YDCh-72
| YDCh-72 | |
|---|---|
| File:YDCh 72.png YDCh-72 with launch tube | |
| Type | anti-tank guided missile |
| Place of origin |  MengheTemplate:Country data New Oyashima |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2012-present |
| Used by | Menghe |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Chŏnggong Missile Design Bureau |
| Designed | 2007 |
| Manufacturer | Sinsegye Armaments Division |
| Produced | 2012-present |
| Variants | YDCh-72A (no wire) YDCh-72B (fiber optic wire restored) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 14 kilograms |
| Length | 124 cm |
| Diameter | 110 mm |
| Wingspan | 47 cm |
| Propellant | solid fuel rocket |
Operational range | 3,500 meters |
Guidance system | IIR with manual initial stage |
Steering system | aerodynamic surfaces |
The YDCh-72 (Menghean: 유도탄 대전차, Yudotan DaejeonCha, "missile, anti-tank") is a type of anti-tank guided missile in service with the Menghean armed forces. It was developed as a license-produced special variant of the Oyashimese Spike missile, modified to meet the needs of the Menghean Army. The main modifications included the replacement of the electro-optical camera with an IIR-band guidance system, and the replacement of the fiber-optic wire spool with a radio datalink. The missile is smaller and lighter than the preceding YDCh-18, allowing it to be man-portable, but it can also be fired from vehicles and has become standard IFV armament in "Class 4" high-readiness units.
Development
The YDCh-72 originated with Menghean interest in an easily portable anti-tank missile which could supplement the YDCh-18 in combat battalions. Although the YDCh-18 was an impressive anti-tank missile in itself, with a higher speed and better accuracy and penetration than the preceding YDCh-13, it still retained the main shortcomings of a SACLOS guidance system. A portable launcher or launch vehicle firing the weapon would have to remain stationary and keep the target in its line of sight from launch until impact, exposing it to suppressing fire and, in the case of a vehicle within range of a tank, destruction by the enemy’s main gun. Lock would also be lost if the target vehicle retreated into cover or passed behind an obstacle. Additionally, the missile’s straight trajectory meant that it was most likely to strike the thick turret or glacis armor of a main battle tank, areas which even the improved YDCh-18 tandem warhead were not able to reliably penetrate.
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 YDJ-82, still in development at the time, offered this capability in its ground-launch version. But while a dedicated tank destroyer JYDJ-82 eventually entered service, the YDJ-82 was too large to be mounted on every IFV or carried by dismounted anti-tank squads. In 2008, the Menghean Army decided to pursue a joint contract with New Oyashima, which was also providing assistance with the PD-82. The Oyashimese military already operated the Spike ATGM, and offered it for export. After accepting a shipment of Spike-MR missiles for training and evaluation, the Menghean military decided it would be more productive in the long run to jointly develop a new variant to meet their needs.
Design
The new missile, designated YDCh-72, was based on the medium range variant of the Oyashimese ATGM. Its forward guidance unit was replaced by a jointly developed imaging infrared seeker, which would identify the heat signature generated by an operating military vehicle and autonomously home in on it, ending its flight path with a descending top attack dive. In line-of-sight mode, the missile acquires the target designated by the operator, who uses the missile’s own IR seeker in place of a dedicated IR camera on the launcher. After launch, the missile autonomously homes in on the designated target unless further input is given. This allows an IFV to launch the missile from a hull-down position and then retreat into cover before enemy tanks can destroy the launch vehicle. In an alternative non-line-of-sight mode, the missile can relay its IIR camera feed back to the operator, who manually controls the missile in its early flight and switches it back to autonomous mode after it acquires a selected target. This mode can be used to reach targets beyond an obstacle, adding further protection against retaliatory fire. In the original Oyashimese weapon, this guidance relay was carried out along a fiber-optic wire trailing behind the missile. The YDCh-72 replaced this with a secure radio datalink, out of concern that a wire could snag on foliage or break if the vehicle moved suddenly.
At 14 kilograms, the YDCh-72 missile is about the same weight as the YDCh-71 lightweight infantry ATGM and less than half the weight of the vehicle-mounted YDCh-18. This makes it easily man-portable, allowing a dismounted squad to carry more missiles than they could with the YDCh-18 system. The YDCh-72 also retains the Spike’s cold-launch stage, which propels the missile clear of its launch tube before the rocket motor kicks in. This protects an ATGM squad from the rocket blast, especially useful when launching from an enclosed space such as a room in a building, and reduces the dust cloud generated from launching in the open. The YDCh-72 does have a larger rocket motor than the Oyashimese original, and a newer seeker head, which together extend the maximum operational range to about 3,500 meters. This is still less than half the maximum range of the YDCh-18, but the latter weapon could rarely reach this distance due to line-of-sight obstacles, whereas the YDCh-72 can engage targets obstructed by hills or buildings and is more able to use the range at its disposal.
YDCh-72J
During the development process, the Oyashimese authorities proposed expanding the program to include sales of the Spike-ER, which had a longer range and a non-line-of-sight system closer to Menghean design requirements. The Byuntian missile design bureau made some preliminary evaluations of the longer-range missile, which was sometimes shown with the designation YDCh-72J (장거리, Janggŏri, long-range).
In the end, however, the Army leadership decided to use the ground-launched PD-82 as its main long-range AT weapon, filling the intended role of a Spike-ER derivative. The program was officially cancelled, but Changgong has continued side work on a long-range YDCh-72, displaying models of a vertical launch vehicle at the 2015 Hanguang Armaments Expo.
YDCh-73
| YDCh-73 | |
|---|---|
| File:YDCh 73.png YDCh-73 in handling shell and deployed. Note 125mm APFSDS for size comparison. | |
| Type | gun-launched anti-tank guided missile |
| Place of origin | Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2016-present |
| Used by | Menghe |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Chŏnggong design bureau |
| Designed | 2012 |
| Manufacturer | Sinsegye Armaments Division |
| Produced | 2016-present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 19 kilograms |
| Length | 91 cm |
| Diameter | 124 mm |
| Wingspan | 45 cm |
| Propellant | solid fuel rocket |
Operational range | 5,000 meters |
Guidance system | IIR with manual initial stage |
Steering system | aerodynamic surfaces |
Launch platform | SCh-5/6A, SCh-6D, SCh-8B |
Even while the YDCh-72 was still in development, Army High Command expressed interest in a fire-and-forget gun-launched ATGM for use on main battle tanks. All Menghean MBTs since the MCh-5Ch had been equipped to fire SACLOS ATGMs through the gun barrel, allowing them to engage enemy armor with greater accuracy from a longer range. By the 21st century, however, the utility of such weapons was coming into doubt; ever since the adoption of Oyashimese-based fire-control systems, Menghean MBTs had been able to reliably score first-round hits with 125mm APFSDS at long range, reducing the need for an anti-tank guided missile that took longer to reach the target and was less effective against composite armor.
YDCh-72, especially after its spectacular success in trials, offered a solution to these problems. As on IFVs, its fire-and-forget capability would allow a tank to launch the weapon and then retreat into cover rather than remaining stationary in the face of enemy fire. The top-attack trajectory also offered a weapon to use against MBTs found to be resistant to the SuChong-6’s long 125mm APFSDS. Some doctrinal experts suggested that the weapon’s range, especially if extended, would allow MBTs to inflict attrition and demoralization on an enemy armored force prior to commencing line-of-sight battle.
In 2012, shortly after the YDCh-72 passed its final firing trials and entered service, High Command commissioned the Changgong design bureau to develop a similar missile which could be launched from a 125mm tank gun. At 110 millimeters in diameter, the YDCh-72 was already narrow enough to fit down the barrel, but it was too long for SCh-6 and SCh-8 autoloaders to handle even before the addition of a cold-launch element. This challenge led the designers to adapt the YDCh-72 design to the required dimensions, shortening the missile while also increasing its diameter to 125 millimeters. To retain training and manufacturing commonality and speed up the design process, the designers chose to retain the YDCh-72’s seeker and most of its guidance and control electronics. The larger rocket booster allowed a slight improvement in range, and the installation of a heavier tandem HEAT warhead, but these changes also increased the missile's mass. After the Menghean invasion of the Republica Innominada, High Command ordered Changgong to accelerate development of the YDCh-73, and the first prototype was ready for testing in 2015.
Owing to these changes, the resulting missile bears the separate designation YDCh-73. Externally, it is shorter and fatter than the YDCh-72, though upon closer examination it still retains the latter’s seeker head and control fins. In order to prevent gun rifling from damaging its skin, the missile is carried within a metal sleeve that falls off after firing. The glass seeker head is also covered by a protective rubber cap during transport, but this is removed just before inserting the missile into the autoloader. Like the YDCh-72, the YDCh-73 does not require an external infrared camera, and in pre-launch preparation it locks on to the target using its own IIR seeker – which in this case must “look” down the barrel while the gun is pointed directly at the target. The gunner can either perform this action on his own optics, or switch to a video feed from the IIR seeker. The missile is launched from the gun barrel under its own power, burning up a combustible case which attaches it to the rear stub. In lock-on-after-launch mode, the gunner remains on this video feed and guides the missile in its early flight, selecting a target and releasing the missile to autonomous mode in a manner identical to the YDCh-72. If lock is already established prior to launch the missile can be placed directly in autonomous mode. Both modes allow the tank to accelerate or retreat into cover after firing, even if this breaks line-of-sight. Field tests in 2015 found that the main gun stabilizer on the SCh-6Ch is sufficiently precise to allow the missile to lock on to a target while the tank is moving, and lock-on-after-launch firing can be performed at high speed on rough terrain if the gunner is skilled.
After performing well on firing trials, the first prototype was accepted for service in early 2016. Operational deliveries were originally set to begin in November of that year, but have been revised back to January 2017 due to production delays. The “D” variant of the SuChong-6 and the “B” variant of the SuChong-8 were both designed to accept the missile, as is the “A” variant of the Marine Infantry’s SuChong-5/6.
Service
Both the YDCh-72 and YDCh-73 are manufactured by the armaments division of Sinsegye, a public-private conglomerate firm which is best known for producing consumer electronics. Although no officially published figures are available, Changgong’s website states that production of the YDCh-72 already numbers “above ten thousand” with many more set to be produced. The weapon is currently standard-issue in the Army’s “Class 4” formations, the fourth and highest ranking for equipment quality in a combat unit. In Mechanized Infantry battalions it is standard-issue at the Squad level, with one group of four launchers on each IFV. These currently account for most YDCh-72 missiles in service. In Class 4 Motorized Infantry battalions it is issued to each Company’s Anti-Tank Squad, with additional vehicle-mounted launchers at the Battalion and Regimental levels. As of 2015, all active Marine Infantry Brigades and Airborne Assault Brigades are fully equipped with the YDCh-72, having used it to replace other ATGM types.
In March 2015, military officials from Qusayn contacted the Menghean government to request a special sale of the YDCh-72, which is not exported by Singun-Battang Korrigae. The Menghean government has denied the request, as the weapon is originally licensed in New Oyashima and sale to third-party countries is not possible without the designer’s formal consent.