The Iraqis had the Milan anti-tank missile system and so did we. Of the captured missiles I saw, all were about 12 years old. Other photos are from UK firing camps in the 1988 - 1990 period, firing the J103 version (the K115 warhead came into service in about 1990). Photo 2 shows a `hot' misfire, where the tube containing the missile has been loaded onto the firing post and firing attempted. Various circuits have worked as intended (note the ruptured vapour barrier at the front and the burnt section of launch tube at the rear) but the propulsive gas generator (PGG) in the rear of the launch tube has not, so the missile has stayed in the tube. The system is designed so that it is virtually recoilless, so that the tube is ejected less than 10 feet (3 metres) to the rear. The idea is that the PGG kicks out the missile at about 50 metres per second and a short distance after launch the missile's rocket motor takes over, boosting the speed to 75 metres per second. Terminal speed at maximum range (about 2000 metres) was about 210 metres per second. Another use apart from anti armour is `bunker busting'. In a normal firing where all works as it should, the launch tube would not be burned.
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