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Lower system weight However, the UK and the Netherlands, who accounted for half the original sales, have left the programme. To justify current expenditure France's Aerospatiale Matra Missiles suggests mating the MR Trigat missile with the launcher and guidance package of the Milan 3 and calling it Trigan. This would lower the overall system weight of 34kgs by 6kgs and revert to passive wire guidance, but most importantly would reduce costs by exploiting existing Milan training and infrastructure. Basically Trigat or Trigan are direct-attack systems necessitating a heavy warhead to defeat MBTs over their frontal arc. Other manufacturers have sought to reduce weight and improve overall system performance by utilising innovative approaches to target engagement. Principal among these is Raytheon/Lockheed Martin's 2,500m-range Javelin ATGW that uses passive-imaging infra-red guidance. Javelin is an automatic-command line-of-sight (ACLOS) system referred to as fire and forget, requiring no operator assistance once the target has been identified and the missile launched. Top-attack capability The system also employs a top-attack capability, designed to plunge into the vulnerable roof armour of enemy vehicles, avoiding the frontal arc where armour is thickest and the new generation of active defence systems work most effectively. The missile retains a tandem warhead for piercing reactive armour and, because the warhead can be lighter with a calibre of 127mm, the overall system is also lighter, at 22kgs, than direct-attack systems. The system retains a direct-attack capability for attacking bunkers or other targets protected by overhead cover. The Javelin is in service with the US Army and US Marine Corps. Recent pricing information provided to the Netherlands suggested the sale of 242 Javelin launchers, 3,190 missiles, simulators, spares and operator training for $360m, whereas New Zealand reportedly was offered 24 launchers, 164 missiles and spares etc for about $32m. It is suggested that launchers cost around $100,000 and missiles $60,000. The expectation is that few training launches would be conducted because, unlike guided systems, synthetic environments would suffice. The only in-service competitor to Javelin is Rafael's Gill/Spike consisting of the Gill (NT-G) with an effective range of 2,500m and the 4,000m Spike (NT-S) and the heavier 10,000m Dandy (NT-D). The 110mm-diameter Gill is similar to Javelin, employing a fire-and-forget, top-attack profile weighing 26kgs. The longer-ranged Spike uses an identical missile and command launch unit but has the option of fibre-optic guidance allowing, within certain parameters, the operator to switch targets after launch. This man-in-the-loop capability, or fire, observe, update, is claimed to be of particular benefit on peace-support operations, allowing the engagement of targets hidden from direct view. The Gill/Spike is in service with Israel and Singapore. A slightly modified Spike 2.5, offered by the German Euro-Spike consortium headed by STN ATLAS Elektronik, has been accepted for service by the Finnish armed forces after extensive comparative testing between Gill, MR Trigat, Milan 3 and Javelin in a deal believed to be worth $30.6 million. Raytheon is developing a similar system, the MACAM, employing both passive-imaging infra-red and fibre-optic guidance, in conjunction with Grupo Indra to meet the requirements of the Spanish armed forces. Thermobaric charge Taking a different approach to flexibility are the Russian ATGWs that offer a fuel-air explosive (FAE) or thermobaric charge in addition to more conventional anti-armour warheads. Designed to engage soft-skinned vehicles, buildings, unprotected troops and some lightly armoured vehicles, coupled with the 5,500m-range, Kornet (NATO designation AT-X-14) provides a useful stand-off precision capability against troops on the edge of urban areas, one of the most difficult targets to neutralise. The Russians also led the way in developing short-range ATGWs in the 1970s, fielding the 1,000m-range Metis (NATO designation AT-7 Saxhorn). More recently, Aerospatiale has had export success with its 600m-range Eryx, selected by Brazil, France, Canada, Malaysia, Norway and Turkey to meet their ATGW requirements. Weighing around 12kgs and being sufficiently inexpensive to allow for fielding at section level, Eryx appears to be the victim of the sincerest form of flattery. The military technical institute of the Yugoslav army in Belgrade seems to have developed a near- identical weapon called the Bumble Bee. Gaining favour The short-range ATGW concept appears to be gaining favour among a number of armed forces, with the UK next to select such a system called NLAW. A competition is underway between a consortium of Lockheed Martin Electronics & Missiles and MBDA with their Kestrel ATGW, and Bofors Missiles with their MBT LAW. But following the collapse of the Trigat programme, the overall UK anti-armour plan is subject to change. While a number of advanced systems are available for service, one wonders whether these are simply too advanced for the current operational environment. Estimates by the US Defense Intelligence Agency for 1997 suggested the armoured threat had decreased by 80 per cent at a time when many advanced precision weapons were entering air forces' inventories. Dismounted infantry need a lightweight multi-purpose weapon capable of engaging enemy infantry in bunkers and buildings. That suggests a short-range system with an optional FAE or similar warhead for bunker-busting. |
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| The backblast area to the rear of the missile during launch has been reduced substantially on the Trigat, which is particularly useful in urban environments | |||
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| Certain ATGWs, such as the Kornet (NATO designation AT-X-14), provide a useful stand-off precision capability against targets on the edge of urban areas, due to their accurancy at longer ranges | |||
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