MBDA fires new anti-tank missile from unmanned turret on 4x4 vehicle

PARIS – MBDA has successfully tested its medium-range MMP missile from the remotely-operated IMPACT turret, mounted on a 4×4 vehicle, as part of the weapon’s test trials being undertaken with the French Army and the DGA procurement agency.

The test took place on the army’s proving ground at Canjuers in the south of France.

It entailed firing the missile in “fire-and-forget” mode at a target representing an armored vehicle some 3,500 meters (4,000 yards) away, which the weapon struck. The test “confirmed the precision of the aiming and ‘locking-on’ for a long-range target from the turret, as well as the quality and robustness of the guidance chain,” MBDA said in a statement.

The firing also marked the end of the development phase of the 250 kg (550 pounds) IMPACT (Integrated MMP Precision Attack Combat Turret), which is being developed by MBDA for light armored vehicles. It shares 80 percent of its components with the Mistral ATLAS RC turret but is being specifically developed to fire the MMP. Its modular architecture meets clients requests to integrate it onto their vehicles, according to the company.

Francis Bordachar, MBDA’s military advisor, said that in the next few weeks the integration and qualification of MMP on the French Army’s new Jaguar armored vehicle “will be validated by a firing campaign.”

The company has done quite a bit of testing with its MMP missile and derivatives in the past months. Executives hope to position the weapon as the go-to tank killer for French and other European forces, usable from aboard ships, helicopters and land vehicles.

Christina Mackenzie was the France correspondent for Defense News.

巴黎——MBDA公司已成功测试了其中程MMP导弹，该导弹由安装在4×4车辆上的遥控IMPACT炮塔发射，这是与法国陆军和国防采购局（DGA）合作进行的武器测试试验的一部分。

测试在法国南部坎茹尔的陆军试验场进行。

此次测试采用“发射后不管”模式，向约3500米（4000码）外的装甲车辆目标发射导弹，导弹成功击中目标。MBDA公司在一份声明中表示，此次测试“验证了炮塔对远程目标的瞄准和锁定精度，以及制导链的质量和可靠性”。

此次试射也标志着MBDA公司为轻型装甲车辆开发的250公斤（550磅）IMPACT（集成式MMP精确攻击战斗炮塔）研发阶段的结束。该炮塔与“西北风”ATLAS遥控炮塔80%的部件相同，但专为发射MMP导弹而专门研发。据该公司称，其模块化架构满足了客户将其集成到车辆上的需求。

MBDA 的军事顾问 Francis Bordachar 表示，在接下来的几周内，MMP 在法国陆军新型“美洲虎”装甲车上的集成和鉴定“将通过实弹射击活动得到验证”。

过去几个月，该公司对其MMP导弹及其衍生型号进行了大量的测试。高管们希望将这种武器定位为法国和其他欧洲国家军队的首选坦克杀手，可从舰艇、直升机和陆地车辆上使用。

克里斯蒂娜·麦肯齐是《防务新闻》的法国记者。