New Generation MILAN-ER Medium-Range ATGW Franch VS Javelin U.S

MILAN-ER French Army

The Javelin is competition with the Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Spike to replace the French Army’s wireguided MILAN medium-range ATGW. The army eventually hopes to acquire up to 500 launchers and 3,000 missiles.

European missile manufacturer MBDA has produced more than 10,000 firing posts and 360,000 MILAN missiles for 43 customers since 1974. Following the collapse of the British, French and German medium range TRIGAT project to develop a replacement system MBDA has developed a new generation MILAN. This work is being supervised by France’s Délégation Générale pour l'Armement under the terms of an agreement between the French and German governments.

Over the past three years MBDA has conducted successful launches of the MILAN ER (Extended Response) missile using the new ADT (ADvanced Technologies) firing post. The new generation MILAN retains the weapon’s proven wire-guidance system but extends the range from 1,950 m to 3,000 m. Ruag (now Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland) had developed a new dual purpose 115 mm warhead for the MILAN ER that is able to pierce more than 1.1 m of armour protected by ERA or to punch through 2.5 m of concrete.

The fully digital ADT incorporates built-in test facilities, improved maintenance and a training system. The ADT is designed to be backwards compatible so that existing MILAN users can exhaust their stocks of MILAN 2 and 3 missiles.

The South African Army became the first customer for the new system when it signed an €18 million contract at the beginning of 2007 for MILAN 3 missiles, ADT firing posts and simulators. In South African service the
MILAN ER/ADT will complement the Denel Aerospace Systems Ingwe which was locally developed to meet the requirement for a long-range missile that can be launched from helicopters and ground platforms.