Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1064315
guiding. The method involves the operator keeping the reticle with- in the silhouette of the target, and the system calculates the control commands automatically and sends them over a wire to the fired mis- sile. In order for the CLU's aiming module to be able to calculate the commands, missile tracking is required. It is possible thanks to plac- ing a marker in its rear – a flare, an IR marker, a xenon lamp, etc. Older SACLOS systems were susceptible to natural (fires, flares, explosions, etc.) and intentional jamming, caused by vehicle active protection sys- tems (VAPS) such as e.g. the Russian Shtora. Newer systems come with a modulated and pre-set operating frequency of markers and built-in anti-jam modules, which has significantly increased their reli- ability. Examples include: TOW, Milan, HOT, Fagot (AT-4 Spigot), Metys (AT-7 Saxhorn), and Konkurs (AT-5 Spandrel). The second sub-set of this group are laser guided missiles. Speaking in simplified terms, they are ATGMs that are able to "read" a laser beam and try to follow its line on the way to the target while the beam cone is aimed at an enemy vehicle. It's enough to place an optic receiver at the back of a missile; it transforms the laser beam into elec- trical impulses processed by the control system. The laser beam, of course, has to pass through a device that modulates and encodes it so that it carries information about the system of coordinates read by the missile. Beam guidance, or beam-riding, is simpler, cheaper, and less prone to natural jamming than SACLOS. Such a guidance solution is featured in e.g. the famous Russian Kornet (AT-14 Spriggan). The main disadvantage of the two groups described above is that the systems are usually sizeable, heavy, or tend to hit tanks where their armor is the thickest – which is the front. That's why since the 1980s some coun- tries have been working on ATGMs intended to hit the roof of the turret and the hull of the tanks. Initially, on account of technical limitations, the solution of choice was overfly top attack (OVA) missiles, whose warheads were aimed downwards. Examples include BILL/BILL2 and TOW-2B. A later development were ATGMs able to "plunge" at their tar- gets, and the applied guidance method is different than beam-riding or SACOS. Such an example is the Indian Nag (being still at the develop- ment stage), the Japanese Type 01 LMAT, and the main characters of this piece – the Javelin and the Spike. LAND FORCES