Nexter RAC 112 APILAS

Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile System

France | 1985

"The capable APILAS shoulder-fired, main-portable anti-tank solution has been in active service since 1985."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/08/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The advent of the tank in the fighting of World War 1 (1914-1918) brought about a pressing need for warplanners to invest in tank-killing instruments. This led to various solutions that have included high-powered rifles, mines, "sticky" bombs, and, ultimately, armor-defeating rockets and missiles. In their current forms, the rocket and missile solutions can be fired from the shoulder, from atop a tripod assembly, or from a vehicle/aircraft. In the case of the Cold War-era RAC 112 "APILAS" ("Armor-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System"), the weapon is a complete system, made recoilless and of single-use function, fired from the shoulder.

The RAC 112 is of French origination, initially produced under the Matra Manurhim Defense label before ownership fell to defense powerhouse GIAT. Now the product is seen under the Nexter brand label. Between 1985 and 2006, some 120,000 RAC 112 APILAS units have been produced for various global entities.

The system fires a 112mm caliber, 920mm long, 4.3 kilogram anti-tank, rocket-powered projectile driven to the target by way of a solid-fuel rocket booster embedded in its aft-end. Range is out to 300 meters against moving targets (such as tanks) and up to 500 meters against static, fixed targets (such as bunkers or similar fortified positions). Minimum range is 25 meters. The projectile carries a shaped-charge warhead of 1.5 kilograms that is able to penetrate up to 720mm of Rolled-Homogenous Armor (RHA) or up to two meters of solid concrete. Muzzle velocity of the outgoing projectile is rated at 295 meters-per-second and a spring-loaded fin arrangement is used to stabilize the weapon during its flight phase.

The launcher component of the system measures between 1,250mm and 1,300mm long depending on whether it is in transport or made ready-to-fire. The tube weighs in at 4.7 kilograms. A Piezoelectric sensor is used to initiate the trigger system. The launcher includes padded ends, padded forend, and padded shoulder rest. The sighting device is integral as its the trigger unit.

All told, overall weight of the complete system is 9.0 kilograms.

The French Army took on a stock of some 84,000 APILAS systems during the middle-to-late 1980s and used these to directly succeed an aging line of LRAC F1 weapons in same role (these are detailed elsewhere on this site). Since introduction, the RAC 112 has gone on to find a home in the inventories of many global players (beyond the French Army) including Belgium, Finland, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, and Taiwan.

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Performance
Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Nexter RAC 112 APILAS. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

1,150 ft
350.5 m | 383.3 yds
Max.Eff.Range

3
Rounds-Per-Minute
Rate-of-Fire

960 ft/sec
293 m/sec
Muzzle Velocity

Physical
The physical qualities of the Nexter RAC 112 APILAS. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

1,300 mm
51.18 in
O/A Length

180 mm
7.09 in
Barrel Length

19.84 lb
9.00 kg
Weight

Single-Shot; Recoilless
Action

112mm
Caliber(s)

Single-Shot.
Feed

Integrated Optics Set.
Sights

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Nexter RAC 112 APILAS Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile System family line.

RAC 112 "APILAS" (Armor-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System) - Base Series Name.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Nexter RAC 112 APILAS. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national small arms listing.

Contractor(s): GIAT Industries (Nexter) - France

National flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

[ Belgium; Chad; Chile; Colombia; Cyprus; Djibouti; Finland; France; Italy; Jordan; Morocco; Saudi Arabia; South Korea; Spain; Taiwan ]

Going Further...
The Nexter RAC 112 APILAS Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile System appears in the following collections:

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