Mokopa

Mokopa
Mokopa laser guided anti-tank missile
TypeAir-to-surface
Place of originSouth Africa
Production history
ManufacturerDenel Dynamics
Produced1996–present
No. built74 (2009)[1]
Specifications
Mass49.8 kg (110 lb)[2]
Length1.995 m (6.55 ft)
Diameter17.8 cm (7.0 in)
WarheadTandem-charge high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) able to penetrate > 1000+ mm RHA;
Blast Fragmentation

EngineSolid-fuel rocket
Operational
range
10,000 m (6.2 mi)
Maximum speed 530 m/s (1,200 mph)
Guidance
system
Semi-active laser homing
millimetre wave radar seeker
Launch
platform
Fixed wing aircraft, helicopter, ground vehicles, boats, ships

The ZT-6 Mokopa is a South African air-to-ground anti-tank guided missile.[1] As of 2005, it is in its final stages of development, and is being integrated onto the South African Air Force's Rooivalk attack helicopters. The missile is produced by Denel Dynamics, formerly Kentron. The current version uses semi-active laser (SAL) guidance, requiring the target to be illuminated by a laser designator either on the launch platform or elsewhere; though there are alternative guidance packages available including a millimetre-wave radar (MMW) seeker and a two-colour imaging infrared (IIR) seeker.[2]

All variants of the Mokopa feature two launch modes, lock-on before launch (LOBL) and lock-on after launch (LOAL). LOBL is the older, more conventional mode of missile launching, where a target must be illuminated by the launch platform before launch. LOAL in contrast allows the launch platform to launch the missile with or without being in sight of the target. For the SAL version, this allows either the launch platform to move into place and illuminate the target only immediately before a missile strikes a target, or allows an observer on the ground equipped with a laser designator to guide a missile. This method of launch greatly reduces the exposure time of the launch platform to enemy fire.

  1. ^ a b "The Market for Anti-Tank Missiles" (PDF). Forecast International. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b "The Unofficial South African Air Force Website". Saairforce.co.za. Retrieved 27 May 2014.