The is a Japanese man-portable

fire-and-forget Fire-and-forget is a type of missile guidance which does not require further external intervention after launch such as illumination of the target or wire guidance, and can hit its target without the launcher being in line-of-sight of the targe ...

anti-tank missile 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 v ...

. Development began in 1993 at

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headq ...

and was accepted into service in 2001. During development, the missile was designated with the codename XATM-5. Later it was known briefly as the: ATM-5. In the 1st Airborne Brigade, it is used as its main anti-armor weapon.

History

As a replacement was needed for the Sumitomo FT-84 recoilless rifle in front-line service with the

Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

, plans to replace it with an

Infrared homing Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is radi ...

was commissioned by the Defense Agency's ''Technical Research and Development Institute''. In 1993,

was selected to create the said

system. In trials conducted by the

JGSDF The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

, the system was known as the XATM-5. The system was created in the same year with live testing in 1996. Requirements for the system included portability, usage by a single soldier and design-to-cost technology. In 2001, after 11 years, it was finally placed into service with the

as the Type 01 LMAT which translates from Japanese to ''Type 01 light anti-tank guided missile''. A report filed by the Ministry of Defense in 2005 called for acquisition of an unknown number of 01 LMAT missile systems among various military items purchased from Kawasaki Heavy Industries for 129,700,000,000 Yen.

Design

This weapon employs a sophisticated Command Launch Unit (CLU) that is re-loaded for multiple firings. It is not of the disposable (one-shot) type. The LMAT's missile warhead is tandem HEAT, its two-stage warhead making it effective against

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Compa ...

protected vehicles.

Application

The Type 01 LMAT, while used for infantry in anti-tank roles, can be mounted on the

Komatsu LAV The is a Japanese military vehicle first produced in 2002. Currently used exclusively by the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF), it has seen use in the Iraq War. It is built by Komatsu Ltd. Defense Systems Division in Komatsu, Ishikawa, Japan. Koma ...

for a mobile anti-tank platform.

Operators

*: 1073 Sets (2010)

Similar weapons

9M133 Kornet The 9M133 Kornet (russian: Корнет; "Cornet", NATO reporting name AT-14 Spriggan, export designation Kornet-E) is a Military of Russia, Russian man-portable anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) intended for use against main ...

FGM-148 Javelin The FGM-148 Javelin, or Advanced Anti-Tank Weapon System-Medium (AAWS-M), is an American-made portable anti-tank missile system in service since 1996, and continuously upgraded. It replaced the M47 Dragon anti-tank missile in US service. Its fire- ...

HJ-12 The Hongjian-12 () is a third generation, man-portable, fire-and-forget infrared homing anti-tank missile of China. It was unveiled at the Eurosatory 2014 exhibition. History The missile was first showcased on the Eurosatory 2014 exhibition. S ...

Missile Moyenne Portée The Akeron MP (''Akeron Moyenne Portée''),/sup> * Fire-and-Forget * Man In The Loop with optical fiber data-link * Lock-on after launch (LOAL) for non-line-of-sight (NLOS) and using third party target designation. Despite these new features, ...

MPATGM The MPATGM or Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile, is an Indian third generation fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) derived from India's Nag ATGM. , it is being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) ...

* OMTAS * Spike-MR/LR

References

Notes

* ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, Tokyo 1991,

External links

Official JGSDF Page

Type 01 LAMAT vs FGM-48 JAVELIN high quality video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Type 01 Lmat Post–Cold War anti-tank missiles of Japan Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Military equipment introduced in the 2000s Fire-and-forget weapons Kawasaki Heavy Industries