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120 mm anti-armour guided bomb Strix
Region
Sweden
Category
Ammunition, Missiles and precision weapons
Armament Any 120 mm smoothbore mortar. Development Developed jointly from 1984 to 1990 by Bofors AB and Saab Missiles, to provide a top-attack anti-tank weapon for infantry. Description Strix is a 120 mm mortar projectile, terminally guided by an infra-red target seeker. It is completely autonomous in operation, requiring no other information than that normally provided by a Forward Observation Officer. The Strix projectile is handled exactly like any other mortar round, except that it is fitted with a special
tail unit which separates from the bomb after approximately 20 m of flight. The bomb follows a normal ballistic trajectory, sustained if required by a rocket motor, increasing range and reducing the effect of wind. Only in the last stages of flight does the infra-red target seeker and guidance system come into operation to direct the bomb onto the upper surfaces of its target, for it is these surfaces that are generally the least protected. The Strix projectile consists of a hollow charge warhead, a guidance system, an electronic unit, the infra-red sensor, the afterbody with the fins and an optional rocket motor. Terminal guidance is performed by side-thruster units in the afterbody. The high descent angle implicit in the use of a mortar projectile enables the Strix projectile to overcome several attack problems. For example, it is possible to attack the lighter top armour of armoured fighting vehicles rather than attempting to defeat the front and side armour. The near-vertical final trajectory also allows the IR seeker to overcome concealment methods such as camouflage and smoke screening. Manufacturer Bofors AB.