Euromissile HOT
Encyclopedia
The HOT is a second-generation long-range anti-tank missile system developed originally as an effort to meet a joint German-French Army requirement, by the then German firm Bolkow and the French firm Nord, to replace the older SS.11
wire guided missile which was in service with both nations. A few years later, Nord and Bolkow merged with MBB and Aerospatiale respectively, both of which firms later formed Euromissile
to design and produce the MILAN
, Roland and HOT.
This firm (now MBDA
), is a joint corporation of French
and German
defense firms. The HOT has become one of the most successful missiles of its class, with tens of thousands of missiles produced, used by no fewer than a dozen countries worldwide, and validated in combat in several wars. The missile system is also commonly mounted on light and medium armored vehicles, and attack helicopter
s.
The HOT entered limited production in 1976, with mass production of 800 missiles a month reached in 1978. The HOT became initially operational with the German and French armies fitted to specialized armored antitank vehicles. In addition, Euromissile was in the enviable position of having large export orders from Middle East nations at the start of mass production. This was likely due to the situation in the late 1970s where many nations did not want to rely solely on arms purchases from the USSR combined with the US Congress restrictions on the export sales of the TOW
antitank missile.
In Europe, the end of the service life of the HOT missile system is in sight with the French opting to purchase Hellfire II
missiles for their Tiger
-HAD attack helicopters and the Germans planning to transition to the PARS 3 LR. Austria has decommissioned its HOT-carrying tank destroyers, while Spain is transitioning to Spike
missiles to replace their HOT missile inventory. The HOT missile continues to be in widespread use in other areas of the world.
guidance system instead of the less reliable MCLOS
system used by the SS.11; had a longer range combined with a better minimum engagement range; had a higher missile speed than the SS.11 resulting in a shorter flight time; and packed in a sealed container that also served as the launcher.
The HOT missile is tube-launched and optically tracked using the SACLOS guidance system with command link through trailing wires which steers the missile using thrust vector controls
on the sustainer motor during the missile's flight. When the gunner fires the HOT missile, the missile activates a thermal battery, flares and a small gas generator spins up the gyro. The same gases for the gyro pop the covers off of both ends of the cylindrical container the HOT missile comes packed it. Moments later, both the sustainer motor and the booster are fired, ejecting the missile from the container.
Unlike most antitank missiles, in which the booster burns completely before leaving the container and then the missile coasts a safe distance before the sustainer motor ignites, the HOT's booster burns both inside the container and outside the container for approximately one second giving the missile a high speed. The sustainer motor burns for 17 seconds, a flight time whose path exceeds the length of the trailing wires which dictate the maximum range of the missile. Because of the more powerful booster and sustainer motor that burns during its complete flight, the HOT missile had a much shorter flight time than any other wire guided antitank missiles when it was introduced. The booster's four nozzles are located at the roots of the four spring out fins. The sustainer motor's single exhaust is located in the rear of the missile body, where a vane controls the missile through thrust vector control as it rotates in flight.
After the missile is fired, all the gunner has to do is keep the target in the sight's cross hairs, and the system will automatically track the missile's rear-facing flares, gather the missile into the gunner's sight, and send commands to steer the missile into the gunner's line of sight. Approximately 50 meters after ejecting from the container, the safety system arms the HEAT
warhead's fuze and will detonate when the outer skin of the two-layer nose cone is crushed to contact with the inside skin, completing an electrical circuit. With this type of fuzing system, the missile does not have to hit the tip of the missile's nose to detonate the HEAT warhead. The HOT 1 and HOT 2 use the warhead fuzing system previously described.
The latest version of the HOT family, the HOT 3, uses a unique feature found on no other missile to defeat tanks fitted with explosive reactive armor. A laser-proximity fuze located in the front half of the nose measures the distance between the target and the missile. At the correct range, the small nipple on the front nose containing a small HEAT warhead is ejected forward from the missile body to pre-detonate the reactive armor followed by the detonation of main HEAT warhead.
The Bundeswehr
upgraded the Raketenjagdpanzer 2
tank destroyer
to use the HOT missile in what was designated as the Jaguar 1
. The Jaguar 1 mounted a single Euromissile K3S launcher and carried 20 HOT missiles, one of which was carried in the launcher. This tank destroyer was also used by Austria.
France developed a variant of the AMX-10P
that substituted an armored four-tube HOT missile launcher called the Lancelot for the vehicle's regular 20mm cannon turret. The Lancelot turret carriers 20 HOT missiles—4 mounted and 16 stored inside—and uses a sight with X12 magnification as well as a laser rangefinder. The only known customer is Saudi Arabia.
HOT missiles have also been mounted on wheeled vehicles such as the Panhard VCR/TH
and the VAB VCAC
with the Mephisto turret. Both the VCR and the VCAC carried four ready-to-launch missiles. The main advantage that the VAB Mephisto turret has over the TH turret is that both the operator and the missiles are both under armor and the Mephisto turret can be retracted flush with the vehicle's top for loading on either the C-130 or C-160 transport aircraft.
In an unusual move, in 1986 Euromissile offered a single round ground launched system for HOT missile called ATLAS (Affut de Tir Leger Au Sol - which approximately translates as light ground firing mount) for installation on smaller unarmored vehicles, like the Jeep or Land Rover. The object was to field an antitank weapon that long range patrols could use to engage heavy armor beyond the range of the tank's main cannon. The ATLAS is similar to the TOW mounted on various four wheel drive vehicles light vehicles. But unlike the TOW light vehicle mount, there is a shield to protect the gunner against the HOT's booster and sustainer motors which are both burning as they exit the container. The vehicle mounting the ATLAS is expected to carry a mix of both HOT missiles with antitank warheads and the HOT with the multi-purpose warhead.
Shortly after the introduction of the HOT by Germany and France on ground vehicles, both nations introduced helicopters in the dedicated antitank role firing the HOT. The French used the Gazelle SA342M
helicopter, which carries four HOT missiles in two dual launchers. Germany opted for the Bo-105 PAH-1, which is capable of carrying six HOT missiles in two triple launchers. Subsequently, the HOT missile was qualified for launch from other helicopters such as the German Tiger helicopter (carrying up to eight HOT's in two quad launchers) and the South African Rooivalk helicopter.
By 1987, 1,434 launchers and 70,350 missiles had been produced. The HOT-3 was brought into service in 1998 and has a tandem shaped-charge HEAT
warhead capable of breaching explosive reactive armor as well as improved anti-jamming capabilities. The HOT-3 was selected to be the missile armament of the Tiger attack helicopter for Germany at least until the PARS 3 LR becomes available.
The HOT has been used in combat in several wars, including the Iran-Iraq War, Lebanon, Chad, Western Sahara, and the Gulf War of 1991.
Various reports state that the first combat use of the HOT was with the Iraqi Army during the Iran-Iraq War, launched from Panhard VCR/TH 6x6 wheeled armored vehicles fitted with the UTM-800 turret. Photos have also recorded captured examples of the VCR/TH in service with the Iranian Army.
Time to target at maximum range is 17.3 seconds with an average speed of 832 kilometers per hour.
SS.11
SS.11 is the designation of the Nord Aviation MCLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile. In American service the missile was designated the AGM-22. The missile entered service with the French Army in 1956. Production of the SS.11 ceased some time in the 1980s but in 1978 168,450 missiles had been produced...
wire guided missile which was in service with both nations. A few years later, Nord and Bolkow merged with MBB and Aerospatiale respectively, both of which firms later formed Euromissile
Euromissile
Euromissile was a European consortium set up in the 1970s by DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG of Germany and Aérospatiale of France to produce the Euromissile HOT anti-tank missile. All activities have been merged and are now part of MBDA....
to design and produce the MILAN
MILAN
MILAN " is French and German for "kite bird") is a European anti-tank guided missile. Design of the MILAN started in 1962. It was ready for trials in 1971, and was accepted for service in 1972. It is a wire guided SACLOS missile, which means the sight of the launch unit has to be aimed at the...
, Roland and HOT.
This firm (now MBDA
MBDA
MBDA is a missile developer and manufacturer with operations in France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and the United States. It was formed by a merger of Aérospatiale-Matra Missiles , Finmeccanica and Matra BAe Dynamics in December 2001. In 2003 the company had 10,000 employees...
), is a joint corporation of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
defense firms. The HOT has become one of the most successful missiles of its class, with tens of thousands of missiles produced, used by no fewer than a dozen countries worldwide, and validated in combat in several wars. The missile system is also commonly mounted on light and medium armored vehicles, and attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
An attack helicopter is a military helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the capability of engaging targets on the ground, such as enemy infantry and armored vehicles...
s.
The HOT entered limited production in 1976, with mass production of 800 missiles a month reached in 1978. The HOT became initially operational with the German and French armies fitted to specialized armored antitank vehicles. In addition, Euromissile was in the enviable position of having large export orders from Middle East nations at the start of mass production. This was likely due to the situation in the late 1970s where many nations did not want to rely solely on arms purchases from the USSR combined with the US Congress restrictions on the export sales of the TOW
BGM-71 TOW
The BGM-71 TOW is an anti-tank missile. "BGM" is a weapon classification that stands for "Multiple Environment , Surface-Attack , Missile ". "TOW" is an acronym that stands for "Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire command data link, guided missile"...
antitank missile.
In Europe, the end of the service life of the HOT missile system is in sight with the French opting to purchase Hellfire II
AGM-114 Hellfire
The AGM-114 Hellfire is an air-to-surface missile developed primarily for anti-armor use. It has multi-mission, multi-target precision-strike capability, and can be launched from multiple air, sea, and ground platforms. The Hellfire missile is the primary 100 lb-class air-to-ground precision...
missiles for their Tiger
Eurocopter Tiger
The Eurocopter Tiger is an attack helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter. In Germany it is known as the Tiger; in France and Spain it is called the Tigre.-Origins:...
-HAD attack helicopters and the Germans planning to transition to the PARS 3 LR. Austria has decommissioned its HOT-carrying tank destroyers, while Spain is transitioning to Spike
Spike (missile)
Spike is a fourth generation man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile with tandem-charged HEAT warhead, developed and designed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and in service with a number of nations....
missiles to replace their HOT missile inventory. The HOT missile continues to be in widespread use in other areas of the world.
Design and function
Project studies by both firms started in 1964, at about the same time the US Army started a project which resulted in the TOW missile, but unlike the TOW which entered service in 1973, the development and testing phase for the HOT took considerably longer. The design goal was to produce an antitank missile which could be fired from both vehicles and helicopters; that employed the SACLOSSACLOS
SACLOS is an acronym for Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight, a second-generation method of missile guidance. In SACLOS, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight...
guidance system instead of the less reliable MCLOS
MCLOS
MCLOS is a first-generation method for guiding guided missiles.With an MCLOS missile, the operator must track the missile and the target simultaneously and guide the missile to the target. Typically the missile is steered with a joystick, and its path is observed through a periscope-type...
system used by the SS.11; had a longer range combined with a better minimum engagement range; had a higher missile speed than the SS.11 resulting in a shorter flight time; and packed in a sealed container that also served as the launcher.
Thrust vectoring
Thrust vectoring, also thrust vector control or TVC, is the ability of an aircraft, rocket or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine or motor in order to control the attitude or angular velocity of the vehicle....
on the sustainer motor during the missile's flight. When the gunner fires the HOT missile, the missile activates a thermal battery, flares and a small gas generator spins up the gyro. The same gases for the gyro pop the covers off of both ends of the cylindrical container the HOT missile comes packed it. Moments later, both the sustainer motor and the booster are fired, ejecting the missile from the container.
After the missile is fired, all the gunner has to do is keep the target in the sight's cross hairs, and the system will automatically track the missile's rear-facing flares, gather the missile into the gunner's sight, and send commands to steer the missile into the gunner's line of sight. Approximately 50 meters after ejecting from the container, the safety system arms the HEAT
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
warhead's fuze and will detonate when the outer skin of the two-layer nose cone is crushed to contact with the inside skin, completing an electrical circuit. With this type of fuzing system, the missile does not have to hit the tip of the missile's nose to detonate the HEAT warhead. The HOT 1 and HOT 2 use the warhead fuzing system previously described.
The latest version of the HOT family, the HOT 3, uses a unique feature found on no other missile to defeat tanks fitted with explosive reactive armor. A laser-proximity fuze located in the front half of the nose measures the distance between the target and the missile. At the correct range, the small nipple on the front nose containing a small HEAT warhead is ejected forward from the missile body to pre-detonate the reactive armor followed by the detonation of main HEAT warhead.
Performance relative to comparable weapons
| Designation | Diameter | Launch weight | Warhead | Armor penetration (est.) | Range | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOT-3 | 150 mm | 24.5 kg | 6.48 kg tandem HEAT | 1250 mm | 75–4,300 m | 864 km/h |
| BGM-71E TOW-2A | 152 mm | 22.7 kg | 6.09 kg tandem HEAT | 1000 mm | 65–4,000 m | 1,116 km/h |
| AT-6 Kokon | 130 mm | 35.0 kg | 5.4 kg HEAT | 650 mm | 400–5,000 m | 1,512 km/h |
Launch platforms
HOT missiles have been deployed on both vehicles and helicopters.The Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
upgraded the Raketenjagdpanzer 2
Raketenjagdpanzer 2
The Raketenjagdpanzer 2 or Raketenjagdpanzer SS-11 was a German tank destroyer employed from 1967 to 1982 and equipped with Nord SS.11 guided anti tank missiles...
tank destroyer
Tank destroyer
A tank destroyer is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles...
to use the HOT missile in what was designated as the Jaguar 1
Jaguar 1
The Raketenjagdpanzer Jaguar 1 was a German tank destroyer equipped with anti-tank guided missiles. From 1978 and 1982 obsolete Raketenjagdpanzer 2 units were converted into 316 Jaguar 1s by replacing the SS.11 missile system with a HOT launcher and upgrading the armour. During the period 1993 to...
. The Jaguar 1 mounted a single Euromissile K3S launcher and carried 20 HOT missiles, one of which was carried in the launcher. This tank destroyer was also used by Austria.
France developed a variant of the AMX-10P
AMX-10P
The AMX-10P is a French infantry fighting vehicle. It was developed after 1965 to replace the AMX-VCI in French service, and the first prototypes were completed in 1968. It has NBC protection and amphibious capabilities, with hydro jets to swim in water...
that substituted an armored four-tube HOT missile launcher called the Lancelot for the vehicle's regular 20mm cannon turret. The Lancelot turret carriers 20 HOT missiles—4 mounted and 16 stored inside—and uses a sight with X12 magnification as well as a laser rangefinder. The only known customer is Saudi Arabia.
HOT missiles have also been mounted on wheeled vehicles such as the Panhard VCR/TH
Panhard VCR
The Panhard VCR is a light armored personnel carrier designed by Panhard for the export market and later used by several countries...
and the VAB VCAC
Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé
The Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé or VAB is an armoured personnel carrier and support vehicle designed by the Euro Mobilité Division of GIAT Industries of France. It entered service in 1976; around 5,000 were produced.- Design :The VAB was designed as a wheeled troop transporter, complementing the...
with the Mephisto turret. Both the VCR and the VCAC carried four ready-to-launch missiles. The main advantage that the VAB Mephisto turret has over the TH turret is that both the operator and the missiles are both under armor and the Mephisto turret can be retracted flush with the vehicle's top for loading on either the C-130 or C-160 transport aircraft.
In an unusual move, in 1986 Euromissile offered a single round ground launched system for HOT missile called ATLAS (Affut de Tir Leger Au Sol - which approximately translates as light ground firing mount) for installation on smaller unarmored vehicles, like the Jeep or Land Rover. The object was to field an antitank weapon that long range patrols could use to engage heavy armor beyond the range of the tank's main cannon. The ATLAS is similar to the TOW mounted on various four wheel drive vehicles light vehicles. But unlike the TOW light vehicle mount, there is a shield to protect the gunner against the HOT's booster and sustainer motors which are both burning as they exit the container. The vehicle mounting the ATLAS is expected to carry a mix of both HOT missiles with antitank warheads and the HOT with the multi-purpose warhead.
Shortly after the introduction of the HOT by Germany and France on ground vehicles, both nations introduced helicopters in the dedicated antitank role firing the HOT. The French used the Gazelle SA342M
Aérospatiale Gazelle
The Aérospatiale Gazelle is a five-seat light helicopter, powered by a single turbine engine. It was designed and manufactured in France by Sud Aviation . It was also manufactured under licence by Westland Aircraft in the United Kingdom , by SOKO in Yugoslavia and ABHCO in Egypt...
helicopter, which carries four HOT missiles in two dual launchers. Germany opted for the Bo-105 PAH-1, which is capable of carrying six HOT missiles in two triple launchers. Subsequently, the HOT missile was qualified for launch from other helicopters such as the German Tiger helicopter (carrying up to eight HOT's in two quad launchers) and the South African Rooivalk helicopter.
Service history
By 1975, development was complete and evaluations had been performed by various ministries of defence. Mass production commenced in 1976 and the first HOT missiles were fielded in 1978. A night-sight for firing from helicopters, the Viviane, was developed in the early 1980s. In 1985, the HOT-2 followed, with a multipurpose warhead variant called the HOT-2MP entering service in 1992. While less effective in terms of armor penetration, the HOT-2MP also produces fragmentation and incendiary effects.By 1987, 1,434 launchers and 70,350 missiles had been produced. The HOT-3 was brought into service in 1998 and has a tandem shaped-charge HEAT
High explosive anti-tank
High explosive anti-tank warheads are made of an explosive shaped charge that uses the Munroe effect to create a very high-velocity partial stream of metal in a state of superplasticity that can punch through solid armor....
warhead capable of breaching explosive reactive armor as well as improved anti-jamming capabilities. The HOT-3 was selected to be the missile armament of the Tiger attack helicopter for Germany at least until the PARS 3 LR becomes available.
The HOT has been used in combat in several wars, including the Iran-Iraq War, Lebanon, Chad, Western Sahara, and the Gulf War of 1991.
Various reports state that the first combat use of the HOT was with the Iraqi Army during the Iran-Iraq War, launched from Panhard VCR/TH 6x6 wheeled armored vehicles fitted with the UTM-800 turret. Photos have also recorded captured examples of the VCR/TH in service with the Iranian Army.
Variants
MBDA has taken over Euromissile and now handles production of all current variants, as well as HOT development.| Designation | Length | Diameter | Wingspan | Launch weight | Warhead | Armor penetration (est.) | Range | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOT | 1.27 m | 136 mm | 0.31 m | 23.5 kg | 5 kg HEAT | 800 mm | 75–4,000 m | 864 km/h |
| HOT-2/-2MP | 1.30 m | 150 mm | 0.31 m | 23.5 kg | 5 kg HEAT | 900 mm (-2) / 350 mm (-2MP) | 75–4,000 m | 864 km/h |
| HOT-3 | 1.30 m | 150 mm | 0.31 m | 24.5 kg | 6.48 kg tandem HEAT | 1250 mm | 75–4,300 m | 864 km/h |
Time to target at maximum range is 17.3 seconds with an average speed of 832 kilometers per hour.
Users
Data extracted from Jane's World Armies Issue 23 and the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database.| : Delivered in 1986–87 for use on helicopters.: HOT-2 and HOT-3 delivered in 1996–98 for use with Jaguar 1 Jaguar 1 The Raketenjagdpanzer Jaguar 1 was a German tank destroyer equipped with anti-tank guided missiles. From 1978 and 1982 obsolete Raketenjagdpanzer 2 units were converted into 316 Jaguar 1s by replacing the SS.11 missile system with a HOT launcher and upgrading the armour. During the period 1993 to... (now decommissioned).: Delivered in 1982 for use on Gazelle helicopters.: Delivered in 1988–89 for use on Gazelle helicopters.: Delivered in 1988 for use on Gazelle helicopters and VAB-VCAC.: Delivered in 1982–83 for use on SA-341 helicopters.: Delivered in 1978 and 1985 for use on Gazelle helicopters.: Used on Gazelle helicopters and VAB-VCAC.: Used on Tiger helicopters and Jaguar 1 tank destroyers.: Delivered in 1978, 1980, and 1982 for use on Gazelle helicopters and VCR-TH.: HOT and HOT-2 delivered in 1977 and 1999 for use on Gazelle helicopters.: HOT missiles delivered in 2007 for use on Gazelle helicopters.: HOT and HOT-2 delivered in 1983 and 1991 for helicopter and vehicle use.: Delivered in 1984–85 for use on Gazelle helicopters and VAB-VCAC.: HOT and HOT-2 delivered in 1989 and 1997 for use on AMX-10.: Delivered in 1979 and 1990 for use on BO-105CB.: Delivered in 1981 for use on Gazelle helicopters.: Delivered in 1980 for use on Gazelle helicopters. |