HOT (missile)

HOT (missile)
Name	HOT
Caption	HOT missile on launcher
Origin	France/Germany
Type	anti-tank guided missile
Service	1978–present
Used by	See Operators
Designer	MBB/Matra/SAMM
Manufacturer	MBB, Matra, Euromissile
Production date	1978–1990s
Weight	24.6 kg (missile)
Length	1.77 m
Diameter	0.15 m
Warhead	Shaped charge / tandem HEAT
Detonation	Impact / contact fuze
Range	0.7–4,000 m
Guidance	SACLOS wire-guided

HOT (missile) is a Franco–German anti-tank guided missile developed in the 1970s for infantry and helicopter platforms. It was produced by a consortium including MBB, Matra, and Euromissile and entered service with several NATO and allied forces from 1978 onward. The weapon provided armor-penetration capability intended to counter main battle tanks such as the T-72, T-80, and export variants of the Leopard 2.

Development

The HOT program began as a collaboration between French firm Matra and German firm MBB following discussions at NATO and national defense staffs after the Yom Kippur War highlighted anti-tank needs. Initial trials involved prototypes tested at ranges developed jointly by Centre d'Essais de Missiles and Bundeswehr evaluation units, with industrial coordination overseen by the Franco-German working groups that later influenced projects such as the Eurofighter Typhoon cooperation. Production contracts were signed in the mid-1970s with orders from the French Army, German Army, Italian Army, Egyptian Army, Qatar Armed Forces, and export customers mediated through state export agencies like Direction générale de l'armement and Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr.

Design and specifications

The HOT employed a semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) guidance with a trailing wire link similar to systems used by MILAN and earlier SACLOS designs adopted by United Kingdom forces. The missile used a dual-stage solid-propellant motor and a tandem high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead option to defeat explosive reactive armor (ERA) fitted to models such as the T-72B and Merkava Mk.3. Guidance electronics and sighting suites integrated optics and stabilization developed from sensor programs involving Thales and Rheinmetall components, while launchers were compatible with ground tripods, armored fighting vehicles like the AMX-10P, and rotary platforms such as the Eurocopter Tiger and earlier Aerospatiale Gazelle adaptations. Key specifications included an approximate missile weight of 24.6 kg, length near 1.77 m, and effective ranges from roughly 0.7 km to 4 km depending on variant and launch mode.

Variants and upgrades

Multiple HOT variants addressed export demands and evolving armor threats: early HEAT-only versions were succeeded by tandem-HEAT variants to defeat reactive armor packages fielded on Soviet Union models. Vehicle-mounted adaptations produced by Otto Krauss-Maffei and GIAT Industries allowed integration with turret fire-control systems used on platforms such as the VAB and AMX-30. Helicopter-specific launchers incorporated stabilization and counter-vibration interfaces for platforms manufactured by Aérospatiale and MBB; later upgrade kits provided improved guidance electronics and warhead fuzing developed in cooperation with MBDA successor programs. Some customers retrofitted night-vision and laser rangefinder packages sourced from Sagem and Thales programs to extend engagement envelopes and battlefield interoperability.

Operational history

HOT saw widespread deployment across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, entering service with the French Army and German Army in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It equipped anti-tank platoons, mechanized infantry companies, and helicopter-borne anti-armor elements, participating in NATO exercises such as Reforger and bilateral maneuvers with United States Army and British Army units. Export operators used HOT in regional conflicts and border incidents where it complemented other anti-armor inventories like the TOW family and Kornet systems.

Combat use and notable engagements

Documented combat employment occurred in conflicts involving operators such as Iran–Iraq War clients, engagements during the Lebanese Civil War where state and non-state actors employed a mix of western systems, and in skirmishes in Western Sahara and North Africa. Helicopter-launched HOT fired from Gazelle and other platforms was credited with disabling armored vehicles during counterinsurgency and conventional engagements; analysis by defense think tanks compared HOT strike effects with those of BGM-71 TOW and Soviet-era ATGMs during Gulf War precursor actions and regional clashes.

Operators

Historic and current operators included the French Army, German Army, Italian Army, Egyptian Army, Qatar Armed Forces, Lebanese Armed Forces, and several export customers in Africa and the Middle East. Some NATO members later phased HOT out or replaced it with systems integrated into programs led by MBDA and procurement programs influenced by NATO Standardization Office recommendations. Private military and training contractors occasionally acquired surplus rounds for training ranges regulated by national export authorities like DGA and BAAINBw.

Countermeasures and survivability

Countermeasures against HOT deployments mirrored measures used against wire-guided SACLOS threats: active protection systems (APS) such as prototypes from Rheinmetall and systems influenced by research at DGA and DSTL sought to intercept incoming missiles. Armor improvements including composite arrays and ERA packages fielded on platforms like the T-80 and upgraded Leopard 2 reduced vulnerability, while tactics developed in NATO doctrines—dispersal, concealment, and combined-arms maneuvers—aimed to mitigate HOT effectiveness. Electronic and hard-kill APS development in the 1990s and 2000s drew on sensor fusion work at institutes including Fraunhofer Society and corporate labs such as Thales and Rheinmetall to enhance vehicle survivability.

Category:Anti-tank guided missiles