YDCh-72
| YDCh-72 | |
|---|---|
 YDCh-72G with cross-section (middle) and storage/launch tube (bottom) | |
| Type | anti-tank guided missile |
| Place of origin |  Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2012-present |
| Used by | Menghe |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Chŏnggong Missile Design Bureau Samsan Defense Group |
| Designed | 2007-2012 |
| Manufacturer | Samsan |
| Produced | 2012-present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 16 kilograms |
| Length | 127 cm |
| Diameter | 140 mm |
| Wingspan | 47 cm |
| Propellant | solid fuel rocket |
Operational range | 5,000 meters |
Guidance system | IIR with manual initial stage |
Steering system | aerodynamic surfaces |
The YDCh-72 (Formal designation: 72식 대전차 유도탄 / 七二式對戰車誘導彈, chil-i-sik daejŏncha yudotan, "Type 72 anti-tank missile;" Short designation 유대차-72 Yudaecha-chiri "YDCh-72") is a type of anti-tank guided missile developed in Menghe during the late 2000s and early 2010s. Though it incorporated some components from similar Glasic missiles as part of a technology-sharing agreement, it is an independent design overall, with slightly different capabilities and characteristics.
The key feature of the YDCh-72, shared with its Glasic counterpart, is an imaging infrared seeker combined with a trailing fiber-optic cable. In the lock-on-after-launch mode, the operator fires the missile from a concealed position and identifies targets using the IR-spectrum video feed from the optical seeker. Once a target is selected, the missile autonomously homes in on it, following a top-attack trajectory. A direct-lock, fire-and-forget mode also exists. The missile can be fired from both man-portable and vehicle-mounted tubes.
Development
The YDCh-72 originated with Menghean interest in a portable ATGM which could supplement the YDCh-18 and YDCh-70. Though the YDCh-18 had impressive accuracy and speed, it still retained the shortcomings of a SACLOS missile, requiring a stationary launch with a clear and uninterrupted line of sight and impacting directly on the thick turret face or glacis armor of an oncoming tank. The YDCh-70 solved the latter problem by using an overflight trajectory and a downward-facing warhead, but it still required that the launch platform remain stationary and track the target, exposing IFVs and missile teams to retaliatory fire.
In order to offset these flaws, the Menghean Army sought out an anti-tank missile with some type of fire-and-forget or non-line-of-sight guidance, either IIR or millimeter-wave radar. These guidance modes would also allow it to follow a top-attack trajectory against the target, striking the thinner top armor and greatly increasing the likelihood of penetration. The YGJ-48, licensed from Tír Glas in 2005, offered both of these capabilities, but due to its size it could only be launched from helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and dedicated launch trucks.
At first, Menghean designers considered pursuing a license for the Glasic Spike-LR, but the measure was overruled following disagreements over whether the missile's cost and range met Menghean requirements. Instead, the Samsan Defense Group began work on a domestic missile which would fill a similar role. Certain components, including many seeker parts, benefited from technology-sharing agreements with Tír Glas, but were not regulated by a formal license agreement. In other areas, particularly the rocket motor, Samsan applied domestic progress in solid-fuel missile propulsion. The missile was approved for production in 2011 as the YDCh-72 and entered service the following year.
Design
At slightly over 16 kilograms, the YDCh-72 is a little over half the weight of the YDCh-70 which it replaced, and similar in weight to the man-portable YDCh-16 of the airborne forces. This allows a dismounted squad or light helicopter to carry more missiles than the YDCh-18 or -70 would have permitted, for equal or greater anti-tank effectiveness. The tripod, launch optics, display screen, and control interface, however, add to the weight and bulk of the overall system, which still requires at least three crew members to transport and operate in dismounted form. On land and airborne vehicles, these are integrated into the gunner or commander's controls.
The missile body itself has a two-stage propellant system, with an initial booster stage to propel it clear of the tube and a second sustainer stage to propel it in flight. The booster stage makes the missile safer to fire from confined rooms and reduces the dust cloud it produces on launch. The sustainer stage uses a smokeless, clean-burning propellant, which ensures that the missile does not give away the launcher's position when fired from behind a hill or obstacle. Surrounding the booster is a coil of fiber-optic cable, four kilometers long on the G version and five kilometers long on the N and D versions. Use of a cable rather than a datalink makes the missile much more resistant to jamming, but also limits its speed and range, one of the reasons a fixed-wing-launched version was never developed.
For targeting, the missile relies on an imaging infrared camera on the nose, coupled to what Menghean sources refer to as a "semi-autonomous guidance system." Initially, some defense analysts misinterpreted this as "semi-active laser homing." In reality, the missile's seeker feeds a false-color image to the operator's screen, which he uses to manually guide the missile in its mid-flight stage. In flight, the seeker identifies possible vehicular IR signatures, which the operator reviews before selecting one as the target. Once a target has been selected, the operator hands off the terminal stage to the missile's autonomous guidance, which follows a top-attack trajectory without further input. This allows the missile to be fired from behind a hill, building, or other obstacle, as long as the operator knows the approximate location of the enemy target. It also allows the operator to better distinguish between friendly and enemy vehicles in the target area, compared with a fully autonomous lock-on-after-launch missile.
Alternatively, the operator can select a target through the seeker camera while the missile is still in its launch tube, then fire and immediately hand the missile over to autonomous guidance mode. This allows for fire-and-forget capability, but requires line-of-sight contact at the outset.
When carried on foot by a dismounted ATGM team, the YDCh-72 is exclusively fired from a tripod, not from the shoulder. The gunner's sighting unit, fixed to the tripod, has been seen in two versions: one with only a viewscreen to the missile's camera, and one with a viewscreen, a daytime sight, and a nighttime sight, for longer-range target acquisition. The minimum weapon crew consists of three men: a gunner, who points the weapon and guides it in flight; a commander, who identifies targets; and a reloader. The gunner carries the tripod and sighting device, while the commander and loader each carry two reload tubes. These are the same YDCh-72 reload tubes used on all platforms, but with removable foam caps on the front and rear to cushion impacts.
Any YDCh-72 tube for infantry service can also be mounted to a land or airborne vehicle's adapter rails, for logistics commonality. On helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft mounts, the tube's front cap is removed before flight to expose the seeker. On enclosed land vehicles, the front cap is removed during mounting but a hinged cap attached to the mounting rail is installed in its place; this folds down to expose the seeker only when the missile is armed, protecting the missile from dirt and moisture. A few prototype vehicles place twin or quadruple launch tubes in a thinly armored box with a hinged front, for moderate shrapnel protection.
The missile warhead consists of a two-stage tandem HEAT charge. Visual measurements on a scale model suggest that the precursor charge is 60 millimeters in diameter, while the main charge is 120 millimeters. Menghean Army sources claim a total penetration figure of 450 millimeters RHAe after ERA, which is modest for a missile this size, but more than adequate for defeating any operational tank's roof armor on a top-attack trajectory. State publications have also reported that the rear charge is shaped to maximize behind-armor effects rather than penetration.
During live-fire trials in 2017, a YDCh-72N missile successfully struck a slow-moving unmanned aerial vehicle from a distance of 1.59 km, the first demonstration of the YDCh-72 in an anti-air role. Due to the missile's low speed, short range, and contact fuse, it is unlikely to be effective against fast jets, but it may pose a threat to helicopters and mid-size battlefield surveillance drones if MANPADS launchers are not available.
Variants
- YDCh-72G:
- Initial service variant with a range of 4,000 meters, introduced in 2012.
- YDCh-72N:
- Improved variant introduced in 2017. It has a more efficient propellant section and a longer fiber-optic cable spool, which together increase its range to 5,000 meters. The launch tube is slightly longer, but is compatible with the same operator interfaces.
- YDCh-72D:
- A variant with a thermobaric warhead for use against soft targets. In terms of operation and characteristics, it is otherwise identical to the YDCh-72N. As it uses the same seeker, it still relies on IR-contrast tracking rather than laser designation or image-matching, which could limit its usefulness in counter-insurgency settings. It is not clear whether the Menghean Army has placed any orders for the weapon, though the Navy has reportedly looked into using it on patrol boats.
Operational service
The YDCh-72 is manufactured by Samsan's defense wing, which was also responsible for the development work. In Mechanized Infantry formations of the Menghean Army, it is currently being issued at a rate of four launchers per IFV, one on each side of the turret plus two reloads. In motorized infantry formations, it is carried by company-level ATGM squads, with three squad members per launcher, and with additional wheeled ATGM vehicles at the battalion level. Menghean arms designers have also unveiled a number of dedicated wheeled and tracked tank destroyers carrying the YDCh-72, mainly marketed for export. Due to the weapon's high production cost, it is not slated to fully replace the YDCh-70 in the near future, and deliveries in the last few years have prioritized airborne and marine infantry units.
During the Innominadan Crisis, the YDCh-72 saw limited service in front-line units tasked with the invasion of Innominada. Accounts from veteran crew members have been generally favorable, with consistent praise for the missile's accuracy and versatility. Some criticism has focused on the risks inherent in the lock-on-in-flight guidance system, with two incidents of friendly fire in which a missile launched over the horizon acquired a friendly vehicle and received positive input from the operator. In a press release published in 2015, representatives of the Menghean Army stated that commanders were working on exercises and best practices to minimize the risk of friendly fire with non-line-of-sight anti-tank missiles.