After several
years of testing and negotiation, the Indian Army had recently decided
on a supplier for a new anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) for its 356
infantry battalions. The deal was worth nearly a billion dollars and was
about to be awarded to an Israeli firm (for its Spike ATGM) when the
entire process was cancelled over fears that corruption may have been
involved. No one was accused of taking a bribe but so much of that has
occurred in India that the politicians overruled the generals and
ordered them to run the search again and come up with at least two
finalists. This will not guarantee there will be no bribery but the
politicians are under a lot of pressure to curb corruption, and this
move at least makes it look like someone is making an effort.
The Indian army had originally wanted to buy the U.S. Javelin
ATGM and the Americans were willing to allow production to take place in
India. That deal fell apart because Indian procurement officials were
unwilling to guarantee that U.S. technology would not be stolen. Israel
pitched its similar Spike missile and did not consider potential
technology theft to be a deal breaker.
The army was not happy with this last minute cancellation, as
they need a replacement for the French Milan ATGMs. India has been
building Milans for over three decades. There is no suitable local
candidate, despite over two decades effort of trying to develop an
effective ATGM to replace Milan. While the Milan design has been updated
several times since it first appeared in 1972, there are several other
more recent designs that are more effective.
The most effective of these is the Javelin. Introduced in
2002, it weighs 22.3 kg (49 pounds, with disposable launch tube and
battery/seeker coolant unit) and is fired from a 6.4 kg (14 pound) CLU
(command launch unit). The CLU contains a 4x day sight and a 9x heat
sensing night sight. The missile has a tandem (two warheads, to blast
through reactive armor) that can hit a target straight on or from the
top. This latter capability enables the Javelin to use its 8.2 kg (18
pound) warhead to destroy any existing tank (including the U.S. M1).
Maximum range is 2,500 meters. Best of all, the seeker on the missile is
"fire and forget." That is, once the operator gets the target in the
CLU crosshairs and fires the missile, the computer and seeker in the
missile warhead memorizes the target and homes in on it. The infantry
loves this because it allows them to take cover once the missile is
fired.
Meanwhile, some 30,000 Milans have already been produced in
India, under license from European firm MBDA. They have also produced
nearly 3,000 launchers. India believes that against Pakistan (the enemy
that is most likely to use a lot of armored vehicles) Milan will still
get the job done. But more modern ATGMs get the job done better and at
the loss of fewer Indian infantrymen. This is a popular attitude, and
the army is not happy about being ordered to start the search for a
Milan replacement all over again.
The basic Milan is a 1.2 meter long, 125mm diameter, 7.1 kg
(16 pound) missile. It has a minimum range of 400 meters and maximum
range of 2,000 meters. At max range the missile takes about 13 seconds
to reach its target. The missile is guided to the target by the operator
via a thin wire. The launcher weighs 21 kg (46 pounds). The missile can
penetrate about a meter of armor, making it effective against all but
the most modern tanks (M-1, Challenger, Leopard II). That means Milan
will still destroy all the tanks Pakistan has aimed at India.
The Indians pay about $30,000 per Milan missile and have had
good success with them in combat. The Javelins cost more than twice as
much but are much more effective. Since the 1970s, over 350,000 Milan
missiles and 30,000 launchers have been built worldwide. More modern
ATGM are wireless and require much less effort on the part of the
operator but they are more expensive.
The Israeli missile closest to the Javelin is the Spike MR.
This missile, in a container, weighs 14 kg (30.8 pounds), while the CLU
(with thermal sight and battery) weighs 12.8 kg (28.3 pounds). Like
Javelin, Spike MR has a range of 2,500 meters and is "fire and forget."
France recently went looking for a MILAN replacement and the two
finalists were Javelin and Spike MR. Javelin won.
Since ATGMs first saw action three decades ago, operators
quickly discovered that in the time it took (up to 15 seconds) for the
missile to reach its target, enemy troops would often shower them with
machine-gun fire, and the most recent ATGM designs seek to deal with
that. Another Javelin feature is "soft launch", where the missile is
popped out of the launch tube by a small explosive charge, small enough
to allow the Javelin to be fired from inside a building. Once the
missile is about eight meters out, the main rocket motor ignites. The
minimum range is, however, 75 meters. It takes about 20 seconds to
reload a CLU after a missile has been fired, while Spike MR needs only
15 seconds.
Indian troops got a chance to fire Javelins three years ago
and were very impressed. Not just because of its ease of use and
accuracy but because the missile is combat proven and is known to be
very effective at non-vehicle targets. The CLU also performs well as a
night vision device, which is how many American troops use it in Iraq
and Afghanistan. The Spike was tested as well and was considered a
satisfactory alternative to the Javelin. India already has a lot of
Israeli military gear and Indian users are pleased with it.
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