MILAN

For other uses, see Milan (disambiguation).

MILAN
MILAN 1 missile
Type	Anti-tank missile
Place of origin	France West Germany
Service history
In service	1972–present
Used by	See users
Production history
Designed	1970s
Manufacturer	MBDA
Produced	1972
Number built	350,000 missiles, 10,000 launchers
Variants	See variants
Specifications
Weight	7.1 kg
Length	1.2 m
Diameter	0.115 m
Warhead	tandem HEAT
Detonation mechanism	contact
Engine	solid-fuel rocket
Wingspan	0.26 m
Flight ceiling	-
Speed	200 m/s
Guidance system	SACLOS wire
Steering system	Jet deflector
Launch platform	Individual, Vehicle

MILAN (French: Missile d´infanterie léger antichar; English: Anti-Tank Light Infantry Missile, "milan(e)" is French and German for "kite") is a European anti-tank guided missile. Design of the MILAN started in 1962. It was ready for trials in 1971, and was accepted for service in 1972. It is a wire guided SACLOS (Semi-Automatic Command to Line-Of-Sight) missile, which means the sight of the launch unit has to be aimed at the target to guide the missile. The MILAN can be equipped with a MIRA thermal sight, or MILIS to give it night-firing ability.

History

MILAN is a French and German missile that has been license-built by Italy, Spain, Britain and India. As it is guided by wire by an operator, this missile can avoid most countermeasures (flares and chaffs). The drawbacks are its short range, the exposure of the operator, and that it requires a skilled and well-trained operator.

Variants

MILAN II with stand-off probe which almost doubled penetration

• MILAN 1: Single, Main Shaped Charge Warhead (1972), calibre 103 mm
• MILAN 2: Single, Main Shaped Charge Warhead, with standoff probe to increase penetration (1984) - see photo to right, calibre 115 mm
• MILAN 2T: Single main Shaped Charge, with smaller shape charge warhead at end of standoff probe to defeat reactive armour (1993)
• MILAN 3: Tandem, Shaped Charge Warheads (1996) and electronic beacon
• MILAN ER: Extended Range (3000 m) and improved penetration

The later MILAN models have tandem HEAT warheads. This was done to keep pace with developments in Soviet armour technology. Soviet tanks began to appear with explosive reactive armour, which could defeat earlier ATGMs. The smaller precursor HEAT warhead penetrates and detonates the ERA tiles, paving the way for the main HEAT warhead to penetrate the armour behind.

MILAN launcher mounted on French Army VBL

View through MILAN optical sight

Users

• Afghanistan
  • Afghan National Army
• Australia
  • Australian Army: Was used by infantry and mounted on vehicles. The Australian Army withdrew the MILAN from service in the early 1990s. The ADF now fields the FGM-148 Javelin system.
• Brazil
  • Brazilian Army
• Belgium
  • Belgian Army infantry. To be replaced by Spike-MR missile.
• Chad
  • FANT (Chadian Army) infantry
• Cyprus
  • Cypriot National Guard
• Estonia
  • Estonian Defence Forces
• Egypt
  • Mounted on light vehicles. 220 units are used.
• France
  • French Army, Infantry and on vehicles. Being replaced by FGM-148 Javelin.
• Germany
  • Bundeswehr: German Army, German Air Force, German Navy (will be replaced by EUROSPIKE)
  • Infantry, Marder vehicles since version A2 and TPz Fuchs vehicles.
• Greece
  • Hellenic Army
• India
  • Indian Army: Infantry and on vehicles. Around 30,000 built under license by Bharat Dynamics. The Indian Army has placed an order of approx US$120 million for 4,100 Milan-2T ATGMs.
• Ireland
  • Irish Army: Was used by the infantry but has since been replaced by the FGM-148 Javelin.
• Iraq
  • One reportedly hit a British Challenger 2 MBT during the early stages of Operation Telic along with multiple rocket-propelled grenades. The tank survived the attack.
• Italy
  • Italian Army: Infantry. Built under license by Oto Melara and upgraded to MILAN 2T.
• Kenya
  • Kenyan Army infantry
• Lebanon
  • Lebanese Army
• Libya
  • Libyan Army and Libyan Rebels
• Mauritania
  • Mauritanian Army
• Mexico
  • Mexican Army (Ejército Mexicano): This antitank missile is used over Panhard VBL Scout Cars, at least 16 launchers and several hundred missiles are available.
• Morocco
  • Royal Moroccan Army
• Pakistan
  • Pakistan Army^{[citation needed]}
• Portugal
  • Portuguese Army and Portuguese Marines
• Singapore
  • Singapore Army: Phased out in favor of the Israeli Spike
• South Africa
  • South African Army
• Spain
  • Spanish Army: Upgraded to Milan 2/2T.
• Syria
  • Syrian Army: About 1000 missiles used in the anti-vehicular division
• Tunisia
  • Tunisian Armed Forces: Tunisia has a total of 500 MILAN ATGM missiles.
• Turkey
  • Turkish Army
• United Kingdom
  • Royal Marines and British Army
  • Infantry and on FV120 Spartan MCT (MILAN Compact Turret) version. Over 50,000 missiles purchased so far, for use in the British Armed Forces. The MILAN was used against Argentine bunkers in the Falklands War with great success and in Gulf War, where MILAN was used against modified T-55 Iraq tank. Tank survived. It was replaced by the FGM-148 Javelin in mid-2005.
• Uruguay
  • Uruguayan Army
• Yemen

Gallery

• 
• 

  MILAN, 2007

• 

  German Army MILAN equipped with an AGDUS combat simulator

• 

  Vehicle mounted launcher and missiles in Egyptian service during Operation Desert Shield, 1992.

• 

  Missile impact on a training target, 2001.

See also

• ERYX
• Euromissile HOT
• BGM-71 TOW

References

Notes

External links

• Technical data sheet on the website of MBDA
• army-technology.com
• GlobalSecurity.org
• Information about The British Army's Milan 2

Video link

• British army training video of MILAN on YouTube