Anti-tank missile launchers have been around since…well, tanks were invented, and the French army has been using the same launcher for more than 40 years. However, thanks to the new developments of modern armor, the old Milan anti-tank missile launcher they’ve been using has become somewhat obsolete. Which is why three years from now, the French will be in the field with this bad boy:
What you see before you is the new Missile moyenne portée, or MMP, a system capable of blasting through anything from the latest modern armor to the newest hidden bunker. The missile was designed based on insight from recent combat situations in Iraq, Africa and Afghanistan, and can fill several roles in the field.
Like our own American Javelin, the MMP launches medium-range missiles capable of flattening armored vehicles or heavily fortified areas. It is a 33-pound system that the operator mounts on a tripod, and can be fired in both remote turrets or combat vehicles, as well as by dismounted troops.
MMP missiles lock onto their targets through a dual-band visible and uncooled IR seeker, something which allows its operators to launch and move to a new position before their enemies have time for a counter-attack. The French’s new launcher also allows operators to monitor their strikes without having to move from their covered positions, and is designed to be fired in small or confined spaces, making it perfect for combat in urban areas.
The missile was revealed at the 2014 Eurosatory exposition, and the French expect that their army will field around 400 of the MMPs through both their regular and special forces, starting in 2017.
This means other armies have three years to develop better field armor. Or bigger missiles.
Source Gizmodo
Advertisement
