MBDA Enforcer for Bundeswehr
The German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support signed a deal last month for the procurement of the MBDA Enforcer shoulder launched disposable missile. The Enforcer came out top in the “Leichtes Wirkmittel 1800+” competitive tender for an infantry launcher capable of engaging moving targets, including light armour, out to and beyond 1800 meters.
The Enforcer will join the shoulder launched Wirkmittel 90 (Israeli MATADOR LRMP) and legacy Panzerfaust Pzf3 IT600 in Bundeswehr service. The Bundeswehr deploy two ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) among their infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) fleet; the recently adopted Israeli LR in both the dismount version known as MELLS- Mehrrollenfähiges Leichtes Lenkflugkörper-System or Multi-role Light Guided Missile System and the two-shot mounted variant; and the legacy Milan 2 mounted on the Marder IFV. German infantry also employ the MATADOR RGW 90-AS variant for urban operations against structures.
The MATADOR LRMP variant used by Germany has an effective range envelope of 1200 meters whilst the Pzf3 IT600 can reach out to 600 meters. The MBDA Enforcer neatly increases the engagement envelope for light infantry to between 1800 and 2000 meters, ranges that are more typically seen with mounted ATGM platforms.
The Enforcer employs a reusable sight and disposable missile in a similar fashion to the Javelin. Each missile weighs in at 7 kilograms whilst the sight weighs approximately 6 kilograms. The platform is day/night capable and is ‘fire and forget’, able to track moving targets, and engage targets behind cover through airburst effects. It has also been expressly designed to be fired from within buildings and defensive positions with negligible backblast.
The initial order of 850 Enforcer missiles are destined for the Kommando Spezialkräfte or KSK, German Army special operations forces with additional orders expected to follow for Bundeswehr infantry. The platform can be deployed against enemy infantry, soft-skins such as technicals, and lightly armoured vehicles such as BMP1/2 and BTR series.