MBDA's Milan ER anti-tank guided missile completes firing tests campaign

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Defence & Security Industry News - MBDA

 
 
Tuesday, October 21, 2014 10:25 AM
 
MBDA's Milan ER anti-tank guided missile completes firing tests campaign
On October 15, MBDA completed the firing campaign to validate the series production of the Milan ER, as jointly scheduled with export customers. Four totally successful firings against fixed and moving targets confirmed the performance capabilities of the firing post, of the missile as well as of the warhead.
     
On October 15, MBDA completed the firing campaign to validate the series production of the Milan ER, as jointly scheduled with export customers. Four totally successful firings against fixed and moving targets confirmed the performance capabilities of the firing post, of the missile as well as of the warhead. MBDA Milan ER (Extended Response) anti-tank guided missile system during firing test
(Pic. : DGA TT)
     
This final technical step follows the qualification of the Milan ER weapon system that was achieved during the first half of 2014. MBDA will now be able to finalise the production work and deliver the first units in the spring next year, as planned.

The development of the MILAN ER system is self-funded by MBDA. The system offers the operational characteristics of the MILAN family of missiles, which are currently used by the armed forces of around forty countries worldwide, and also features latest-generation technologies with a strongly extended range, a highly powerful warhead and a fully digital firing post.

The system is already chosen by 3 export customers and is attracting growing interest amongst armed forces which require a highly efficient missile at an highly competitive acquisition and life cycle cost.

MBDA CEO Antoine Bouvier declared on this occasion: "The Milan ER missile is of particular importance to us, owing to the long performance lineage it clearly embodies, but also because this very attractive system allows MBDA to maintain a business and technical presence in a great number of countries, all of which are prospective customers for higher-end products."

MILAN ER missile maintains all the performance and operational features of the MILAN family (ergonomics, reliability, accuracy, robustness and flexibility of tactical use) but also features the next generation technologies necessary to meet the new requirements in combat while keeping total life cycle costs compatible with the budgetary constraints of the armed forces. These new technologies feature in a new extended response ammunition with enhanced warhead, propulsion system, in-flight manoeuvrability and operating range.

The MILAN ER missile has a range extended to 3,000 m (opposed to the 2,000m of the prvious generation MILAN ammunition) and a new, multi-effect warhead which can penetrate 1,000mm Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) or Rolled Homogenous Armour (RHA), or more than 3m of reinforced concrete. For optimal terminal effectiveness, a new concept tandem charge is now contained in the warhead. This employs a dual-mode front charge to defeat early and new generation explosive reactive armour. The MILAN ER is equipped with the SACLOS system (Semi-Automatic Command to Line Of Sight). The SACLOS system is wire-guided for anti jamming efficiency in clutter, keeping the man-in-the-loop facility for the precise identification of targets, the permanent control of the mission and to avoid collateral damage in complex conditions.