MILAN 2

The Milan comes in two main portable components, which are the launcher and the missile. It is a simple matter to clip both items together and prepare the system for use. On firing, the operator has only to keep his aiming mark on the target and the SACLOS guidance system will do the rest.

Milan was the first of a series of infantry anti-tank weapons that seriously started to challenge the supremacy of the main battle tank on the battlefield. During fighting in Chad in 1987, it appears that 12 Chadian Milan, post mounted on Toyota Light Trucks, were able to account for over 60 Libyan T-55s and T-62s. Reports from other conflicts suggest similar results.

Milan is on issue throughout the British Army and an armoured infantry battalion could be expected to be equipped with up to 24 firing posts and 200 missiles. Milan is in service with 36 nations worldwide and it is believed that there are over 1,000 firing posts in service with the British Army.

There are longer term plans to replace Milan with either the US Javelin or the Israeli Gill anti-tank missiles. Quantities of these systems have been purchased by the UK Defence Procurement Agency (DPA), for missile trials late in 2001. These are the only two contenders for the UK Light Forces Anti-Tank Guided Weapon Systems (ATGWS), which will initially replace Milan in service with Rapid Reaction Formations, such as the Army's 16 Air Assault Brigade and the Royal Marine's 3 Commando Brigade.

In addition to being capable of defeating main battle tanks (MBTs) from all aspects, Milan is also required to have a secondary capability against other battlefield targets, such as fixed defences.