Type 96 Multi-Purpose Missile System
Encyclopedia
The is an Anti-tank/Landing craft
missile used by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
. It is the first Japanese missile system that uses a complete digitally controlled interface.
which can destroy most tank
s with a direct hit from the top, but it can also be used in an anti-helicopter role. The missile is guided by an operator with an infrared image monitor in the launch vehicle. An optical fiber
connects the flying missile's infrared camera and its guidance system. It can also be fired vertically and the fibre-optic cable is paid out from the back of the missile as it flies.
The warhead is too big for use by attack tanks because is also designed to destroy landing craft
（LCAC
）. Japanese officers estimate that no tank can survive a direct hit to the weakpoint of its top armor by the Type 96 Multi-Purpose Missile System. This is a result of the missile striking the tank from the top, which is not so heavily armoured as the front and side sections of the tank.
It is designed to destroy remote targets before a landing, such as armoured fighting vehicle
s or small landing ships.. The gunner carries out target selection and acquisition and the automatic tracker locks onto the image of the target. Tracking commands are relayed to the ground station computer, which sends steering command data up the fibre-optic cable to guide the missile. The gunner can also carry out manual tracking.
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
missile used by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
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...
. It is the first Japanese missile system that uses a complete digitally controlled interface.
History
Development of the Type 96 system began in 1986 by JGSDF Ground Research and Development Command.Description
The Type 96 missile has a large warheadWarhead
The term warhead refers to the explosive material and detonator that is delivered by a missile, rocket, or torpedo.- Etymology :During the early development of naval torpedoes, they could be equipped with an inert payload that was intended for use during training, test firing and exercises. This...
which can destroy most tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s with a direct hit from the top, but it can also be used in an anti-helicopter role. The missile is guided by an operator with an infrared image monitor in the launch vehicle. An optical fiber
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
connects the flying missile's infrared camera and its guidance system. It can also be fired vertically and the fibre-optic cable is paid out from the back of the missile as it flies.
The warhead is too big for use by attack tanks because is also designed to destroy landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
（LCAC
LCAC
The Landing Craft Air Cushion is a class of air-cushion vehicle used as landing craft by the United States Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force...
）. Japanese officers estimate that no tank can survive a direct hit to the weakpoint of its top armor by the Type 96 Multi-Purpose Missile System. This is a result of the missile striking the tank from the top, which is not so heavily armoured as the front and side sections of the tank.
It is designed to destroy remote targets before a landing, such as armoured fighting vehicle
Armoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
s or small landing ships.. The gunner carries out target selection and acquisition and the automatic tracker locks onto the image of the target. Tracking commands are relayed to the ground station computer, which sends steering command data up the fibre-optic cable to guide the missile. The gunner can also carry out manual tracking.
External links
- Official JGSDF Page (in Japanese)
- EFOGM Project Details on Army Technology
- Guided Missile Specifications Japan Ministry of Defence
- Type-96 Multi-Purpose Missile System GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
- Type-96 Multi-Purpose Missile System fas.orgFederation of American ScientistsThe Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, 501 organization intent on using science and scientific analysis to attempt make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs...