The RAC 112 APILAS (Armour-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System) is a portable one-shot 112 mm

recoilless A Recoilless rifle (rifled), recoilless launcher (smoothbore), or simply recoilless gun, sometimes abbreviated to "rr" or "RCL" (for ReCoilLess) is a type of lightweight artillery system or man-portable launcher that is designed to eject some fo ...

anti-tank weapon Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...

, designed in France by

GIAT Industries KNDS France (formerly known as Nexter, GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Versailles. The company was wholly government-owned ...

. Over 120,000 of the APILAS launchers have been produced, and they are in service with many countries.

Description

The APILAS is supplied in an aramid fibre launcher tube with a retractable sight. The effective range of APILAS is from 25 m (it takes 25 m for the rocket to arm itself) up to 300–500 m depending on the target. The

shaped charge A shaped charge, commonly also hollow charge if shaped with a cavity, is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, ...

warhead is electrically fused and will detonate at impact angles up to 80 degrees. Although heavy, the APILAS is able to pierce 700 mm of RHA. Within the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

it is categorized as "traumatic weapon", because of its blast and noise. A French soldier cannot fire it more than three times in his service during peacetime. An off-route mine system was developed using the APILAS rocket mounted on a tripod using a sensor package, or tripwires.

Production

84,000 were ordered in 1984 by the French Army to replace the

LRAC F1 The LRAC F1, officially called ''Lance-Roquettes AntiChar de 89 mm modèle F1'' (89 mm anti-tank rocket launcher model F1), is a French reusable rocket launcher developed by Luchaire Défense SA, and manufactured in cooperation with Man ...

until the adoption of the

Eryx Eryx may refer to: * Eryx (Sicily), an ancient city in Sicily, the modern Erice, Italy * Mount Eryx, upon which the city stood, the modern Mount Erice * Eryx (mythology), a mythological king of the Sicilian city of Eryx, and boxer killed by Herac ...

short-range missile. The French company Matra Manurhin Défense (now NEXTER - ex GIAT) produced 120,000 APILAS between 1985 and 2006.

Specifications

* Calibre: 112 mm * Length ** Launcher: ***Transportation: 1290 mm ***Fire-ready: 1260 mm ** Projectile: 920 mm * Weight: ** Overall: 9.0 kg ** Projectile: 4.3 kg ** Launcher: 4.7 kg * Range: 25 m to 300 m + (moving target) 500 m + (static target) * Engine:

Solid-fuel rocket A solid-propellant rocket or solid rocket is a rocket with a rocket engine that uses Rocket propellant#Solid chemical propellants, solid propellants (fuel/oxidizer). The earliest rockets were solid-fuel rockets powered by gunpowder. The incepti ...

* Muzzle velocity: 293 m/s * Time of flight to 500 m: 1.9 s * Warhead: 1.5 kg shaped charge capable of penetrating more than 750 mm RHAe or 2 m of concrete * Trigger:

Piezoelectric sensor A piezoelectric sensor is a device that uses the piezoelectric effect to measure changes in pressure, acceleration, temperature, strain, or force by converting them to an electrical charge. The prefix ''piezo-'' is Greek for 'press' or 'squeeze ...

with 50g black powder

Operators

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * : **

Syrian Arab Army The Syrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAF; ) were the combined armed forces of Syria from 1963 to 2024. They served during the rule of the Ba'ath Party in Syria. The SAAF consisted of the Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air D ...

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA; ) is a Big tent, big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition (2011–2024), Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defe ...

* *

Former operators

* Republic of South African *

South West Africa South West Africa was a territory under Union of South Africa, South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, Independence of Namibia, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. ...

References

Sources

* ''Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005–2006'' * ''Jane's Mines and Mine Clearance 2005–2006'' Anti-tank rockets Weapons of France KNDS France Military equipment introduced in the 1980s Disposable products {{artillery-stub