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{{infobox weapon
{{infobox weapon
| name              = YDCh-71
| name              = YDCh-71
| image              = [[Image:YDCh-71.png|300px]]
| image              = Missile_YDCh-71.png
| caption            = YDCh-71 missile with Menghean markings.
| caption            = YDCh-71 missile and cross-section, with 125mm APFSDS round for comparison.
| origin            = {{flag|Menghe}}
| origin            = {{flag|Menghe}}
| type              = {{wp|Anti-tank_missile|anti-tank guided missile}}
| type              = {{wp|Anti-tank_missile|anti-tank guided missile}}
Line 14: Line 14:
| is_UK              =  
| is_UK              =  
<!-- Service history -->
<!-- Service history -->
| service            = 2009-present
| service            = 2011-present
| used_by            = {{flag|Menghe}}
| used_by            = {{flag|Menghe}}
| wars              =  
| wars              =  
<!-- Production history -->
<!-- Production history -->
| designer          = Chŏnggong Missile Design Bureau
| designer          = Hanbyŏl Design Bureau
| design_date        = 1993-2007
| design_date        =  
| manufacturer      =  
| manufacturer      =  
| unit_cost          =  
| unit_cost          =  
| production_date    = 2008-present
| production_date    = 2010-present
| number            =  
| number            =  
| variants          =  
| variants          =  
<!-- General specifications -->
<!-- General specifications -->
| spec_label        =  
| spec_label        =  
| weight            = 91 kilograms
| weight            =  
| length            = 2.97 meters
| length            = 62.4 cm
| launcher_length    =  
| launcher_length    =  
| width              =
| width              =
| height            =
| height            =
| diameter          = 168 mm
| diameter          = 125 mm
| crew              =
| crew              =
| passengers        =
| passengers        =
Line 76: Line 76:
| clearance          =  
| clearance          =  
| fuel_capacity      =  
| fuel_capacity      =  
| vehicle_range      = 12 kilometers (claimed)
| vehicle_range      = 3 kilometers  
| speed              =  
| speed              =  
| guidance          = laser beam course update guidance
| guidance          = SACLOS
| steering          = aerodynamic surfaces
| steering          = aerodynamic surfaces
<!-- Missiles only -->
<!-- Missiles only -->
| wingspan          = 41 cm (fins extended)
| wingspan          = 37 cm (fins extended)
| propellant        = solid fuel rocket
| propellant        = solid fuel rocket
| ceiling            =
| ceiling            =
Line 92: Line 92:
}}
}}


'''YDCh-71''' ([[Menghean language|Menghean]]: 유도탄 대전차, ''Yudotan DaejeonCha'', "missile, anti-tank") is the Menghean designation for a type of heavy anti-tank missile developed in [[Menghe]], allegedly with the help of espionage against the Organized States of Columbia. It is relatively unique among [[Septentrion]]'s anti-tank missiles in that it relies on {{wp|Kinetic_energy_penetrator|kinetic energy}} rather than a {{wp|High-explosive_anti-tank_warhead|shaped charge}} to defeat enemy armor. With a top speed of about 1500 meters per second, it is also much faster than other ATGMs, giving the target less time to react.
The '''YDCh-71''' ([[Menghean_Army_designation_scheme#Formal_designation|Formal designation]]: 71식 대전차 유도탄 / 七一式對戰車誘導彈, ''chil-il-sik daejŏncha yudotan'', "Type 71 anti-tank missile;" [[Menghean_Army_designation_scheme#Short_designation|Short designation]] 유대차-71 ''Yudaecha-chilil'' "YDCh-71") is a [[Menghe]]an 125mm gun-launched {{wp|anti-tank missile}} developed for the [[JCh-5]] and [[JCh-6]] {{wp|main battle tank}}s. Like the [[YDCh-70]] before it, it uses beam-riding SACLOS guidance with an overflight attack mode, firing a downward-facing shaped charge as it passes above the target. Though inferior to the [[YDCh-73]] in range, accuracy, and flexibility, it is less expensive to produce, and backwards-compatible with the two-piece carousel autoloader of the JCh-5.
 
==Development==
The YDCh-71 program began in the late 1990s in Menghe, where military designers were concerned over the inadequacy of their existing anti-tank missiles. As an interim solution to the problem of increasing armor protection on enemy tanks, they had already begun work on the [[YDCh-70]] with its overfly trajectory, but the latter missile still required the launch vehicle to remain stationary for 30 seconds or more while keeping line-of-sight with the target, exposing it to retaliatory fire from tanks at long range.
 
Hoping for a solution, Menghean engineers sought to develop a kinetic kill missile similar to those emerging in the Organized States and Vuortakane. This required extensive technological expertise, however, and early domestic-origin missiles failed to reach the speed and range of their foreign counterparts; several exploded on launch during tests. While the Chŏnggong Missile Design Bureau continued to release public statements expressing a determination to succeed through domestic arms alone, independent defense analysts expressed doubt that Menghe's nascent electronics and quality materials sectors were up to the task.
 
[[File:Chen_Deming_UNDP_2009.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Richard Woo, pictured at a subsequent conference in Menghe, is believed to have passed on classified blueprints to Menghean intelligence agencies.]]In 2008, after a period of public quiet around the program, JYDCh-71/4 launch vehicles were abruptly displayed at the May 25th parade commemorating the 20th anniversary of the [[Decembrist Revolution]], surprising foreign media. Subsequent [[Menghean Army]] footage released to the public showed the system in testing, with the missile displaying speed and range well ahead of initial prototypes.
 
The sudden success of the program, as well as the missile's strong resemblance to kinetic kill missiles in the OS and Vuortakane, led to widespread speculation that Menghe had developed the YDCh-71 through industrial espionage. Early rumors attributed it to the hacking of Columbian defense computers in 2003, an event attributed to Menghean-linked intelligence bodies, but in late 2008 a deeper investigation pointed to Richard Woo, a second-generation [[Meng]] immigrant to the OS who had taken part in that country's {{wp|MGM-166 LOSAT|LOSAT}} program. According to the final allegations, Woo had been contacted by representatives of Menghe's External Intelligence Agency and somehow persuaded to serve as a double agent; over a period of several years, he had then smuggled reams of classified documents relating to the project back to Menghe.
 
The Menghean government firmly denied all charges of spying, insisting that development of the YDCh-71 was entirely domestic. Menghean newspapers branded the Woo investigation as a "racially motivated witch hunt," and the [[Menghe Socialist Party]] organized counter-protests against Columbian "hypocrisy and paranoia." Nevertheless, following a precedent set in OS-FSR relations, the Organized States expelled Richard Woo to Menghe, and Menghe released James Ross, a Columbian businessman detained the previous year on charges of economic espionage.
 
==Description==
Unlike most other ATGMs, the YDCh-71 missile uses a {{wp|Kinetic_energy_penetrator|kinetic energy penetrator}} embedded in the missile body to defeat enemy armor. The size and weight of the penetrator makes the missile highly effective against both {{wp|Reactive_armour|reactive}} and {{wp|Composite_armour|composite armor}}, and it is claimed that the system can defeat the frontal armor of any known hostile tank in service in [[Septentrion]]. The missile's speed, combined with its sheer size and weight, also make it much more resistant to hardkill {{wp|Active_protection_system|active protection systems}}, at least when compared with lighter ATGMs like the [[YDCh-72]].
 
The YDCh-71 also benefits from its high speed. Its peak speed in flight surpasses 1,500 meters per second, or Mach 4.4 at sea level. This is comparable to the {{wp|Armour-piercing_fin-stabilized_discarding_sabot|APFSDS}} ammunition fired by contemporary tank guns, and nearly ten times faster than the [[YDCh-72]]. Such a high speed leaves the target with little time to react, whether by retreating behind cover, deploying countermeasures, or firing on the launch vehicle.
 
The missile also has a very long operational range, as even after the rocket motor has burned out, the missile still retains its hypersonic momentum. Menghean sources claim a maximum range of 12 kilometers, as long as there is continuous line-of-sight contact with the target, though some independent defense agencies estimate a more conservative figure of 8 kilometers.
 
The main drawbacks of the YDCh-71 include its considerable size and weight, which effectively constrain it to dedicated tank destroyer vehicles and preclude its use as a man-portable weapon. The rocket blast also temporarily obscures the guidance camera after launch, and the control surfaces cannot immediately correct the missile's initial launch trajectory, meaning that accuracy degrades rapidly at ranges of below 500 meters.
 
==Launch platforms==
===JYDCh-71/4===
{{infobox weapon
| name              = JYDCh-71/4
| image              = [[Image:JYDCh-71.png|300px]]
| caption            = JYDCh-71/4 with cross-section and JHAR-45 radar unit
| origin            = {{flag|Menghe}}
| type              = {{wp|Tank_destroyer#Post-World_War_II|Tank destroyer}}
<!-- Type selection -->
| is_ranged          =
| is_bladed          =
| is_explosive      =
| is_artillery      =
| is_vehicle        = yes
| is_missile        =
| is_UK              =
<!-- Service history -->
| service            = 2008-present
| used_by            = {{flag|Menghe}}
| wars              =
<!-- Production history -->
| designer          =
| design_date        =
| manufacturer      =


| unit_cost          =  
==Design and Development==
| production_date    =  
Work on the YDCh-71 proceeded in tandem with work on the [[YDCh-70]], and was motivated by the same concerns. The [[Menghean Army]] increasingly regarded direct-impact shaped charges as inadequate against the composite armor schemes of the latest enemy tanks, and when working with the fixed charge diameter available for a 125mm gun-launched projectile, they had little room for improving penetration. These concerns, which intensified after Menghean contact with Tyrannian forces during the [[Ummayan Civil War]]. The [[YDCh-19]], introduced in 2002, was already regarded as obsolete in some design circles, a doubly severe concern given the JCh-5's inability to use full-length APFSDS ammunition.
| number            =  
| variants          =
<!-- General specifications -->
| spec_label        = JYDCh-71/4
| weight            = 17.4 tonnes
| length            = 8.04 m
| part_length        =
| width              = 2.8 m
| height            = 2.32 m to turret roof<br/>3.02 m missiles raised
| diameter          =
| crew              = 3 (driver, gunner, commander)
| passengers        =
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
| cartridge          =
| cartridge_weight  =
| caliber            =
| barrels            =
| action            =
| rate              =
| velocity          =
| range              =
| max_range          =
| feed              =
| sights            =
<!-- Artillery specifications -->
| breech            =
| recoil            =
| carriage          =
| elevation          =
| traverse          =
<!-- Bladed weapon specifications -->
| blade_type        =
| hilt_type          =
| sheath_type        =
| head_type          =
| haft_type          =
<!-- Explosive specifications -->
| filling            =
| filling_weight    =
| detonation        =
| yield              =
<!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->
| armour            = welded steel plate
| primary_armament    = 4x YDCh-71 ATGM (8 reloads carried)
| secondary_armament  =
| engine            = Ka-1212
| engine_power      = 360 kW (480 horsepower)
| pw_ratio          = 27.6 hp/tonne
| transmission      =
| payload_capacity  =
| suspension        = wheeled 8x8
| clearance          = 45 cm
| fuel_capacity      =
| vehicle_range      = 800 km (internal fuel)
| speed              = Level road: 90 km/h <br>Swimming: 8 km/h
| guidance          =
| steering          =
<!-- Missiles only -->
| wingspan          =
| propellant        =
| ceiling            =
| altitude          =
| depth              =
| boost              =
| accuracy          =
| launch_platform    =
| transport          =
}}The [[Menghean Army]]'s main launch vehicle for the YDCh-71 system is the JYDCh-71/4, based on the [[BSCh-7]] wheeled APC chassis.


The rotating launcher contains four missiles ready to fire, with eight more in the former passenger compartment below. The targeting system is mounted in a box on a rotating turret replacing the BSCh-7's original turret, giving it slightly greater separation from the launcher and its backblast, especially when firing to the side. The commander is seated beside the driver, but has remote access to the gunner's fire-control system. On initial prototypes, the gunner's turret also carried a side-mounted [[GCh-77]]Ch machine gun for self-defense against infantry, but this was omitted from production variants.
The Hanbyŏl Design Bureau, which was responsible for the YDCh-18 and YDCh-19, was the first to begin work on their replacements. Given a tight set of deadlines and unforgiving cost ceilings, the designers opted for a unique "overflight" attack mode, with a downward-facing warhead that would attack the target's thinner roof armor. The YDCh-70, apparently an adaptation of an existing prototype missile body, entered service in 2008, but with a diameter of 152mm it could only be used in external launch tubes. The gun-launched version would require more intensive work, as it needed an all-new missile body: the YDCh-19 was spin-stabilized and could not consistently point a warhead downward.


After each missile fires, its tube is ejected backward from the launcher, and when all tubes are ejected the launcher array is retracted back into the hull where a chain and latch system automatically moves reload tubes into place and fixes them to the launcher. This process can be completed in the field in 30 seconds. Once all twelve missiles have been fired, the vehicle can retreat to a Battalion reloading point, where new missile tubes are manually inserted into the loading system through the rear door. This process takes about 10 to 20 minutes depending on the skill of the crew.
The result was a rather innovative missile, with long cruciform fins and a short, stubby body. The sustainer rockets fire through four side apertures, as on the YDCh-19, but are not angled to impart spin, and the missile relies on a gyroscope to right itself after firing (the round can rotate within the autoloader) and remain upright on course to the target. The rear booster section is identical to that on the YDCh-19, firing propellant through a spring-governed vent to throw the missile clear of the gun before its sustainer rockets activate. The internal components of the overflight fusing system were borrowed directly from the YDCh-70, also a Hanbyŏl design, but the rest of the missile was unique in execution, and had no clear counterpart anywhere in Septentrion.


The JYDCh-71/4 is primarily used by the [[Menghean Army]]'s Coastal Defense Forces, as the second-to-last line in a layered defense against enemy landing craft. Tests conducted in 2009 confirmed that the YDCh-71 missile is capable of crippling or severely damaging all but the largest {{wp|Air-cushioned_landing_craft|LCAC-type}} landing vehicles, and a launch vehicle parked on elevated terrain facing the sea would be able to take maximum advantage of the system's long range and short time-to-target.
Guidance of the YDCh-71 is beam-riding, semi-active command to line-of-sight, and requires no modification of the rangefinder/guidance module which supports the YDCh-19, allowing any individual tank to be compatible with both. As on the YDCh-19, the missile flies 5 meters above line-of-sight for the first portion of the approach to avoid colliding with ground obstacles or obscuring its rear sensor in the dust. At 800 meters from the target it descends to 2 meters above line of sight. At this point, fusing and firing are identical to the YDCh-70, with a laser profiler activating the downward-facing shaped charge when the missile passes over the target. Like any SACLOS system, it does require constant line-of-sight between the two tanks, and requires the firing tank to remain stationary, unlike the non-line-of-sight YDCH-73.


In coastal defense formations the JYDCh-71/4 may be accompanied by the JHAR-45 self-propelled coastal radar at the Company or Platoon level. The HAR-45 radar can detect LCAC-sized targets at a range of 30 kilometers, and is limited mainly by the {{wp|Radar_horizon|radar horizon}}; on level terrain with an extended mast, its horizon is 15 kilometers away, and this distance increases to 22 kilometers if the vehicle is parked on a hill rising 10 meters above sea level.
One advantage of the YDCh-71 is that like the YDCh-19, it can be handled as a two-piece tank round, with a booster section in place of the propellant charge and the entire missile in place of the projectile section. This makes it fully compatible with the carousel autoloader of the [[JCh-5]], in which rounds are broken down into two pieces for storage around the turret walls and floor. By contrast, the full-length "Type 03 special" APFSDS round and the diving NLOS [[YDCh-73]] missile cannot be broken down into two pieces, restricting them to the [[JCh-6]] and [[JCh-8]] main battle tanks. As such, the YDCh-71 is the only ammunition option for the JCh-5 which can reliably defeat an advanced AVA-model tank from the forward 60-degree arc. For this reason, it remains in production as of 2019, to keep reserve JCh-5 units relevant until the type has been fully replaced by the JCh-6 and JCh-8.


===GJCh-DCh===
Like the YDCh-70, the YDCh-71 was shrouded in secrecy throughout its development and early deployment, in an effort to prevent [[Maverica]]n intelligence sources from learning about the Menghean Army's improved anti-tank capabilities and devising countermeasures. No announcement about its entry to service was made, and no model missiles were displayed at arms exhibitions. When the [[YDCh-72]] was unveiled in 2012, the skipped -71 designator led to professional and armchair speculation about whether an unknown ATGM existed; the Menghean Army's official explanation was that a cancelled prototype had borne the number, but this was without precedent in the Menghean armed forces, where formal designations are only applied after a weapon is approved for service. Official publications on the YDCh-71's characteristics were only released after the [[Innominadan Crisis]], when both the YDCh-70 and YDCh-71 were used on a large scale against Innominadan government forces.
The '''Gongsu-Janggabcha, Daejŏncha''' (공수 장갑차, 대전차, "Airborne Armored Vehicle, Anti-Tank") is a variant of the Menghean Army's airborne assault vehicle modified to carry the YDCh-71 ATGM. It uses the engine-in-rear chassis configuration, with the driver seated in the front left side of the hull and the gunner and commander side-by-side behind him. Because the missile tubes cover the top of the hull, the gunner and commander must enter and dismount through clamshell hatches on either side of the vehicle.


[[File:GJCh-DCh.png|300px|thumb|left|GJCh-DCh with soldier for scale. The vehicle is very compact, making it harder to hit and detect and easier to transport.]]The GJCh-DCh carries four ready missile tubes, but no additional missile tubes, and it must be reloaded manually from the outside with the help of a built-in cranking cable. To save weight, the missile tubes are also fixed in place, and cannot traverse from side to side. Instead, the missile guidance system steers the missile to engage targets within a 30-degree frontal arc. In between engagements, the driver can rotate the vehicle to shift its field of view.
==Service history==
The YDCh-71 made its first combat debut in the [[Innominadan Crisis]], where it was used against Innominadan armored forces in the early stages of the conflict. Tank crews reportedly gave favorable reports of its effectiveness, though there were some complaints about the reliability of its fusing system. Its line-of-sight restriction also avoided friendly-fire problems which had plagued the YDCh-72 and -73. As of 2019, the missile remains in production, and has been delivered to JCh-6 units awaiting deliveries of the more expensive YDCh-73.


These drawbacks, however, paid off in size: at 1.77 meters from the ground to the top of the missile tubes, and with the ability to remotely adjust the suspension to be even lower, the GJCh-DCh has a remarkably low profile, which helps it remain concealed before firing and withdraw safely afterward.
Following the Innominadan Crisis, Menghe lifted export restrictions on the now-declassified YDCh-71, allowing it to be exported to Menghean allies. [[Dzhungestan]], [[Polvokia]], [[Argentstan]], and [[Ummayah]] have already placed orders, the latter agreeing to take the missile in place of the more advanced YDCh-72.


Initially, the GJCh-DCh was only intended for service in the Airborne Assault Forces, where it entered service in 2009. Two years later, however, the [[Menghean Army]]'s procurement department began looking into using the GJCh-DCh in Anti-Tank Blocking formations at the Divisional and Corps levels. This decision was motivated by development problems with the Army's own JYDCh-71 tracked hull, as the IT universal carrier's rear compartment was too short to carry YDCh-71 reloads. The GJCh-DCh was also considerably shorter in height, and already had a proven track record in trials. The first deliveries of GJCh-DCh vehicles to the Army's ground forces took place in 2013, initially leading foreign observers to speculate that the Army was using airborne units in front-line posts. Only in 2015 was the role and organization of the Army's Gongsu-Janggabcha units formally clarified to the public.
==Operators==
* {{flag|Argentstan}}
* {{flag|Dzhungestan}}
* {{flag|Republic of Innominada}}
* {{flag|Menghe}}
* {{flag|Polvokia}}
* {{flag|Ummayah}}


==See also==
==See also==
* [[YDCh-19]]
* [[YDCh-70]]
* [[YDCh-70]]
* [[YDCh-72]]
* [[YDCh-73]]
* [[List of Menghean missiles]]
* [[List of Menghean missiles]]


[[Category:Menghe]]
[[Category:Menghe]]

Latest revision as of 19:50, 13 July 2019

YDCh-71
Missile YDCh-71.png
YDCh-71 missile and cross-section, with 125mm APFSDS round for comparison.
Typeanti-tank guided missile
Place of origin Menghe
Service history
In service2011-present
Used by Menghe
Production history
DesignerHanbyŏl Design Bureau
Produced2010-present
Specifications
Length62.4 cm
Diameter125 mm

Wingspan37 cm (fins extended)
Propellantsolid fuel rocket
Operational
range
3 kilometers
Guidance
system
SACLOS
Steering
system
aerodynamic surfaces

The YDCh-71 (Formal designation: 71식 대전차 유도탄 / 七一式對戰車誘導彈, chil-il-sik daejŏncha yudotan, "Type 71 anti-tank missile;" Short designation 유대차-71 Yudaecha-chilil "YDCh-71") is a Menghean 125mm gun-launched anti-tank missile developed for the JCh-5 and JCh-6 main battle tanks. Like the YDCh-70 before it, it uses beam-riding SACLOS guidance with an overflight attack mode, firing a downward-facing shaped charge as it passes above the target. Though inferior to the YDCh-73 in range, accuracy, and flexibility, it is less expensive to produce, and backwards-compatible with the two-piece carousel autoloader of the JCh-5.

Design and Development

Work on the YDCh-71 proceeded in tandem with work on the YDCh-70, and was motivated by the same concerns. The Menghean Army increasingly regarded direct-impact shaped charges as inadequate against the composite armor schemes of the latest enemy tanks, and when working with the fixed charge diameter available for a 125mm gun-launched projectile, they had little room for improving penetration. These concerns, which intensified after Menghean contact with Tyrannian forces during the Ummayan Civil War. The YDCh-19, introduced in 2002, was already regarded as obsolete in some design circles, a doubly severe concern given the JCh-5's inability to use full-length APFSDS ammunition.

The Hanbyŏl Design Bureau, which was responsible for the YDCh-18 and YDCh-19, was the first to begin work on their replacements. Given a tight set of deadlines and unforgiving cost ceilings, the designers opted for a unique "overflight" attack mode, with a downward-facing warhead that would attack the target's thinner roof armor. The YDCh-70, apparently an adaptation of an existing prototype missile body, entered service in 2008, but with a diameter of 152mm it could only be used in external launch tubes. The gun-launched version would require more intensive work, as it needed an all-new missile body: the YDCh-19 was spin-stabilized and could not consistently point a warhead downward.

The result was a rather innovative missile, with long cruciform fins and a short, stubby body. The sustainer rockets fire through four side apertures, as on the YDCh-19, but are not angled to impart spin, and the missile relies on a gyroscope to right itself after firing (the round can rotate within the autoloader) and remain upright on course to the target. The rear booster section is identical to that on the YDCh-19, firing propellant through a spring-governed vent to throw the missile clear of the gun before its sustainer rockets activate. The internal components of the overflight fusing system were borrowed directly from the YDCh-70, also a Hanbyŏl design, but the rest of the missile was unique in execution, and had no clear counterpart anywhere in Septentrion.

Guidance of the YDCh-71 is beam-riding, semi-active command to line-of-sight, and requires no modification of the rangefinder/guidance module which supports the YDCh-19, allowing any individual tank to be compatible with both. As on the YDCh-19, the missile flies 5 meters above line-of-sight for the first portion of the approach to avoid colliding with ground obstacles or obscuring its rear sensor in the dust. At 800 meters from the target it descends to 2 meters above line of sight. At this point, fusing and firing are identical to the YDCh-70, with a laser profiler activating the downward-facing shaped charge when the missile passes over the target. Like any SACLOS system, it does require constant line-of-sight between the two tanks, and requires the firing tank to remain stationary, unlike the non-line-of-sight YDCH-73.

One advantage of the YDCh-71 is that like the YDCh-19, it can be handled as a two-piece tank round, with a booster section in place of the propellant charge and the entire missile in place of the projectile section. This makes it fully compatible with the carousel autoloader of the JCh-5, in which rounds are broken down into two pieces for storage around the turret walls and floor. By contrast, the full-length "Type 03 special" APFSDS round and the diving NLOS YDCh-73 missile cannot be broken down into two pieces, restricting them to the JCh-6 and JCh-8 main battle tanks. As such, the YDCh-71 is the only ammunition option for the JCh-5 which can reliably defeat an advanced AVA-model tank from the forward 60-degree arc. For this reason, it remains in production as of 2019, to keep reserve JCh-5 units relevant until the type has been fully replaced by the JCh-6 and JCh-8.

Like the YDCh-70, the YDCh-71 was shrouded in secrecy throughout its development and early deployment, in an effort to prevent Maverican intelligence sources from learning about the Menghean Army's improved anti-tank capabilities and devising countermeasures. No announcement about its entry to service was made, and no model missiles were displayed at arms exhibitions. When the YDCh-72 was unveiled in 2012, the skipped -71 designator led to professional and armchair speculation about whether an unknown ATGM existed; the Menghean Army's official explanation was that a cancelled prototype had borne the number, but this was without precedent in the Menghean armed forces, where formal designations are only applied after a weapon is approved for service. Official publications on the YDCh-71's characteristics were only released after the Innominadan Crisis, when both the YDCh-70 and YDCh-71 were used on a large scale against Innominadan government forces.

Service history

The YDCh-71 made its first combat debut in the Innominadan Crisis, where it was used against Innominadan armored forces in the early stages of the conflict. Tank crews reportedly gave favorable reports of its effectiveness, though there were some complaints about the reliability of its fusing system. Its line-of-sight restriction also avoided friendly-fire problems which had plagued the YDCh-72 and -73. As of 2019, the missile remains in production, and has been delivered to JCh-6 units awaiting deliveries of the more expensive YDCh-73.

Following the Innominadan Crisis, Menghe lifted export restrictions on the now-declassified YDCh-71, allowing it to be exported to Menghean allies. Dzhungestan, Polvokia, Argentstan, and Ummayah have already placed orders, the latter agreeing to take the missile in place of the more advanced YDCh-72.

Operators

See also