Te-23 Pardus

Te-23 Pardus
A Pardus with control fins extended
Type	Anti-tank guided missile
Place of origin	Blackhelm Confederacy
Service history
In service	1987 - Present
Production history
Designer	Riverstone
Manufacturer	Riverstone
Produced	1987 - Present
Specifications
Weight	28.5 kg
Length	1750 mm
Diameter	127 mm
Warhead	Tandem-charge HEAT warhead, Multi-Purpose Penetrator (MPP) warhead
Detonation mechanism	Impact
Operational range	250 m – 5,000 m
Speed	200 m/s
Guidance system	Laser beam riding

The Te-23 Pardus (Leopard) is a modern Blackhelm Confederate multi-role laser guided anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) manufactured by Riverstone.

Design and development

The Te-23 and its launch system was developed under the codename "Project Redemption" in the 1980s as a "long-range indigenous antitank guided missile". The missile was developed in order to provide the Blackhelm Confederate Army's mechanized infantry vehicles with anti-tank capabilities.

In the years since, Riverstone has continually upgraded the system to improve its range, accuracy, reliability and warhead effectiveness. In May 2010,Riverstone announced it was working on a new series of multi-purpose warheads for the missile system. The company stated that due to changing trends in warfare in recent years, customers required a "generic precision land-attack missile" that can be used against a variety of targets such as buildings and bunkers.

In February 2013, Riverstone unveiled a new version of the system called the Portable Launch System (PLS). PLS is a portable, light-weight launch system that comprises a new missile launch unit designed for use on light vehicle mounts or tripods. HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank)and Multi-Purpose Penetrator versions of the Pardus.

The system consists of a laser projection unit and guidance and control units. The system uses a laser beam riding missile that automatically determines its own position in the laser beam and manoeuvres onto its line-of-sight (LOS). The sighting system varies from a non-stabilised optic system for light vehicles to a stabilised day/night system on helicopter launch systems. Automatic targeting modules can also be added to the missile system that can be added to ensure fully automatic post-lock on missile guidance by the operator. The missile can engage targets at ranges from 250 m to 5,000 m. It employs a tandem warhead to defeat up to 1,000mm (40in) of armour. The missile is also designed to be stealthy (virtually hard to detect) and highly resistant to countermeasures.