Alcotán-100 is a

recoil Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, for according to Newton's third law the force requ ...

less, one-man portable, single-use (firing control unit is reusable)

anti-tank 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 ...

rocket launcher A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile. History The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few i ...

system used by

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

, manufactured by

Instalaza Instalaza SA is a Spanish firm that designs, develops and manufactures equipment and other military material for infantry. The company, founded in 1943, is headquartered in Zaragoza, Aragon, where its production plant is also located. Instalaza's ...

. The firing control unit predicts the future aiming point based on calculation before the rocket fire. It is being used as an infantry-type weapon and fireable from confined spaces. Instalaza claiming it to be, "the highest performance in unguided shoulder launched systems". It is in service with the

Spanish Armed Forces The Spanish Armed Forces are in charge of guaranteeing the sovereignty and independence of the Spain, Kingdom of Spain, defending its territorial integrity and the constitutional order, according to the functions entrusted to them by the Spanish ...

and exported to other countries. The ALCOTAN-100 shoulder launched weapon system has been deployed successfully in several conflicts around the World.

History

Production of the Alcotán-100 began in 1998.

Description

The Alcotán-100 fires a HEAT charge, in addition to HE/FRAG and HEDP (dual-purpose) rounds, and the weapon can be fired from confined spaces. The weapon also has a laser range finder and a ballistic computer; this firing control unit must be turned on before the weapon can be operated.

VOSEL Fire System

The VOSEL fire control unit is available in two different versions, ''VOSEL (M2)'' and ''VOSEL (M2)-IR''. The ''VOSEL (M2)'' fire system gives the ''Alcotán-100 (M2)'' a high hit probability. It incorporates night vision that allows the operator to identify a target up to 1,200 metres in the night, a laser rangefinder with a range up to 2,000 metres and a ballistic computer. After calculating the lead of the moving target, the computer will shows the gunner the future aiming point. The soldier then uses the aiming point to a hit. This mechanism reduces the reaction time and maximize the hit

probability Probability is a branch of mathematics and statistics concerning events and numerical descriptions of how likely they are to occur. The probability of an event is a number between 0 and 1; the larger the probability, the more likely an e ...

. The VOSEL fire system can be used separately from the launcher tube as a night surveillance telemetric device.

Specifications

* Calibre: 100 mm * Length: 1.15 m * Weight: ** Launcher with projectile: 10.5 kg ALCOTAN-AT (M2), 10 kg ALCOTAN-BIV (M2), 9.8 kg ALCOTAN-ABK (M2), 10.3 kg ALCOTAN-MP (M2) ** Fire system: 4.5 kg * Range: **30 m to 600 m point target for the ALCOTAN-AT (M2), ALCOTAN-BIV (M2), ALCOTAN-ABK (M2) and ALCOTAN-MP (M2) ** >1,000 m for ALCOTAN-BIV (M2) (area target) and 1,000 m for ALCOTAN-MP (M2) (airbust) * 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 ...

* Penetration: **Anti-tank ALCOTAN-AT (M2): 700 mm (

explosive reactive armour Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour used in protecting vehicles, especially modern tanks, against shaped charges and hardened kinetic energy penetrators. The most common type is ''explosive reactive armour'' (ERA), but variants include ...

+ armour steel) **Dual purpose ALCOTAN-BIV (M2): 400 mm (armour steel) along with >1000 fragments ** Anti-bunker ALCOTAN-ABK (M2): 350 mm (concrete, ∅ >50 mm for 2nd warhead follow-through) along with >2500 fragments inside bunker, 170 mm (armour steel) ** Multi-purpose ALCOTAN-MP (M2): Effective against light armour and brick walls, >3000 fragments (airbust)

Users

Current operators

; *

Bahrain Defence Force The Bahrain Defence Force (, abbreviated BDF) is the military force of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Bahrain Defence Force is under the direct command and leadership of a commander-in-chief who holds the rank of field marshal. The Government has ...

;: *

Bangladesh Army The Bangladesh Army () is the land warfare branch, and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to defend the land of Bangladesh from any external attack. Control of personnel and operations is ad ...

: ALCOTAN-AT (M2) and ALCOTAN-BIV (M2) along with VOSEL (M2) firing control units. *

Border Guard Bangladesh Border Guard Bangladesh (abbr. BGB; ) is a paramilitary force responsible for the border security of Bangladesh. The BGB is entrusted with the responsibility to defend the border of Bangladesh with India and Myanmar. It was formerly known as t ...

: ALCOTAN-100 along with VOSEL (M2) firing control units. ; *

Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consists of three uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backe ...

; *Special Forces *Cavalry and mountain infantry units, with 74 launchers with 660 rockets. ; *

; *

Armed Forces of Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcotan-100 Anti-tank rockets Weapons of Spain Military equipment introduced in the 1990s Disposable products