Франко-германский противотанковый ракетный комплекс MILAN

Franco German anti tank missile

Missile d'Infanterie Léger Antichar (French for "Lightweight Infantry Anti tank Missile") or MILAN is a Franco West German anti tank guided missile system. Design of the MILAN began in 1962; it was ready for trials in 1971, and accepted for service in 1972. It is a wire guided semi automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) missile, which means the sight of the launch unit must be aimed at a target to guide the missile. The MILAN can be equipped with a MIRA or MILIS thermal sight to give it night firing ability. "Milan" is also a common name in French and German to designate a kite bird.

MILAN is a product of Euromissile, a Franco West German missile development program dating back to the 1960s. The system entered service in 1972 as a second generation anti tank weapon and soon became a standard anti tank weapon throughout NATO, in use by most of the alliance's individual armies. Consisting of two main components, the launcher and the missile, the MILAN system uses a semi automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) command guidance system. It tracks the missile either by a tail mounted infrared lamp or an electronic flash lamp, depending on the model. Because it is guided by wire by an operator, the missile cannot be affected by radio jamming or flares. However, drawbacks include short range, exposure of the operator, and problems with overland powerlines. The MILAN 2 variant, which entered service with the French, German and British armies in 1984, uses an improved 115 mm high explosive anti tank (HEAT) shaped charge warhead. The MILAN 3 entered service with the French army in 1995 and features a new generation localizer that makes the system more difficult to jam electronically.

MILAN missile systems were among the numerous weapons sent to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan in the 1980s by the United States to combat Soviet troops. The MILAN had a devastating effect on Soviet armor, having a similar effect on tanks and armored personnel carriers as Stinger missiles had had on Soviet helicopters. In 2010, French troops killed four Afghan civilians in Kapisa Province using a MILAN system during a firefight.

MILAN missiles provided by the French government saw common usage during the war between Chad and Libya where they were used by Chadian forces. Often mounted on Toyota pickup trucks, the missiles successfully engaged Libyan armour in the Aouzou Strip including T 55 tanks.

In 1982, the ruling military junta in Argentina launched the invasion of the UK overseas territory of the Falkland Islands, leading to the Falklands War. British forces used MILAN, along with the M72 LAW and Carl Gustaf, in a 'bunker buster' role. The MILAN saw use in the battles for Goose Green, Mount Longdon, Two Sisters and Wireless Ridge.

MILAN was used by both coalition and Iraqi forces during the Persian Gulf War, with a MILAN launcher operated by French forces claiming to have destroyed seven T 55 tanks. Iraqi operated MILAN missiles were supplied by the French government during the 1980s and were used by Iraqi forces during both Gulf Wars.

Syria ordered about 200 launchers and 4,000 missiles in 1977 which were delivered in 1978 1979 and used by the Syrians during the Lebanese Civil War. The Syrian army used Milan missiles against Israeli tanks in Lebanon in 1982. Syrian rebels captured some in depots, as did ISIL. The Kurdish YPG also used Milans supplied by the international coalition. In 2015, Germany supplied the Peshmerga with 30 MILAN launchers and over 500 missiles. Those missiles were mostly used against ISIS forces, but on 20 October during the 2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict, Kurdish forces destroyed an Iraqi M1 Abrams tank and several Humvees using the MILANs.

The first Milan version was delivered to the Special Forces and the antitank platoons in the late 1970s and 1980s at a scale of six launchers per platoon. Each platoon was organised into three antitank sections, with two ATGM launchers and two M40A1 106mm recoilless guns or two rocket launchers. Six SADF Milan teams were deployed by the Special Forces in support of the Angolan UNITA guerrillas, in the Cazombo Salient in 1985 during Operation Wallpaper.

France has sent MILAN missiles to Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. There have been unconfirmed footage of it being used by the Ukrainian military on Russian targets. Russian forces have also been seen using captured MILANs