The was a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese wire guided anti-tank missile

Anti-tank guided missile

An anti-tank missile , anti-tank guided missile , anti-tank guided weapon or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily-armored military vehicles....

 developed during the late 1950s. The missile is a broadly similar to the Swiss/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...

 Cobra

Cobra (anti-tank missile)

The Cobra was a Swiss/German anti-tank missile designed by the Oerlikon-Contraves and Bölkow GmbH companies. It entered service with the German Army in the late 1950s...

 and the 9M14 Malyutka. Within the JGSDF, it is also known as 64MAT and KAM-3.

History

Development of the missile began in 1957, and was adopted as standard equipment for the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force

The , or JGSDF, is the army of Japan. The largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Ground Self-Defense Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Tokyo. The present chief of ground staff is General Yoshifumi Hibako...

 with the official designation Type 64 ATM in 1964. Kawasaki Heavy Industries

Kawasaki Heavy Industries

is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....

 had been responsible for manufacturing the Type 64.

Though the Type 64 MAT had been largely phased out and replaced by the Type 79 Jyu-MAT

Type 79 Jyu-MAT

The is a Japanese SACLOS guided anti-tank missile that entered service with the JGSDF in 1984. It was initially issued to coastal defence units, intended to destroy troop and vehicle landing ships as they approached the shoreline. It is also known as KAM-9....

 and Type 87 Chu-MAT

Type 87 Chu-MAT

The Chū-MAT is a Japanese laser guided anti-tank missile in service with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces. It had been created as a front-line replace for the Type 64 MAT, pressed into service with the Type 79 Jyu-MAT.-History:...

 as front-line anti-tank missiles in the 1970s to the 1990s, a small number are being held as reserve missiles.

Description

The missile is cruciform in cross-section with four large wings. It is powered by a dual thrust rocket motor, which accelerates the missile to its cruising speed in 0.8 seconds.

Operational use

The missile is launched from an open framed launcher at an angle of 15 degrees. The operator steers the missile using a control box, which sends commands down a wire that is trailed from the missile. A gyroscope

Gyroscope

A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...

 in the missile compensates for pitch and yaw.

The Type 64 is typically operated by a three man crew. It can also be deployed from a Mitsubishi Type 73

Mitsubishi Type 73 Light Truck

The is a series of light trucks that are used as mini SUVs in the JSDF. They have been under production by Mitsubishi Motors since 1973. In JSDF service, it is officially known as the 1/2 Ton Truck....

Jeep, which can carry four missiles.

Biography

• Brassey's Infantry Weapons of the World, J.I.H. Owen.
• Jane's Infantry Weapons 1991-92, Ian V. Hogg.
• Brassey's Anti-tank weapons, John Norris