MAX 1.2 AC

MAX 1.2 AC
The missile fired in 2022
TypeATGM
Place of originBrazil
Service history
Used byBrazilian Army
Production history
Designed1980s
ManufacturerSIATT
Specifications
Mass15[1] or 15.2[2] kg (missile)

24 kg (missile + launch tube)[1]
28 kg (firing unit)[1]

52 kg (total)[1]
Length1.38[1] or 1.52[2] m
WarheadHMX in a non-tandem shaped charge HEAT warhead (at least 500 mm RHAe penetration, see #Penetration)
EngineTwo-stage engine[2]
PropellantTwo-stage solid propellant[2]
Operational
range
At least 2,000 m, see #Range
Maximum speed 274 m/s[2]
Guidance
system
Laser-guided semi-automatic command to line of sight
Launch
platform
Two-person infantry crew or vehicle-mounted

The MAX 1.2 AC,[3] —previously known as MSS 1.2 AC— is a Brazilian anti-tank guided missile (ATGM).[4] Operated by infantry or vehicles, the system consists of a reloadable launch tube, laser-guided missile and firing unit, as well as a simulator and testing equipment. It was developed out of Oto Melara's “Missile Anti-Carro della Fanteria” (MAF, Italian: Infantry Anti-Tank Missile), which was rejected by the Italian Army. Brazilian involvement began in 1986 and it has since then been tested and redesigned by the Brazilian Army's research institutes and a series of Brazilian companies (Órbita, Mectron and SIATT).

Development has taken decades, and the anti-tank missile sector, which the MSS 1.2 intends to fill, remained undeveloped within the Brazilian Army. A prototype was approved in 2004 and the first pre-series models were delivered to the Brazilian Army and Brazilian Marine Corps in 2013–2014. The Guyana–Venezuela crisis compelled the Brazilian Army to hasten half of its stock of 50–60 missiles into service in late 2023. The pilot batch was finally homologated in June 2024 and a production contract was signed in September.[3]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference costa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference 30anos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Exército e SIATT firmam contrato de licenciamento do míssil MAX 1.2 AC" [Brazilian Army and SIATT sign licensing agreement for the MAX 1.2 AC missile]. Tecnologia & Defesa (in Portuguese). 2024-10-07.
  4. ^ "Sistema Míssil Superfície-Superficie 1.2 AntiCarro (MSS 1.2 AC)". Centro Tecnológico do Exército. 2022-07-08. Retrieved 2023-11-08.