Israeli second-generation anti-tank missile systems
The effectiveness of combat use of anti-tank weapons missile The performance of first-generation ATGM systems, in which the gunner-operator manually adjusted the missile's trajectory using a three-point (sight-missile-target) method using a special joystick, depended directly on the gunner's training and emotional and psychological state. To improve combat performance and reduce the influence of human factors, development of ATGMs with a semiautomatic guidance system was underway in the 1960s. This system required the gunner to maintain the sight mark on the target, while the automatic system automatically guided the missile to the line of sight. Various methods of transmitting control commands to the ATGM could be used: wired, radio, using a "laser trail," or using semi-active laser homing.
BGM-71 TOW ATGM
In October 1973, to compensate for the large losses in equipment and weapons suffered by the Israel Defense Forces during the Yom Kippur War, the United States urgently organized an “air bridge” through which military transport aviation Large-scale deliveries were made. Among other systems, the Israelis received 120 of the then-new BGM-71A TOW anti-tank missile systems and 2000 ATGMs for them. The BGM-71 TOW (Tube, Optical, Wire) ATGM entered service with the US Army in 1970. Hughes Aircraft developed this system from 1963 to 1968. Mass deliveries began in 1972.
The 2210 mm-long ATGM launch tube and guidance system are mounted on a tripod. The ATGM weighs approximately 100 kg in its combat position. Apparently, the technical design of the 152 mm M151 launcher and the method of loading the guided missile cartridge were heavily influenced by the 106 mm M40A1 recoilless rifles already in service.
BGM-71 TOW ATGM in combat position
Compared to second-generation Soviet ATGMs, which also featured a semiautomatic guidance system with wired commands, the American system, designed for use as a battalion-level antitank weapon, was excessively bulky and heavy. Although the length of the M220 launcher on modernized ATGM variants was later reduced somewhat, the dimensions and weight of the American system are significantly greater than those of most systems developed around the same time in other countries. Consequently, TOW systems are most often mounted on various vehicles, but in Israel, these systems were often used as man-portable systems.
The basic version of the BGM-71A guided missile weighed 18,9 kg and was 1170 mm long. Its flight speed was 280 m/s. Its launch range was 65-3000 m. Its 3,9 kg shaped-charge warhead could penetrate a 430 mm armor plate. This was quite sufficient to reliably defeat Soviet tanks first post-war generation with homogeneous armor.
ATGM BGM-71A
Immediately after the missile leaves the barrel, four spring-loaded wings deploy from its midsection and tail. The shaped-charge warhead is located in the front section of the missile, while the control unit and motor are located in the rear and midsection.
In the process of pointing, the operator must always keep the telescope mark on the target. At the rear of the rocket there is a xenon light bulb, which serves as a source of long-wave infrared radiation, by which the guidance system determines the location of the rocket and produces commands that lead an ATGM to the line of sight. The signals from the processor are transmitted to the rocket control system via two wires unwound from the reels in the back of the rocket. In the event of a wire break, the rocket continues its flight along a straight-line trajectory.
After an accelerated training course, the first Israeli TOW ATGM crews deployed to the combat zone on October 23, 1973. By that time, the tide of the war had already turned in Israel's favor, and the new anti-tank systems had little impact on Arab tanks. Nevertheless, before the end of the Yom Kippur War, Israeli crews managed to fire BGM-71A ATGMs at real targets. For example, on October 24, 13 missiles were fired at Syrian tanks from a range of 2,5 kilometers, seven of which hit their targets. Six tanks were hit, but only one was destroyed. During firefights with Egyptian forces on October 25-26, several missiles were fired, but no hits were confirmed. Reports from Israeli military intelligence officers stated that the Egyptian tanks were protected by a chain-link fence, which protected them from shaped-charge warheads.
For quite a long time, the BGM-71A TOW was used in the Israeli army in parallel with captured Malyutka systems and finally replaced the first-generation Soviet ATGMs in the late 1980s.
In 1983, Israel received a batch of BGM-71C (Improved TOW) ATGMs. This missile's armor penetration was increased to 600 mm thanks to the use of a more effective warhead. The weight of the ATGM itself increased by 200 g. The introduction of more efficient propellant and an increased control cable length allowed the maximum launch range to be increased to 3750 m. A distinctive external feature of the BGM-71C ATGM was the additional launch probe installed in the nose cone.
In the early 1990s, deliveries of BGM-71E TOW-2A and BGM-71F TOW-2B ATGMs began. By 1996, Israel had received approximately 20,000 TOW missiles of various modifications.
Various modifications of the TOW ATGM
The BGM-71E (TOW-2A) missile, which entered serial production in 1987, has a miniature tandem warhead in its nose, 38 mm in diameter and weighing approximately 300 g, designed to penetrate reactive armor. A contact mechanical fuse, located on the tip of the missile, initiates the first auxiliary warhead, and the main charge detonates after the auxiliary charge detonates and destroys the reactive armor. The main shaped-charge warhead, weighing 5,896 kg, detonates approximately 450 mm from the target.
In 1992, the BGM-71F (TOW-2B) ATGM, based on the BGM-71E, entered service in the United States. The new missile could strike a target from above, in its most vulnerable area. The BGM-71F ATGM is equipped with a new, modified warhead with a dual directional explosive charge oriented at 90° to the missile's longitudinal axis and a dual-mode time fuse incorporating a laser altimeter and a magnetic anomaly sensor. The warhead detonates as the missile passes over the target, striking it from above with a tantalum penetrator core. The 149mm-diameter warheads detonate simultaneously, one firing downward and the other slightly rearward to enhance the probability of hitting the target. The penetrator core material was selected to maximize the incendiary effect after penetrating the tank's upper armor.
ATGM BGM-71F
To enable simultaneous firing from closely spaced launchers and improve jamming immunity, an additional tracer was introduced, generating heat through a boron-titanium reaction, and the xenon lamp's frequency was made variable and randomly fluctuating during the missile's flight. The long-wavelength infrared radiation from the thermal tracer is monitored by the standard AN/TAS-4A thermal imaging sight, which is part of the TOW-2 ATGM's sighting system.
The last large-scale purchase of TOW ATGMs was in 2002. In June 2002, it was reported that Israel was urgently purchasing 2030 TOW-2A ATGMs for $80 million to replenish its depleted stocks, as more than 1200 missiles had been launched from helicopters and ground-based launchers at Palestinian targets since the end of 2000.
TOW ATGM carriers were Bell AH-1 Cobra and McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender attack helicopters, which in 1982 in Lebanon attempted to attack Syrian armored vehicles, but were mainly used to strike Islamist positions in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
Most of the TOW launchers in the IDF were mounted on light off-road vehicles of both Israeli and American manufacture.
By the early 1980s, these self-propelled missiles had completely replaced the 106mm M40A1 recoilless rifles in battalion and brigade-level anti-tank units. When providing fire support to friendly infantry, the BGM-71 ATGM was significantly inferior to the recoilless rifle's round in terms of fragmentation and high-explosive firepower, but it was superior in accuracy, effective range, and first-round kill probability. In June 1982, crews of the 409th Anti-Tank Brigade, armed with TOW ATGMs mounted on M151 jeeps, ambushed a column of Syrian T-72 tanks, destroying several of them.
Israel also deployed a significant number of BGM-71 TOW ATGMs on American-made M113 tracked armored personnel carriers. If necessary, the launchers could be removed from the vehicles and fired from the ground.
The IDF also had a small number of American M901 ITV self-propelled ATGMs, based on the M113 APC.
M901 ITV ATGM
This self-propelled system used modernized ATGMs launched from twin remote-controlled launchers. Optoelectronic equipment with day and night channels was used to detect and guide the missiles. The vehicle carried 12 missiles. When reloading, the launcher's breech lowered, and the crew was protected by armor while arming the launcher, protecting them from bullets and shrapnel.
However, Israeli paratroopers and reservists trained with TOW portable ATGMs 10 years ago, although their size and weight are excessive by modern standards.
The last time the TOW man-portable anti-tank missiles were used in combat by the IDF was in 2006 to destroy firing points, fortifications, and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
Apparently, both self-propelled and portable systems of this type are no longer used by the IDF's line units and have been transferred to storage.
M47 Dragon ATGM
In the second half of the 1970s, the M47 Dragon ATGM appeared in the anti-tank platoons of the fire support companies of the IDF infantry battalions. This weapon It was developed by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation as part of the MAW (Medium Antitank Weapon) program to fill the gap in antitank weapons between TOW systems and hand-held antitank grenade launchers.
The first tests of the new ATGM prototype were conducted in June 1965 at Redstone Arsenal. To reduce costs and speed up testing, a 127-mm Zuni unguided rocket was used in the drop-launch tests. Subsequently, a five-inch guided missile was tested. Its sustainer rocket motor consisted of several sequentially fired pellets arranged in a row with rows of slits (acting as nozzles) along the missile body, surrounding each pellet. The FGM-77A ATGM used a wire-guidance system. After launching the missile, the operator had to keep the crosshairs on the target. The command generation and transmission station, using tracers installed in the tail, recorded the missile's deviation and calculated the misalignment between the flight path and the target's line of sight. The necessary corrections were transmitted via wires to the missile's autopilot, which converted these corrections into pulses for the thrust vector control system.
The FGM-77A ATGM utilized a unique design that eliminated the need for a conventional cruise engine and control surfaces, which in turn allowed for a high level of weight efficiency. After launch, thrust was maintained and the missile's course adjusted while spinning at a relatively low speed through the sequential combustion of solid propellant charges and the exhaust of propellant gases from obliquely directed micromotor nozzles arranged in several rows on the side of the missile body. The actuator control unit contained 60 micromotors, arranged in three sections of 20 each. The micromotors fired every half-second, producing a characteristic pulsating sound as the ATGM flew.
The missile's tail section houses the onboard equipment, a wired command transmission coil, a modulated infrared emitter, and spring-loaded wings that deploy when the missile exits the launch container. Since thrust, course, and pitch adjustments are provided by sequentially fired solid-fuel micromotors, the missile experiences significant oscillations along its trajectory, which in turn leads to a significant impact point dispersion. At maximum launch range, the probability of hitting a stationary target 3 meters wide and 2 meters high was estimated at 80%.
At the expense of some combat and operational characteristics, the system was made as lightweight and compact as possible. The ATGM could be used and carried by a single operator, did not require a dedicated firing position, and could accompany infantry units on the offensive. It was particularly useful during airborne operations and during combat in mountainous and forested terrain. American generals were particularly impressed by the portable system's potential for use as an assault weapon for infantry fire support. It was envisaged that, in the absence of enemy tanks on the battlefield, ATGM crews operating within the attacking forces' formations would destroy fire positions hindering their advance.
Acceptance trials were completed by January 1972, and that same year, a batch of ATGMs was delivered to the troops for a six-month trial period. After analyzing the identified deficiencies, another two years were spent on addressing and refining them. The M47 Dragon anti-tank system was accepted into service by the US Army in 1975.
Compared to the prototype, which weighed less than 13 kg, the production ATGM weighed 15,4 kg, and with a thermal night sight, it weighed 20,76 kg. The launcher length is 852 mm. The outer diameter of the launch tube is 292 mm. The ATGM caliber is 127 mm. The missile launch weight is 10,7 kg. Armor penetration is 400 mm of homogeneous armor at an impact angle of 90°. Firing range is 65-950 m. The missile's flight time to maximum range is 11 seconds.
M47 Dragon launcher and FGM-77A ATGM
The guidance system was mounted on a fiberglass transport and launch container and included a 6x optical sight, an IR tracer, an electronics unit, and a launch mechanism. A thermal imaging sight was also installed for nighttime use.
Due to the system's design, it was primarily fired from a sitting position, supported by a bipod. Although the ATGM was lightweight and could be carried by a single crew member, the recoil and significant shift in the center of gravity made shoulder firing impossible.
To effectively use the Dragon ATGM, the gunner had to be sufficiently trained and possess psychological stability. After acquiring a target in the sights and pulling the trigger, the shot did not fire immediately. After activating the disposable chemical battery, the gunner heard the increasing whine of the spinning gyroscope, followed by the sharp pop of the booster and the missile's launch. At this point, poorly trained ATGM operators often lost sight of the target due to the unexpected recoil and misalignment, resulting in a miss.
Although the Dragon ATGM's weight and dimensions were roughly equivalent to those of the Carl Gustaf M2 RPG, it failed to win over Israeli soldiers due to the finickiness and unreliability of its hardware and ATGMs. The cable transmitting guidance commands often broke during firing, and the micromotors sometimes failed to operate reliably, leading to guidance failures. The system itself, unlike the highly durable Carl Gustaf grenade launcher, was quite delicate and susceptible to mechanical impacts. Nevertheless, Israel acquired approximately two hundred launchers and approximately 5500 FGM-77A guided missiles. The last delivery took place in 1981. As of 1980, the cost of one Dragon ATGM with an AN/TAS-5 night vision device was estimated at $51,000.
Considering that the loaded TPK weighed 12,9 kg, one infantryman could carry two "tubes" of missiles. However, there are no details regarding the use of Dragon ATGMs in combat. It can be assumed that these light anti-tank systems were used against Syrians and the PLO in the early 1980s. According to available information, ATGMs of this type were used by reservists until 2005.
MAPATS ATGM
In the mid-1980s, Israeli Military Industries (IMI) developed the MAPATS (Man Portable Anti-Tank System) ATGM, which clearly bears some resemblance to the American BGM-71 TOW.
MAPATS ATGM on the chassis of the M151 all-terrain vehicle
Unlike the American TOW, the Israeli system uses a laser-guided targeting system, where the missile flies along a "corridor" formed by horizontal and vertical laser beams. The seeker, located at the rear of the ATGM, constantly analyzes its position, adjusting its trajectory to remain centered in the laser-guided path. The gunner must keep the target in the crosshairs until the missile hits it. Laser guidance is considered more resistant to interference than a wired system with infrared tracking. Since the ATGM is not connected to the launcher by a cable, its flight speed can be significantly higher, and the missile has greater maneuverability.
MAPATS ATGM
The launcher and guidance system, without the transport and launch container, weighs 66 kg. The transport and launch container with the missile weighs 29 kg, and the launch weight of the missile itself is 18,5 kg. The diameter is 156 mm. The length is 1480 mm. The firing range of the first modification reached 5000 m. Armor penetration is up to 800 mm. The modernized version increases the range to 6000 m, and armor penetration is 1200 mm of homogeneous armor.
Given that Israel received a very significant number of TOW ATGMs of various modifications, MAPATS systems were not widely deployed in the IDF, with approximately two dozen of these systems undergoing trial operation. At the same time, MAPATS systems were exported to Venezuela, Chile, and Estonia.
LAHAT ATGM
In the mid-1990s, IMI developed the LAHAT (Laser Homing Anti-Tank) guided missile for use with the 105- and 120-mm guns mounted on the Merkava family of tanks.
120mm and 105mm LAHAT ATGM rounds
The 105mm caliber uses a standard brass case, while the 120mm version uses a shortened case and an adapter the same diameter as the sabot. Loading the ATGM round is the same as loading standard shells. The 120mm cannon round contains the same missile as the 105mm cannon, but the ATGM itself is housed in a container consisting of two halves. After leaving the barrel, the container halves open, and the missile continues its flight independently. The semi-active laser guidance system allows for both direct targeting—from the firing tank—and from the side, when the target is illuminated by a laser beam from another tank, helicopter, or UAV.
The missile covers a range of 4 km in 14 seconds, but target illumination lasts only 2-3 seconds in the terminal phase of its flight path. Its maximum range is 8 km. The circular error probable (CEP) of the missile from its target does not exceed 0,7 m. When firing at helicopters, the missile flies along a flat trajectory, while when firing at armored targets, it flies at an overhead trajectory. When attacking a ground target, the ATGM dives at an angle of over 30°, striking its most vulnerable points. Furthermore, the munitions attacking from above make it possible to engage targets concealed in terrain. The maximum field of view of the homing head is 85°, which allows for an expanded missile launch zone and enables firing along an overhead trajectory. The missile, weighing 12,5 kg and measuring 975 mm in length, is equipped with a tandem warhead capable of penetrating 600 mm of armor after penetrating dynamic protection.
Foreign buyers were offered a modification of the ATGM known as SkyBow, adapted for installation on helicopters and operating in conjunction with the MOSP-3000D targeting and search system.
The only known customer for this variant is Azerbaijan, where several Mi-17 helicopters have been armed with these systems. The ATGM designed for deployment on ground vehicles was designated Nimrod SR, but nothing is known about its deliveries.
Nimrod long-range anti-tank missile
In 1989, the Nimrod long-range multipurpose missile, also known as the N/ALGMS (Nimrod Advanced Laser-Guided Missile System), was unveiled at the Paris Air Show. The missile was designed to destroy armored vehicles, Defense, concentrations of manpower, and long-term fire positions. It can also be used as a light coastal defense system.
Nimrod heavy ATGM
The Nimrod heavy antitank guided missile, developed by IMI, is larger in size and has a significantly increased range compared to most other antitank missiles. It uses inertial guidance with radio-command correction during the midcourse phase of its flight, and semi-active laser homing during the terminal phase. Target illumination is provided from the ground or air and is required only during the terminal phase of its flight, until the missile reaches its target. Laser coding enables the missile to fire in a salvo against multiple targets. The missile approaches the target by diving at an angle of 45°, flying at an altitude of 300 meters or higher during the midcourse phase. The Nimrod is stored, transported, and launched from a transport launcher. The missile is quite large, measuring 2600 mm in length and 170 mm in diameter. The missile weighs 150 kg in its container. The missile itself weighs 96 kg. The warhead weighs 14 kg. The firing range is 26 km.
The Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter was considered as the main carrier of the Nimrod, which could carry up to 8 such missiles (2×4 launchers) in place of the drop tanks.
A Nimrod missile launched from a CH-53 helicopter
In the 1980s, one CH-53 helicopter was converted for testing. However, in the early 1990s, after the defeat of Iraq and the easing of tensions in the region, the project was frozen, and the system never entered service with the IDF.
To recoup the investment in development, IMI offered the Nimrod missile to foreign buyers. Since few countries possessed heavy helicopters, the focus was on mobile ground-based launchers, and initially, the option of mounting sixteen TPKs on the chassis of an AMX-13 light tank was considered. However, it appears that only one such self-propelled launcher was ever built.
Several Nimrod self-propelled missile systems with launchers mounted on the chassis of the M462 Abir light all-wheel drive truck were delivered to Colombia.
When the Nimrod missile is launched from a ground-based launcher, target designation is carried out from a helicopter, UAV, or remote sighting equipment that one infantryman can carry in a backpack.
In the 21st century, Nimrod-2 and Nimrod-3 missiles, which are already quite modern ammunition, were presented at international arms exhibitions.
The Nimrod-2 missile, with a range of up to 36 km and a 14 kg warhead, uses GPS and semi-active laser guidance. The missile weighs 58 kg.
The Nimrod-3 missile unveiled in 2008
The Nimrod-3 missile carries a 50 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead and can hit targets at ranges of up to 50 km. The guidance system is similar to the Nimrod-2.
ATGM AGM-114 Hellfire
In 1990, AGM-114 Hellfire guided missiles arrived in Israel along with AH-64A Apache helicopters. According to reference data, the Israeli Air Force has 48 AH-64A/D helicopters and is considering purchasing 30 AH-64E helicopters.
An AH-64A helicopter from the 190th Squadron of the Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Navy also operates 13 Super Dvora Mk III high-speed patrol boats armed with Hellfire guided missiles.
Patrol boat Super Dvora Mk III
Serial production of the AGM-114A missile with a semi-active laser homing head began in 1984. Since then, numerous modifications have been developed, and more than 100,000 Hellfire ATGMs have been delivered to customers.
AGM-114 Hellfire ATGM next to 70-mm NAR Hydra 70
Israeli Apaches initially carried the AGM-114F Interim Hellfire antitank guided missile (ATGM). This missile has a launch weight of 45 kg. Its length is 1630 mm, diameter is 178 mm, and wingspan is 330 mm. Its launch range is up to 8 km. The tandem HEAT warhead, after penetrating reactive armor, is capable of penetrating 700 mm of homogeneous armor.
According to open sources, Israel has acquired approximately 3000 F, F/A, K, K2, K2A, N, N3, and R missiles. The cost, together with auxiliary equipment, is estimated at $660 million.
The AGM-114K Hellfire II ATGM, despite its largely unchanged appearance, has been essentially redesigned, with new compact electronics providing a more compact package. The missile's dimensions and weight remain unchanged, but it is equipped with a 9 kg warhead with increased armor penetration. A more powerful solid-fuel motor has increased its flight speed to Mach 1,1 and its firing range to 9 km. The AGM-114K2 warhead is equipped with safer explosives, resistant to high temperatures and mechanical impact. The AGM-114K2A missile carries a high-explosive fragmentation warhead.
The AGM-114N Hellfire II missile is equipped with a thermobaric warhead and is designed to destroy targets in buildings and caves, with the ability to detonate with a delayed detonation after penetrating the walls. It has a maximum flight speed of Mach 1,3 and a range of 11 km. Production of the AGM-114K/N missiles lasted from 1993 to 2018.
The AGM-114R Hellfire II missile is equipped with a multifunctional warhead capable of engaging armored vehicles, destroying personnel, and destroying light cover. Its launch weight is 49 kg. Its flight speed is Mach 1,3. Its range is 9 km. According to unconfirmed reports, the Israeli Air Force operates AGM-114R-9X missiles, which are equipped with a kinetic warhead with retractable blades instead of explosives. Given that the CEP of this missile does not exceed 0,9 m, this allows for the elimination of a specific target without causing physical harm to those around them.
An AGM-114 Hellfire missile fired from an Israeli AH-64A attack helicopter.
Since 1982, the Israel Defense Forces have been fighting Islamist militias without armor, so strikes have primarily been carried out using Hellfire missiles with high-explosive and thermobaric warheads. Targets were typically hit directly, and laser-guided missiles have proven highly reliable. The relatively light weight of the warhead (compared to guided aerial bombs) has helped reduce collateral damage.
For example, in 2004, a Hellfire missile killed Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin. On several occasions, AGM-114s with inert warheads were used for "roof knocks," warning people in a building that it would soon be destroyed. These missiles were also used against aerial targets. The first such incident occurred on May 24, 2001, after a Cessna 152 light aircraft entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon, and its pilot failed to respond to repeated warnings from air traffic control. The Cessna was subsequently shot down by a Hellfire launched from an Israeli Air Force AH-64A helicopter. The missile's warhead detonated, causing the aircraft to disintegrate in mid-air.
Продолжение следует ...
Information