ENTAC
| ENTAC | |
|---|---|
 Cut-away of an early Model 56 ENTAC missile |
|
| Type | Anti-tank |
| Place of origin |  France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1957 |
| Used by | (see below) |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1950s |
| Manufacturer | DTAT & Aerospatiale |
| Produced | 1957 |
| Number built | 140 000 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 12.2 kg |
| Length | 820 mm |
| Diameter | 152 mm |
|
|
|
| Warhead | 4 kg Hollow-charge capable of piercing 650 mm of RHA |
| Detonation mechanism |
nose fuse |
|
|
|
| Engine | combination solid booster and sustainer |
| Wingspan | 375 mm |
| Operational range |
400 m - 2 km |
| Speed | 100 m/s |
| Guidance system |
MCLOS wire |
| Steering system |
trailing edge wing spoilers |
| Launch platform |
individual |
 External images |
|
|---|---|
| DTAT/Aerospatiale ENTAC | |
 |
Manufacture's Fact Sheet |
Entac (ENgin Téléguidé Anti-Char) or MGM-32A was a French MCLOS wire-guided Anti-tank missile. Developed in the early 1950s, the missile entered service with the French army in 1957. Production ended in 1974 after approximately 140,000 missiles had been built.
Contents |
[edit] Development
The missile was developed by the French Government agency - DTAT (Direction Technique des Armements Terrestres) at the same time as the private industry SS.10 Development time for the ENTAC was longer than the SS.10 and did not enter service till 1957. It proved to be a great improvement over the SS.10 which entered production five years earlier. Once fully developed and tested, production of the ENTAC was given to the firm of Aerospatiale. The ENTAC was designed to be a man portable weapon or operated from a small vehicle like the Jeep, replacing the Nord SS.10 in French service.
[edit] Design
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The missile is launched from a simple metal box, which is connected to an operator station. An individual operator station can control up to 10 launcher boxes. The operator manually steers the missile by means of a small joystick. These course corrections are transmitted to the missile via a thin set of wires that trail behind the missile - see MCLOS. Like many early ATGMs the missile had a large minimum range (see AT-3 Sagger) due to the time it took to get up to flight speed and come under operator control.
[edit] Operational history
[edit] Australia
Used from 1964 until 1982.[1]
[edit] France
The missile first entered service with the French in 1957. The ENTAC may have been used by France in small numbers during 1960s and 1970s peackeeping operations.[2]
[edit] India
ENTAC missiles entered service in 1968 after being ordered a year prior. They may have been used against Pakistani tanks during the 1971 war.[3]
[edit] Iran
Ordered in 1966 and delivered from 1966-1969. It remained in service after the 1979 Iranian revolution and was used against Iraqi tanks during the 1980-88 war.[4]
[edit] Israel
Entered service in 1963 after being ordered a year prior. It is likely that they were used during the 1967 Six-Day War against Arab tanks.
[edit] Lebanon
Ordered in 1966 and entered service in 1967. These were deployed during the Lebanon civil war and participated in street fighting, particularly during the early 1980s.[2]
[edit] South Africa
Acquired in 1969. These were used extensively during the 1966-1989 Border War against both MPLA forces and Cuban forces. They were frequently mounted on Land Rovers. Two MPLA BRDM-2 scout cars were destroyed by ENTAC's in September 1975 and two Cuban T-55 tanks were destroyed in December 1983 (during Operation Askari). ENTAC's were also used in Angola during 1984.[2]
[edit] United States
The US army purchased the Model 58 Entac with an improved warhead to replace the Nord SS.10 (or MGM-21A). It was designed to be an interim missile, used as the BGM-71 TOW was being developed. The first missiles where deployed in 1963, that year the missile received the US designation MGM-32A. In US service the missile was based on the M151 Jeep. The missile was phased out between 1968 and 1969, being replaced with the more advanced BGM-71 TOW. It was used in the Vietnam War against fortified infantry positions, but not enemy tanks. It was fired by the 14th Infantry Regiment, amongst others.[2]
[edit] Models
- ENTAC / MGM-32A
[edit] Users
Australia - Around 500 ordered in 1962 and delivered from 1963-64.[5] Served from 1964–1982, after which it was replaced by the MILAN.[6]
Belgium - Around 2500 ordered in 1961 and delivered from 1961-66 for AMX-VCI tank destroyer variant.[5]
Canada - Ordered in 1959 and delivered from 1960-1963. Around 2000 delivered.[5]
France - First adopted in 1957.
India - Around 2000 ordered in 1967 and delivered from 1968-71. Replaced by the MILAN from 1982.[5]
Iran - Around 2000 ordered in 1966 and delivered from 1966-69.
Indonesia - Around 500 ordered in 1962 and delivered from 1963-64.[5]
Israel - Around 1000 ordered in 1962 and delivered from 1963-64.[5]
Lebanon - Around 200 acquired in 1967 after being ordered in 1966.[5]
Morocco - Around 500 ordered in 1972 and delivered from 1973 to 1974.[5] Supplanted by BGM-71 TOW from around 1977.[7]
Norway - Around 1000 ordered in 1965 and acquired from 1966-1968.[5]
South Africa - Around 500 acquired in 1969.[5] Supplemented by MILAN from 1975 and eventually eased out of service.[8]
United States - Acquired as MGM-32A in 1963. Replaced by BGM-71 TOW between 1968 and 1969 and transferred to National Guard units before being retired completely by 30 September 1972.[2]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Australian Government site
- ^ a b c d e Henson, Jason W."MGM-32 Entac ATGM." "Harpoon Head Quarters". Retrieved: 24 December 2009.
- ^ Amin, Agha Humayun, "The Battle of Chamb-1971" "Defence Journal", September 1999. Retrieved: 24 December 2009.
- ^ [1] "Flightglobal", 1986. Retrieved: 24 December 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j SIPRI Arms Transfers Database "Stockholm International Peace Research Institute". Retrieved: 24 December 2009.
- ^ Cecil, Michael. "REMEMBER WHEN.... WE GOT ATGWS?" "OnTarget", December 2007. Retrieved: 24 December 2009.
- ^ "Missile Forces of the World." "Flightglobal", 1977. Retrieved: 24 December 2009.
- ^ Zarzecki, Thomas W., Arms diffusion: the spread of military innovations in the international system, Routledge, c. 2002, ISBN 978-0415935142
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: ENTAC |
