France hands over AKERON ATGM to Ukraine

France has supplied the Ukrainian Armed Forces with Missile Moyenne Portée 5th generation missile anti-tank missile systems, also known as MMP or Akeron MP, however has not made it public.

This was announced in an interview with Opexnews by Jean-Louis Thiériot, vice president of the Commission on National Defense and the Armed Forces of France.

According to the Vice President, as part of military assistance to Ukraine, an unnamed number of these ATGMs and missiles were transferred. It has not been publicly reported before.

“Today it is clear that the weapons we send are good and they work. Caesar ACS, Mistral SAM and the newly sent AKERON perform their tasks well,” said Jean-Louis Thiériot.

Missile Moyenne Portée (MMP)

The Akeron MP is a light multi-purpose missile of approximately 15 kg in weight and with a range of over 4,000 meters. The system has a relatively lightweight and compact size, so a crew of several infantrymen can operate the Akeron MP. The missile can also be launched from vehicles.

The missile uses a fire-and-forget guidance system, meaning that the military just points the missile at the target and fires.

The infrared optical homing system of the missile allows it to point at the target autonomously and without additional targeting. Therefore, the military can leave the firing position immediately after launch.

In addition, the Akeron MP is equipped with a fiber optic connection with the launcher, which provides the so-called Man In The Loop mode, in which the missile is launched without pointing at a specific target.

The image in the seeker is transmitted via an optical fiber cable to the operator, who can then observe the target zone, point the missile at a specific target, change targets during flight, or interrupt the firing process. The user can even select a specific target point on the designated target.

The television missile control channel allows the missile to hit targets behind obstacles, and in the case of heavily armored targets such as main battle tanks, perform a top attack flight profile where the missile hits the thinner upper armor of the target.

The versatility of the missile is further enhanced by the use of a tandem HEAT. This allows the missile to effectively engage a wide range of battlefield targets, including heavy and medium tanks equipped with reactive armor, concrete fortifications and other structures, boats and infantry in open terrain.

The missile is also equipped with a low-impact launch system, which reduces the launch signature and allows you to launch a missile from a closed space, for example, a room, which is extremely important in urban hostilities.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that in January this year, MBDA awarded a contract to supply the French Armed Forces with 200 anti-tank missiles for the Akeron MP ATGM.