Brazilian Rocket Launcher Now in Final Development Phase
At Eurosatory 2018 in Paris on 11 June Brazilian company Mac Jee showed its ARMADILLO TA-2 vehicle-mounted rocket launcher, now in the final stage of development.
The patented launch platform consists of three modules, each containing 16 70mm rockets and capable of 360° traverse. The platform is designed for complete retraction into the vehicle during non-offensive phases of the mission and carries a full set of 48 reload rounds in an autoloading compartment.
Development of the ARMADILLO TA-2 began in 2015 and is due for completion this year, according to company officials. A prototype is under construction, using the AM General HMMWV as the vehicular component, which will be tested at the Brazilian Army Assessment Centre in Rio de Janeiro. Volume production is anticipated to commence in 2020 at Mac Jee’s Capivari facilities, which will have capacity for 50-100 units. The company is also working on a short-range air defence and an anti-tank version of the rocket launcher.
“We had the idea of creating and patenting a simple, compact system capable of meeting the demand for smaller cars fitted with rocket launchers for the armed forces,” explained Mac Jee CEO, Simon Jeannot.
