View source for Anti-tank guided missile

{{Short description|Guided missile for combat against armored targets}}
{{Redirect|ATGM|air-launched missile|air-to-ground missile}}

[[File:Army-fgm148.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[FGM-148 Javelin]] anti-tank missile of the [[United States Army]]]]
[[File:9M133 Kornet.JPG|thumb|alt=Russian 9M133 Kornet ATGM|The [[9M133 Kornet]] tripod-mounted ATGM of the [[Russian Ground Forces]]]]
An '''anti-tank guided missile''' ('''ATGM'''), '''anti-tank missile''', '''anti-tank guided weapon''' ('''ATGW''') or '''anti-armor guided weapon''' is  a [[missile guidance|guided]] [[missile]] primarily designed to hit and destroy [[armoured fighting vehicle|heavily armored]] [[military vehicle]]s. ATGMs range in size from shoulder-launched weapons, which can be transported by a single soldier, to larger tripod-mounted weapons, which require a squad or team to transport and fire, to vehicle and aircraft mounted missile systems.

Earlier man-portable [[anti-tank warfare|anti-tank weapons]], like [[anti-tank rifle]]s and magnetic [[anti-tank mine]]s, generally had very short range, sometimes on the order of metres or tens of metres. Rocket-propelled [[high-explosive anti-tank]] (HEAT) systems appeared in [[World War II]] and extended range to the order of hundreds of metres, but accuracy was low and hitting targets at these ranges was largely a matter of luck. It was the combination of rocket propulsion and remote [[Wire-guided missile|wire guidance]] that made the ATGM much more effective than these earlier weapons, and gave light infantry real capability on the battlefield against post-war tank designs. The introduction of semi-automatic guidance in the 1960s further improved the performance of ATGMs.

{{As of|2016|post=,}} ATGMs were used by over 130 countries and many non-state actors around the world.<ref>{{citation |author1=MAJ Michael J. Trujillo |author2=MAJ Frank Adkinson |title=ARMOR |chapter=Getting Left of Launch: Guided Missiles and the Threat to Our Force |chapter-url=https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/33494#page=22 |url=https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/33494 |volume=January–March 2016}}</ref> Post-Cold-War [[main battle tank]]s (MBTs) using [[composite armour|composite]] and [[reactive armour|reactive]] armors have proven to be resistant to smaller ATGMs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russianarmor.info/Tanks/TRIALS/19991020.html |title=T-90 tank |access-date=2008-01-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080129043924/http://russianarmor.info/Tanks/TRIALS/19991020.html |archive-date=2008-01-29}} is tested against ATGMs.</ref>

==History==
[[Image:Missile MBDA Brimstone.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Brimstone missile]] is a fire-and-forget missile of the [[RAF]] ]]
[[Image:Trigat-LR-detoured.jpg|right|thumb|PARS 3 LR fire-and-forget missile of the [[German Army]] ]]

===World War II===
Germany developed a design for a wire-guided anti tank missile derived from the [[Ruhrstahl X-4]] air to air missile concept in the closing years of World War II.<ref>{{cite web|author=B. I. Yevdokimov|date=27 July 1967|title=ANTITANK ROCKET MISSLES<!--sic-->|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/655039.pdf|access-date=27 April 2019|archive-date=27 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427235649/https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/655039.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Known as the [[Ruhrstahl X-7|X-7]], it was probably never used in combat and allegedly had serious guidance to target issues.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.forecastinternational.com/samples/F656_CompleteSample.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.forecastinternational.com/samples/F656_CompleteSample.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=The Market for Anti-Tank Missiles |website=Forecast International |access-date=2019-09-13}}</ref> It never entered service, though a few were produced.<ref name="auto" />

===Early Cold War: first generation ATGMs===
First-generation ATGMs use a type of [[command guidance]] termed ''[[manual command to line of sight]]'' (MCLOS). This requires continuous input from an operator using a joystick or similar [[control system]] to steer the missile to a target. One disadvantage of this is that an operator must keep the sight's [[reticle]] cross hairs on a target and then steer the missile into the cross hairs, i.e., the line-of-sight. To do this, an operator must be well trained (spending many hours on a simulator) and must remain stationary and in view of a target during the flight time of the missile. Because of this, the operator is vulnerable while guiding the missile. In addition to the low kill probability, other problems with first generation ATGMs include slow missile speed, high minimum effective range, and an inability to use [[top attack]] missiles.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Iyer, N. R. |date=1995 |title=Recent Advances in Antitank Guided Missile Systems |url= https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/333720993.pdf|journal=Defence Science Journal |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=187–197 |doi= 10.14429/dsj.45.4118|doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 |access-date=}}</ref>

The first system to become operational and to see combat was the French [[Nord SS.10]] during the early 1950s. It entered service in the [[French Army]] in 1955. It was also the first anti-tank missile used by the [[US Army]] and [[Israeli Defense Forces]]. The [[Malkara missile]] (named from an [[Australian Aborigine|Aboriginal Australian]] word for "[[shield]]") was another of the earliest ATGMs. It was jointly developed by Australia and the United Kingdom between 1951 and 1954, and was in service from 1958 until gradually replaced by the [[Vickers Vigilant]] missile in the late 1960s. It was intended to be light enough to deploy with [[airborne force]]s, yet powerful enough to knock out any [[tank]] then in service. It used a {{convert|26|kg|lb}} [[high-explosive squash head]] (HESH) warhead. Other early first generation ATGMs include the West German [[Cobra (missile)|Cobra]] and the Soviet [[9M14 Malyutka]].

In 2012, first-generation systems were described as obsolete due to low hit probability, a limited ability to penetrate modern armour, and other issues. Still, many countries maintain significant stockpiles.<ref name="Berman" /> Approximately, first generation ATGMs have an effective range of 1500m and the ability to penetrate 500mm of [[rolled homogeneous armor]].<ref name="Berman">{{cite web|url=https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/SAS-Research-Note-16.pdf|title=Research Note No. 16: Anti-tank Guided Weapons|date=April 2012|publisher=Small Arms Survey|author1=Eric G. Berman|author2=Jonah Leff|author3= N.R. Jenzen-Jones|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115073523/https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/SAS-Research-Note-16.pdf|archive-date=15 January 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Late Cold War: second generation ATGMs===
Second-generation semi-automatically command guided to line-of-sight, or [[semi-automatic command to line of sight]] (SACLOS) missiles require an operator to only keep the sights on the target until impact. Automatic guidance commands are sent to the missile through [[Wire-guided missile|wires]] or [[radio]], or the missile relies on [[Beam riding|laser marking]] or a TV camera view from the nose of the missile. Examples are the Russian [[9M133 Kornet]], Israeli [[LAHAT]], the [[Spike (missile)#Spike NLOS|NLOS version of Spike]], and the American [[AGM-114 Hellfire|Hellfire I]] missiles. The operator must remain stationary during the missile's flight. The most widely used ATGM of all time, the American [[BGM-71 TOW]], with hundreds of thousands of missiles built, is a second-generation system.<ref name="Berman" />

Second generation ATGMs are significantly easier to use than first generation systems, and accuracy rates may exceed 90%. Generally they have an effective range of between 2,500 and 5,500 meters and penetration of up to 900&nbsp;mm of armor.<ref name="Berman" /> Cost is around $10,000 USD per missile.<ref name="Berman" />

===Post Cold War: third generation ATGMs and later===
Third-generation "[[fire-and-forget]]" missiles rely on a laser, electro-optical imager ([[Thermographic camera|IIR]]) seeker or a W band radar seeker in the nose of the missile. Once the target is identified, the missile needs no further guidance during flight; it is "[[fire-and-forget]]", and the missile operator is free to retreat. However, fire-and-forget missiles are more subject to electronic countermeasures than MCLOS and SACLOS missiles. Examples include the German [[PARS 3 LR]] and the Israeli [[Spike (missile)|Spike]].

Most modern ATGMs have [[shaped charge]] [[high-explosive anti-tank|HEAT]] warheads, designed specifically for penetrating [[tank]] armor. [[Tandem-charge]] missiles attempt to defeat [[explosive reactive armour]] (ERA): the small initial charge sets off the ERA while the follow-up main charge attempts to penetrate the main armor. [[Top-attack]] weapons such as the US [[FGM-148 Javelin|Javelin]], the Swedish [[BILL Anti-tank guided weapon|Bill]] and the Indian [[Nag (missile)|Nag]] and [[MPATGM]] are designed to strike vehicles from above, where their armor is usually much weaker.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 19, 2019|first=Manjeet|last=Negi|title=Indian Army successfully carries out trials of third generation NAG missiles|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/indian-army-trials-third-generation-nag-missiles-1571425-2019-07-19|access-date=2021-06-26|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Gady|first=Franz-Stefan|title=India's DRDO Test Fires Indigenous Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile|url=https://thediplomat.com/2018/09/indias-drdo-test-fires-indigenous-man-portable-anti-tank-guided-missile/|access-date=2021-06-26|website=thediplomat.com|language=en-US}}</ref> MPATGM incorporates a dual-mode [[RF]]/[[Imaging infrared|IIR]], [[AI]]-enabled uncooled seeker.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Linganna |first1=Girish |date=13 August 2024 |title=Accuracy of India's Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile will leave you amazed (WATCH) |url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/india/man-portable-anti-tank-guided-missile-tested-watch-1.9810747 |access-date=14 January 2025 |publisher=english.mathrubhumi.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Velayanikal |first=Malavika |date=2021-02-15 |title=Guided missiles homing in with Indian deep tech |url=https://www.livemint.com/news/business-of-life/guided-missiles-homing-in-with-indian-deep-tech-11613314273154.html |access-date=2021-02-19 |website=Mint |language=en}}</ref> Third generation systems and beyond are generally much more expensive than second generation systems.<ref name="Berman" />

===Fourth generation ATGMs===
[[File:Sant Missile.webm|thumb|SANT missile fired from Mi-24]]
Fourth generation [[fire-and-forget]] anti tank guided missiles have larger range and rely on a combination of seeker for guidance. Examples include India's [[Nag (missile)#SANT|SANT]], which has a stand-off range of {{cvt|15|to|20|km|mi|0}}, uses dual seeker configuration of [[Electro-optical targeting system|electro-optical]] [[thermal imager]] (EO/[[IR seeker|IR]]) and [[millimeter-wave]] [[active radar homing]] for control and guidance with [[Lock-on after launch|lock-on before launch and lock-on after launch]] capabilities.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 30, 2018|title=Upgraded SANT missile successfully flight tested|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/upgraded-sant-missile-successfully-flight-tested/articleshow/66872743.cms|access-date=2021-06-26|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=India successfully test-fires SANT missile with 'Lock-on After Launch' & 'Lock-on Before Launch' capabilities|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/india-successfully-test-fires-sant-missile-with-lock-on-after-launch-lock-on-before-launch-capabilities/669661|access-date=2021-06-26|website=www.timesnownews.com|date=19 October 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

===Fifth generation ATGMs===
Some ATGMs, notably the French [[Akeron MP]]<ref>{{cite web |date=15 June 2022 |title=AKERON MP |url=https://www.mbda-systems.com/product/akeron-mp/}}</ref> and the latest variants of the Israeli Spike (such as the Spike LR2 and ER2),<ref>{{Cite web|title=SPIKE 5th Gen Precision Guided Tactical Missiles [ATGM]|url=https://www.rafael.co.il/worlds/land/spike-5th-gen-precision-guided-tactical-missiles/|website=www.rafael.com.il|language=en}}</ref> have been called "5th generation" by their manufacturers and marketed as such. They appear to have the following additional or amplified attributes:

*passive dual-band seeker (TV and uncooled IR);
*multipurpose tandem warhead;
*smokeless propellant;
*less collateral damage;
*possible counter-active protection system (CAPS) capability;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://defense-update.com/20170529_spike_lr_2.html|title=Rafael's 'Smarter' Spike is Designed to Defeat Tanks with Active Protection - Defense Update|website=defense-update.com|date=29 May 2017|access-date=29 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529162002/http://defense-update.com/20170529_spike_lr_2.html|archive-date=29 May 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Man In The Loop|man in the loop]] technology;
*emphasis on targets other than tanks;
*other updates such as [[artificial intelligence]] for the missile.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://air.dfns.net/2017/09/05/fifth-element-mmp-goes-live/|title=Fifth element: MMP goes live {{!}} DFNS.net Air|date=2017-09-05|work=DFNS.net Air|access-date=2018-02-14|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118010951/https://air.dfns.net/2017/09/05/fifth-element-mmp-goes-live/|archive-date=18 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.industrie-techno.com/le-nouveau-missile-moyenne-portee-de-mbda-tire-et-oublie.30588|title=Le nouveau missile moyenne portée de MBDA|access-date=2018-02-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118064522/https://www.industrie-techno.com/le-nouveau-missile-moyenne-portee-de-mbda-tire-et-oublie.30588|archive-date=18 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.opex360.com/2014/06/16/mbda-met-en-la-modularite-du-missile-moyenne-portee/|title=MBDA met en avant la modularité du Missile Moyenne Portée|work=Zone Militaire|access-date=2018-02-14|language=fr-fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215225054/http://www.opex360.com/2014/06/16/mbda-met-en-la-modularite-du-missile-moyenne-portee/|archive-date=15 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Countermeasures==
[[File:SPIKE ATGM.jpg|thumb|right|[[Spike (missile)|Spike missile]], capable of making a [[top attack]] flight profile]]
[[File:Merkava4m-Windbreaker-0036a.jpg|thumb|right|[[Merkava]] Mk 4m with the [[Trophy (countermeasure)|Trophy]] [[active protection system|APS]] during [[Operation Protective Edge]] ]]

[[Countermeasure]]s against ATGMs include newer [[vehicle armour|armors]] such as [[vehicle armour#Spaced armour|spaced]], [[Slat armor|perforated]], [[composite armor|composite]] or [[Reactive armour|explosive reactive]] armor, [[Electronic countermeasure|jammers]] like the Russian [[Shtora]], [[active protection system]]s (APS) like the Israeli [[Trophy (countermeasure)|Trophy]] and the Russian [[Arena Active Protection System|Arena]], and other methods.

===Newer armor===
Armor systems have continued in development alongside ATGMs, and the most recent generations of armor are specifically tested to be effective against ATGM strikes, either by deforming the missile warhead or fusing to prevent proper detonation (such as in [[slat armor]]) or using some form of reactive armor to 'attack' the missile upon impact, disrupting the shaped charge that makes the warhead effective. Both come with the downside of significant weight and bulk. Reactive armor works best when a vehicle is specifically designed with the system integrated and while developments continue to make armor lighter, any vehicle that includes such a system necessitates a powerful engine and often will still be relatively slow. Inclusion of such armor in older vehicles as a part of a re-design is possible, as in the numerous types derived from the [[T-72]]. Slat armor is lighter and as such can be added to many vehicles after construction but still adds both bulk and weight. Particularly for vehicles that are designed to be transported by cargo aircraft, slat armor has to be fitted in the field after deployment. Either approach can never offer complete coverage over the vehicle, leaving tracks or wheels particularly vulnerable to attack.<ref>https://defence-industry.eu/explosive-reactive-armour-era-evolution-and-impact-on-tank-warfare/. Retrieved 4/11/25. Published 8/26/22. Published by Matteo Zanotti.</ref>

===Jamming===
Jamming is potentially an effective countermeasure to specific missiles that are radar guided, however, as a general purpose defense, it is of no use against unguided anti-tank weapons, and as such it is almost never the only defense. If jamming is used continually, it can be extremely difficult for a missile to acquire the target, locking on to the much larger return from the jammer, with the operator unlikely noticing the difference without a radar screen to see the return. However, any missile that has a backup tracking system can defeat jamming.

===Active===
Active protection systems show a great deal of promise, both in counteracting ATGMs and unguided weapons. Compared to armor systems, they are very lightweight, can be fitted to almost any vehicle with the internal space for the control system and could, in the future, be a near-perfect defense against any missiles. The weaknesses of the systems include potential developments in missile design such as radar or IR decoys, which would drastically reduce their chance to intercept a missile, as well as technical challenges such as dealing with multiple missiles at once and designing a system that can cover a vehicle from any angle of attack. While these may be answered and allow for lightweight, highly maneuverable vehicles that are strongly defended against missiles and rockets that are extremely well suited for urban and guerrilla warfare, such a system is unlikely to be as effective against kinetic energy projectiles, making it a poor choice for fighting against tanks. As kinetic energy projectiles move faster than guided missiles, this often means that the sensors attached to an active protection system can not keep up.

===Other===
Traditionally, before "fire-and-forget" ATGMs were used, the most effective countermeasure was to open fire at the location where the missile was fired from, to either kill the operator or force them to take cover,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Tank Debate: Armour and the Anglo-American Military Tradition|year=2000|publisher=Harwood Academic Publishers|isbn=9058230457 |page=78|author=John Stone}}</ref> thus sending the missile off course. Smoke screens can also be deployed from an MBT's [[smoke screen#Smoke generators|smoke discharger]], and used to obscure an ATGM operator's line of sight. Other improvised methods used by the [[Israel Defense Forces]] to defeat the [[9M14 Malyutka|Saggers]] involved firing in front of the tank to create dust.<ref>Rabinovich, Abraham, ''The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed The Middle East'', Random House, p.140</ref>  While fire-and-forget missiles have definitive advantages in terms of guidance and operator safety, and include abilities such as top attack mode, older missiles continue in use, both in the front line armies of less developed countries, and in reserve service the world over, due to their lower cost or existing stockpiles of less advanced weapons.

==See also==
* [[List of anti-tank missiles]]
* [[List of gun-launched missiles]]
* [[List of man-portable anti-tank systems]]
* [[List of missiles]]
* [[List of grenade launchers]]
* [[List of rocket launchers]]
* [[Guided Multipurpose Munition]]

==References==
{{Commons}}
{{-}}
{{reflist}}

{{Missile types}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anti-Tank Missile}}
[[Category:Anti-tank guided missiles| ]]
[[Category:Types of missile]]