- Yes
- No (Explain why)
Suggestion No.74
G’day lads. I want to suggest a different variant of the Mokopa, featuring a mmW seeker for it, while retaining the same performance :)
(Note: The mmW and IIR variant have the same shape, and can visually not be identified, hence the same images as the IIR variant suggestion)
Description:
Spoiler
The Mokopa, formerly known as ZT-6, is a South African air-to-ground ATGM, developed by Denel Dynamics. It uses a HEAT warhead capable of penetrating 1350mm of rolled homogeneous armor after ERA (Tandem). The missile is normally equipped with semi-active laser guidance, requiring a laser designator for target illumination, though alternative guidance packages thanks to its modular design include millimeter-wave radar (mmW) and two-color imaging infrared seekers (IIR). South African Air Force’s Rooivalk attack helicopters were supposed to be the only carrier of the weapon, but it has also been tested on ground vehicles and ships, as well as slow aircraft. This suggestion focuses on the mmW, which was tested and mounted on. It can be identified by having a more “rounder” seeker compared to the laser guided Mokopa.
History:
Spoiler
The Mokopa anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) was developed by Denel Dynamics in South Africa as a response to the country’s need for an advanced air-to-ground missile system as a Hellfire alternative. Full-scale development began in November 1996, largely due to a long-term arms embargo that prevented South Africa from acquiring the American AGM-114 Hellfire missile. The first air-launched tests took place in 1999, where they got launched from a Rooivalk attack helicopter, followed by the first guided tests of all variants, aside of the (still) planned thermobaric variant in 2000.
The missile was in its final stages of development by 2005 and was planned to being integrated onto the South African Air Force’s Rooivalk helicopters, however, budgetary constraints led to delays in full operational deployment. The mmW/IIR variant of the Mokopa were shown a lot during the 2000’s until 2010’s, however stopped showing as the Rooivalk also was showing up less and less in expos.
Aside from the South African Air Force (SAAF), the only operator is Algeria, who uses laser Mokopas on their Lynx helicopters and on some naval platforms.
Specifications:
Spoiler
The Mokopa anti-tank guided missile has a diameter of 178mm and a length of 1,995mm. It has a launch weight of 49.8kg. The missile is equipped with a tandem High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead capable of penetrating over 1350mm of rolled homogeneous steel armor protected by Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA). The Mokopa has a maximum range of 10km. Interestingly, the mmW seeker is most likely from the Brimstone AGM. Also, the 4 manouver surfaces are not a thing limited to the mmW Mokopa (anymore), as it is also seen on the normal laser guided Mokopa. Fun fact: The Rooivalk actually did carry Brimstones!
Additional images
Spoiler
^ Left is a mmW/IIR Mokopa, middle is a laser guided Mokopa and on the right is a Mistral
^ Stripes indicate it is experimental (maybe inert too?)
Sources:
Spoiler
Jane’s Air Launched Weapons 97
Jane’s A&A Upgrades 2006-07
Rooivalk Information Sheet
^ Also mentions the Mokopa mmW
Denel Dynamics Products Brochure
The Market for Anti-Tank Missiles
https://hrvatski-vojnik.hr/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/hv_009_95-04.pdf
Helicopter | Plane-Encyclopedia
https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/denel-ah2-rooivalk/?cf-view
New Algerian Super Lynx nears delivery | News | Flight Global
You can also find my IIR variant suggestion here:
Thanks a lot for reading! If you have any extra information, then feel free to share them in the replies! As always, have a good day :)