Missile HOT

The HOT missile system originated from a joint Franco-German project initiated in the 1960s to develop a successor to the older SS.11 missile. The primary design goal was to create a modern anti-tank weapon employing a semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) guidance system, a significant advancement over the manual controls of its predecessor. Following a prolonged development phase, the system entered mass production in 1978 and was promptly adopted by the French and West German armies. Its capabilities drew immediate interest abroad, leading to substantial export orders early in its production run and establishing it as one of the most successful missiles in its class. Subsequent upgrades have introduced new variants over the decades.

Equipped with a two-stage solid-fuel rocket motor, the HOT missile achieves high subsonic speeds, reducing flight time to the target. The missile is guided by a SACLOS system, where the gunner simply needs to keep the sight’s crosshairs on the target while the system automatically tracks the missile and sends steering commands via trailing wires. Control is maintained through thrust vectoring. The original warhead was a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shaped charge with a fuze designed to detonate upon crushing the two-layered nose cone. The later HOT-3 variant incorporates a tandem-charge warhead, which features a small precursor charge to defeat explosive reactive armor (ERA) before the main charge detonates. A multipurpose variant with fragmentation and incendiary effects was also developed for use against a wider range of targets.

The HOT missile has been deployed on a wide array of platforms, demonstrating considerable tactical flexibility. It is commonly mounted on attack helicopters, including the French Gazelle, the German Bo-105 and Tiger, and the South African Rooivalk. Its vehicle applications are just as diverse, equipping tracked tank destroyers like Germany's Jaguar 1, as well as wheeled armored vehicles such as the French VAB and the Panhard VCR. The system has an extensive and well-documented combat history, having been used in numerous conflicts including the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and more recent civil wars in Libya and Syria. Its effectiveness has been proven by various armed forces across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, and it remains in service with numerous countries worldwide.