Alcotán-100 is a

recoil Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, as according to Newton's third law the force requ ...

less, one-man portable, single-use (firing control unit is reusable)

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first deve ...

rocket launcher system used by

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

, manufactured by

Instalaza Instalaza SA is a Spanish firm that designs, develops and manufactures equipment and other military material for infantry. The company, founded in 1943, is headquartered in Zaragoza, Aragon, where its production plant is also located. Instalaza's ...

. The firing control unit predicts the future aiming point based on calculation before the rocket fire. It is being used as an infantry-type weapon and fireable from confined spaces. Instalaza claiming it to be, "the highest performance in unguided shoulder launched systems". It is in service with the

Spanish Armed Forces The Spanish Armed Forces are in charge of guaranteeing the sovereignty and independence of the Kingdom of Spain, defending its territorial integrity and the constitutional order, according to the functions entrusted to them by the Constitution o ...

and exported to other countries. The ALCOTAN-100 shoulder launched weapon system has been deployed successfully in several conflicts around the World.

History

Production of the Alcotán-100 began in 1998.

Description

The Alcotán-100 fires a HEAT charge, in addition to HE/FRAG and HEDP (dual-purpose) rounds, and the weapon can be fired from confined spaces. The weapon also has a laser range finder and a ballistic computer; this firing control unit must be turned on before the weapon can be operated.

VOSEL Fire System

The VOSEL fire control unit is available in two different versions, ''VOSEL (M2)'' and ''VOSEL (M2)-IR''. The ''VOSEL (M2)'' fire system gives the ''Alcotán-100 (M2)'' a high hit probability. It incorporates night vision that allows the operator to identify a target up to 1,200 metres in the night, a laser rangefinder with a range up to 2,000 metres and a ballistic computer. After calculating the lead of the moving target, the computer will shows the gunner the future aiming point. The soldier then uses the aiming point to a hit. This mechanism reduces the reaction time and maximize the hit probability. The VOSEL fire system can be used separately from the launcher tube as a night surveillance telemetric device.

Specifications

* Calibre: 100 mm * Length: 1.15 m * Weight: ** Launcher with projectile: 10.5 kg ALCOTAN-AT (M2), 10 kg ALCOTAN-BIV (M2), 9.8 kg ALCOTAN-ABK (M2), 10.3 kg ALCOTAN-MP (M2) ** Fire system: 4.5 kg * Range: **30 m to 600 m point target for the ALCOTAN-AT (M2), ALCOTAN-BIV (M2), ALCOTAN-ABK (M2) and ALCOTAN-MP (M2) ** >1,000 m for ALCOTAN-BIV (M2) (area target) and 1,000 m for ALCOTAN-MP (M2) (airbust) * Engine:

Solid-fuel rocket A solid-propellant rocket or solid rocket is a rocket with a rocket engine that uses solid propellants ( fuel/oxidizer). The earliest rockets were solid-fuel rockets powered by gunpowder; they were used in warfare by the Arabs, Chinese, Persian ...

* Penetration: **Anti-tank ALCOTAN-AT (M2): 700 mm (

explosive reactive armour Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and specially hardened kinetic ener ...

+ armour steel) **Dual purpose ALCOTAN-BIV (M2): 400 mm (armour steel) along with >1000 fragments ** Anti-bunker ALCOTAN-ABK (M2): 350 mm (concrete, ∅ >50 mm for 2nd warhead follow-through) along with >2500 fragments inside bunker, 170 mm (armour steel) ** Multi-purpose ALCOTAN-MP (M2): Effective against light armour and brick walls, >3000 fragments (airbust)

Operators

Current operators

; *

; *Special Forces *Cavalry and mountain infantry units, with 74 launchers with 660 rockets. ; *

Bahrain Defence Force The Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) is the military force of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Bahrain Defence Force is under direct command and leadership of a commander-in-chief who holds the rank of field marshal. The Government has a Minister of De ...

; *

Armed Forces of Ukraine , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...

. ; *

Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...

Future operators

;: *

Bangladesh Army The Bangladesh Army is the land warfare branch and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to provide necessary forces and capabilities to deliver the Bangladeshi government's security and def ...

: ALCOTAN-AT (M2) and ALCOTAN-BIV (M2) along with VOSEL (M2) firing control units.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcotan-100 Anti-tank rockets Weapons of Spain Military equipment introduced in the 1990s