advanced explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocking schemes used around the world.

The Type 01 LMAT did not appear in the inventory of other global players due to the post-WWII Japanese constitution restricting the export of weapons. However, the recent relaxation of this restriction could set the stage for overseas sales in the near future.

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