Type 87 Chu-MAT

Type 87 Chu-MAT
The Type 87 launcher and laser designator on a single tripod.
TypeLaser guided anti-tank missile
Place of originJapan
Service history
In service1989 - present
Used byJapan
Production history
DesignerDefense Agency Technical Research and Development Institute
DesignedLate 1970s
ManufacturerKawasaki Heavy Industries[1]
Mitsubishi Motors
Produced1987 to present
Specifications
MassMissile 12 kg
System 140 kg[2]
Length1 m
Crew3
Caliber110 mm[3]
Effective firing range2,000 m
SightsLaser assisted sights
Guidance
system
Laser guidance
The launcher unit of the Type 87.

The Type 87 Chū-MAT (87式対戦車誘導弾, 87-shiki tai-sensha yūdō-dan) Chū-MAT is a Japanese laser guided anti-tank missile in service with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces. Intended as a front-line replacement for the Type 64 MAT, it has entered into service alongside the SACLOS guided Type 79 Jyu-MAT.

History

Development of the system began in 1976, missile trials were conducted in 1982, and a complete prototype system delivered in 1985.[4] The first units entered service with the JGSDF in 1989.[4] The system consists of a launcher, and a laser designator mounted on a heavy tripod.

Description

The unit is situated on a tripod unit with the missile launcher and laser designator on it. The designator and launcher can be separated from each other by up to 200 meters, or can be mounted together on the same tripod, although Jane's notes that the exhaust gas from the missile may interrupt the designator laser.[3]

Like the Type 64 MAT and the Type 79 Jyu-MAT, it can be mounted onto a Mitsubishi Type 73 jeep or the Komatsu LAV for anti-armor roles.

Future Plans

The Defense Agency's Technical Research and Developmental Institute has begun conducting tests on a new anti-tank missile that will eventually replace the Type 87 in front-line service. The project's code name is known in the JSDF as the Shin Chu-MAT.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Type-87 Chu-MAT anti-tank missile. Retrieved on April 13, 2008.
  2. ^ Designator, launcher and six missiles
  3. ^ a b Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005-2006.
  4. ^ a b "Type 87 Chu-MAT anti-tank missile system (Japan), Anti-tank weapons". Jane's. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  5. ^ Japanese Military Aircraft Designations (after 1945). Retrieved on November 26, 2007.
  • Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, Kenkyusha Limited, Tokyo 1991, ISBN 4-7674-2015-6
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