ENTAC ("Engin Téléguidé Anti-Char") or MGM-32A was a French MCLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile. Developed in the early 1950s, the weapon entered service with the French Army in 1957. Production ended in 1974 after approximately 140,000 had been built.

Development

The missile was developed by the French Government agency - DTAT (Direction Technique des Armements Terrestres) at the same time as the private industry SS.10. Development time for the ENTAC was longer than the SS.10, so it did not enter service until 1957. It proved to be a great improvement over the SS.10, which had entered production five years earlier. Once fully developed and tested, production of the ENTAC was given to the firm of Aerospatiale. The ENTAC was designed to be a man-portable weapon or operated from a small vehicle like the Jeep, replacing the Nord SS.10 in French service.

Design

thumb|left|French [[Hotchkiss M201 with four ENTAC missiles]]

thumb|ENTAC Model 58 missile at the US Redstone testing facility on 29 March 1961

The missile is launched from a simple metal box, which is connected to an operator station. An individual operator station can control up to 10 launcher boxes. The operator manually steers the missile by means of a small joystick. These course corrections are transmitted to the missile via a thin set of wires that trail behind the missile - see MCLOS. Like many early ATGMs, the missile had a large minimum range (see 9M14 Malyutka) due to the time it took to get up to flight speed and come under operator control.

Operational history

Australia

Used from 1964 until 1985.

France

The missile first entered service in 1957. The ENTAC may have been used by France in small numbers during the 1960s and 1970s on peacekeeping operations.

Iran

Ordered in 1966 and delivered from 1966-1969. It remained in service after the 1979 Iranian revolution and was used against Iraqi tanks during the 1980-88 war.

Israel

Entered service in 1963 after being ordered the year before. It is likely that they were used during the 1967 Six-Day War against Arab tanks.

Lebanon

Ordered in 1966 and entered service in 1967. These were deployed during the Lebanese Civil War and was used in street fighting, particularly during the early 1980s. Having acquired some 500 examples by 1969, expeditionary units of the South African Defence Force first deployed ENTACs against People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) and Cuban military advisers during Operation Savannah. The system was often mounted on unarmoured Land Rovers. South African servicemen destroyed at least one FAPLA mortar position with their missiles in September 1975.

  • - Around 2,500 ordered in 1961 and delivered from 1961-66 for the AMX-VCI tank destroyer variant.
  • - Around 1,000 ordered in 1965 and acquired from 1966-1968.
  • - Acquired as the MGM-32A in 1963. Replaced by the BGM-71 TOW between 1968 and 1969 and transferred to National Guard units before being retired completely by 30 September 1972.
  • UNITA - Presumably acquired from South African stockpiles.

Notes

  • astronautix.com
  • redstone.army.mil