MILAN

MILAN (French: Missile d´infanterie léger antichar = Anti-Tank Light Infantry Missile) is a second-generation 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, to give it night-firing ability.

Warhead Variants

MILAN: Single, Shaped Charge (1972)
MILAN 2: Single, Shaped Charge (1984)
MILAN 2T: Tandem, Shaped Charge (1993)
MILAN 3: Tandem, Shaped Charge
MILAN ER: Extended Range

History

MILAN is a Franco-German missile that has been license-built by the UK (by BAE Systems), Spain and India.

Operators

- 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 Javelin system.
- Brazilian Army
- Belgian Army infantry
- Croatian ground army
- Chilean Army and Infanteria de Marina (Marine Corps)
- Cypriot National Guard
- Estonian Defence Forces

- French Army
- Infantry and on vehicles

- Bundeswehr: German Army, Luftwaffe, German Navy
- Infantry and on Marder vehicles since version A2.

- Hellenic Army

Hezbollah
- Used against Israeli tanks during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.

- Indian Army
- Infantry and on vehicles.

- Irish Army
- Was used by the infantry but has since been replaced by the Raytheon Javelin.

- Iranian Army

- One was reportedly fired at a British Challenger II MBT during the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom along with multiple Rocket Propelled Grenades, though the tank survived the attack with damage to its sighting system. Purchased from France.

- Italian Army
- Kenyan Army infantry
- Lebanese Army

- Mexican Army (Ejército Mexicano)
- This antitank missile is used over Panhard VBL Scout Cars.

- Portuguese Army and Portuguese Marines
- Republic of China Marine Corps
- Singapore Army
- Being phased out in favor of the Israeli Spike
- South African Army
- Spanish Army
- Turkish Army

- Royal Marines and British Army
- Infantry and on FV103 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.[1] It was replaced by the Raytheon Javelin in mid 2005.

- Uruguayan Army

Gallery

<gallery> Image:Targetsight.MILAN.jpg|Optical sight anti Tank Weapon MILAN Image:Missile fh000022.jpg Image:Marder1A3.5.jpg|A German Army gunner aboard a 122nd Infantry, Company 5, Marder infantry fighting vehicle fires a MILAN wire-guided anti-tank missile </gallery>

External links

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