The is a Japanese
SACLOS
Semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) is a method of missile command guidance. In SACLOS, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight. Electronics in the sighting device and/or th ...
guided
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 ...
that entered service with 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 ...
in 1984. It was initially issued to coastal defence units, intended to destroy troop and vehicle landing ships as they approached the shoreline. It is also known as KAM-9.
Description
The missile is stored in a cylindrical transport container. On launch the missile is ejected from the tube by a solid rocket motor. After traveling a safe distance from the operator, the
Daicel
is a chemical company based in Japan. It operates business in celluloid technologies, organic chemicals, high-performance chemicals, polymers and pyrotechnic devices. The company's products include cellulose acetate, tow for cigarette filters, ...
flight motor ignites and takes the missile to its cruising speed of approximately 200 meters per second.
The missile is a thin cylinder with two sets of four pop-up fins positioned along the body of the missile. The warhead is either a
shaped charge
A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to form an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, init ...
for use against tanks, or a semi-armour piercing fragmentation type with a delayed-action
fuze
In military munitions, a fuze (sometimes fuse) is the part of the device that initiates function. In some applications, such as torpedoes, a fuze may be identified by function as the exploder. The relative complexity of even the earliest fuze d ...
for use against landing vessels.
Operation
The missile is steered in flight by command signals from the launcher transmitted over a guidance wire spooled out behind the missile. A xenon lamp on the rear of the missile allows the NEC manufactured launcher sight unit to compute an offset between the missile position and line of sight to the target, and calculate steering corrections based on this offset.
The Type 79 missile can be fired remotely, at a distance of up to fifty meters from the tripod mounted guidance system. It can be mounted on a
Mitsubishi Type 73 jeep, similar to the
Type 64 MAT
The is a Japanese wire-guided anti-tank missile developed during the late 1950s. The missile is a broadly similar to the Swiss/German Cobra and the 9M14 Malyutka. Within the JGSDF, it is also known as 64MAT and KAM-3.
History
Development of t ...
and the
Type 87 Chu-MAT
The 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. ...
. The Type 79 is also in use with the
Mitsubishi Type 89 IFV
The (89 FV ) is a Japanese infantry fighting vehicle that entered service with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in 1989. There were 58 vehicles in service and a total of 120 produced by 2014 with 300 planned. The main armament of the vehicle ...
.
See also
*
Type 64 MAT
The is a Japanese wire-guided anti-tank missile developed during the late 1950s. The missile is a broadly similar to the Swiss/German Cobra and the 9M14 Malyutka. Within the JGSDF, it is also known as 64MAT and KAM-3.
History
Development of t ...
*
Type 87 Chu-MAT
The 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. ...
*
Type 01 LMAT
The is a Japanese man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank missile. Development began in 1993 at Kawasaki Heavy Industries and was accepted into service in 2001. During development, the missile was designated with the codename XATM-5. Later it was ...
References
*
*
*
* ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, Tokyo 1991,
External links
Official JGSDF Page
{{Japanese missiles
Anti-tank guided missiles of the Cold War
Anti-tank guided missiles of Japan
Cold War weapons of Japan
Military equipment introduced in the 1980s