Mature and Developing Systems Offer Flexibility in Selection

At MSPO 2019 in Kielce two Polish companies proposed concepts for new anti-tank guided weapons (ATGW) which in the future may be offered both to the Polish Army – including the Territorial Army – and foreign customers.

WITU (Wojskowy Instytut Techniczny Uzbrojenia) from Zielonka presented a mock-up of a tandem-warhead MOSKIT-LR ATGW which is designed as an efficient weapon against amoured targets, including modern MBTs and AIFVs. It is considered a cheaper alternative to Rafael’s SPIKE missiles, which are produced under license by MESKO from Skarżysko Kamienna. According to WITU, it can penetrate up to 700mm rolled homogenous armour (RHA) – a capability already tested. Its declared range is 4km, although this can be increased to 8km if a more powerful warhead and better target systems are installed. The MOSKIT is equipped with an opto-electronic warhead with day/night sensors. WITU intends to offer two firing modes – ‘fire-and-forget’ and semi-automatic, in which operator flight corrections are made via optical fibre. MOSKIT-LR is designed as a lightweight solution: total launcher weight 15kg. A target/sight device weighs in at 8 kg, and a tripod at 3kg.

A more mature system is the PIRAT, under development by Mesko and CRW Telesystem-Mesko. It has already undergone some field tests, which confirmed the effectiveness of the guidance system, based on indigenously-designed digital sensors and the LPC-1 laser target designator. The laser beam is coded and compatible with NATO standards. LCP-1 is a multipurpose solution which can be used to designate targets for other systems, such as aircraft or artillery. During recent tests, two PIRAT missiles were fired. It has a top-attack capability, according to the manufacturer – a new feature for Polish systems. PIRAT’s declared range is 2.5km and it can penetrate up to 500mm RHA.

Robert Czulda