Euromissile HOT

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HOT
HOT 3
Type	Anti-tank missile
Place of origin	France West Germany
Service history
Used by	See Users
Production history
Manufacturer	Euromissile (now MBDA)
Produced	1978
Variants	HOT 1, HOT 2, HOT 3
Specifications
Weight	24 kg
Length	1.27 m
Diameter	0.15 m

Warhead	Tandem charge HEAT

Engine	Two-stage solid fuel rocket
Wingspan	0.31 m
Operational range	75-4000 m
Speed	900 km/h
Guidance system	Optical wire guide
Launch platform	Vehicle, helicopter

HOT (Haut subsonique Optiquement Téléguidé = High Subsonic Optical Guided) is an anti-tank missile system developed by Euromissile (now MBDA), a joint venture of France and Germany, and produced since 1978. It has become one of the most successful missiles of its class, used by no fewer than a dozen countries worldwide and has been validated in actual combat.

HOT uses the same principles for its operation as its American counterpart, the TOW missile: tube-launched, optically tracked, and guided through a trailing wire. The missile system is also commonly mounted on vehicles, and a version exists that can be launched from combat helicopters.

The HOT-2, introduced in 1986, features a larger warhead and a maximum range of 4 kilometers with speeds of up to 900 km/h.

The newest version, HOT-3, has a tandem shaped-charge HEAT warhead as well as improved anti-jamming capabilities. In 1997, HOT-3 was selected to be the base-line and low-cost missile armament of the Tiger attack helicopter for France and Germany at least until the PARS 3 LR becomes available.