Not ready to defeat tanks: German defense industry launches mass production of light ATGM Enforcer
Journalists from EDR Magazine visited the MBDA plant in Schrobenhausen, where they plan to produce new lightweight Enforcer ATGMs. The German defense industry is ready to put them into mass production, but the assembly line is idle while a pilot batch of the product is being tested. According to the company, the start of deliveries to the Bundeswehr is expected in 2024.
The Enforcer is one of the few ATGMs with manual launch, as most analogues use a bipod or tripod. The rocket's mass is less than 7 kg and its length is less than 1 meter. The warhead hits a target at a distance of more than 2000 meters, although the Bundeswehr required only 1800 m.
Before launching, the operator makes a choice of three firing modes: detonation upon collision with a target, delayed, or in the air at a specified time. After the shooter points at the target, the missile fixes it and will independently pursue it via infrared or television channel (depending on the operator’s choice before shooting).
The homing system [FCS FCS14 from Aimpoint] compares the picture with the originally received image; During flight, contrast is correlated with a refresh rate of 25 frames per second. Therefore, even if the lighting changes or the target moves under different conditions [for example, in the case of jamming], the tracking system continues to guide the Enforcer missile to the intended object.
History Enforcer's development, however, is far from complete. The product in its currently available version is not a [classic] anti-tank weapons, its 90 mm warhead is designed to destroy other types of targets
- says the publication.
As indicated, the actual anti-tank modification Enforcer-X is currently a concept. It is planned that the ATGM will be as similar as possible to the original missile, with the main exception being the warhead. The warhead will be a tandem cumulative, specially made for penetrating tank reservations for remote control.
The warhead will lose the ability to detonate in the air, but the missile will be able to attack targets in two modes - along a straight trajectory or inclined, including from above. At the same time, the range of the system will remain at 2 km.
A number of other products are being developed based on the Enforcer. Thus, in collaboration with the Brazilian company XMobots, a weapon is being created for drones. Currently, work is being carried out at the concept stage.
An evolution of the Enforcer is the small SADM anti-drone system. This is a nine-round missile launcher that is mounted on the roof of a Boxer armored vehicle equipped with a Rheinmetall Skyranger 30 turret. The main targets of the NNBS system are UAVs weighing less than 150 kg. The SADM itself is responsible for a range from 2 to 5-6 km, while the 30 mm gun is responsible for shorter distances.
The SADM will be significantly longer than the current Enforcer missile, as it will have a booster mounted at the rear. It will receive a different seeker, and the warhead will be adapted to a new role, probably to fragmentation dispersal of submunitions.
Information