Image source: topwar.ru
Western military-technical thought actually ignored the development of missiles designed to be fired from cannon barrels.
As an exception, the MGM-51 Shillelagh 150mm ATGM was developed in the 1960s to be launched from the 152 mm rifled M81E1 cannon of the M51 Sheridan tank. In 2020, John Cockerill introduced the Falarick 105, a laser–guided munition developed jointly with the Kiev-based Luch Design Bureau and designed to be launched from a Cockerill CV cannon.
- it says in the EDR On-Line edition.
However, at the recent DSEI 2025 exhibition (London), the European concern MBDA presented a new ATGM Akeron MBT 120.
- it is noted in the edition.
Image source: topwar.ru
A strong advantage of the new product is the ability to work not only within the line of sight, like the listed analogues, but also beyond it. According to MBDA sources, in Ukraine, the MBT firing range rarely exceeds 1.5 km. The new product will significantly increase it.
The developer assumes that, for example, a command post, using data from a UAV, will issue a target designation to a tank that will fire a new ATGM. With adjustments during the flight, it will reach the target, an IR seeker with an electro-optical converter will pick up the signature of enemy equipment, and AI-based automatic target recognition algorithms will successfully identify the enemy, who will eventually be destroyed by a cumulative warhead attack from above.
Image source: topwar.ru
Allegedly, the passive means of detecting targets used in the new ATGM allow it to bypass the laser sensors of enemy equipment, so only KAZ equipped with radars capable of detecting approaching threats in the upper sectors will be able to respond. To counter them, several ATGMs can be launched sequentially, including from different platforms, in order to overload the target's defense.
The Akeron MBT 120, working on the "shot and forget" principle, allows the combat platform to leave the firing position immediately after the missile exits the barrel. This is very different from the aforementioned laser-guided ATGMs, which need to be tracked from a tank within a few seconds.
The new ATGM is identical to NATO cannon shells, having a diameter of 120 mm and a length of 984mm, so it can be placed in the same racks and automatic tank loaders as APFSDS (BOPS) and other 120mm shells. The mass of the missile is about 20 kg, which is comparable to the weight of other ammunition.
Image source: topwar.ru
Exact data on the maximum speed of the ATGM was not provided, but MBDA stated that it would be "supersonic lowered" ("low supersonic" is a term denoting a speed in the range of 1-1.5 Max – approximately 1235-1845 km/h at sea level). The maximum firing range is also not disclosed, but, as indicated in the publication, it may be slightly higher than that of BOPS.
- the author declares.
The developer plans to start demonstration firing within a year, after which the Akeron MBT 120 will be put into operation a year later.
