Manual command to line of sight: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Method for guiding guided missiles}}

'''Manual command to line of sight''' ('''MCLOS''' or '''MACLOS''')<ref> {{cite journal |last1= Iyer, N. R. |first1= |last2= |first2= |date=1995 |title=Recent Advances in Antitank Guided Missile Systems |url= https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/333720993.pdf|journal=Defence Science Journal |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=187-197187–197 |doi= |access-date=}}</ref> is a method for guiding [[guided missile]]s.

With an MCLOS missile, the operator must track the missile and the target simultaneously and guide the missile to the target. Typically the missile is steered with a [[joystick]], and its path is observed through a periscope-type telescopic sight. The missiles are usually equipped with a [[magnesium]] [[flare]] in the base that automatically ignites on launch and allows the gunner to visually track the fast-moving missile in a manner similar in concept to [[tracer ammunition]].

MCLOS requires considerable training and practice to master, since even a minor disruption in the gunner's concentration would likely cause a miss. These guidance systems have marginal accuracy on tank-sized targets, even with perfect line-of-sight by the gunner, due to erratic flight paths requiring timely manual corrections. As demonstrated by the Israeli Army under fire from Soviet-armed Arab states, responding to the distinctive smoke puff of a missile launch with rapid manoeuvres and immediate counter-fire minimizes their accuracy, as very few [[anti-tank guided missile]] (ATGM) gunners maintain their concentration on a fast-moving tank for the entire flight time of the missile while under suppressing fire.

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*[[Malkara (missile)|Malkara]]

*[[Blowpipe missile]]

*[[3M6 Shmel|AT-1 Snapper]]

*[[AT-3 Sagger|9M14 Malyutka]]

*[[Vickers Vigilant]]

*Saab [[Rb 05]]

*[[SSM-A-23 Dart]]

*[[Swingfire]] (early models)

==See also==

*[[Index of aviation articles]]

*[[List of established military terms]]

==References==