The Bofors RBS-70 MANPADS

And the Bofors BILL is an excellent ATGM but not cheap and not widely sold either.

Dear Member,

I did the first article on the Bofors BILL in the US back in the way early 1980s. The solution it had was unique with its slant warhead for a “kind of” top attack — ie the BILL does not dive on its target or direct a warhead directly straight downwards to achieve the effect. And in reality what makes it more expensive than say the TOW or MILAN is the small scale of production. It is actually similar in a lot of ways to the TOW.

Jack E. Hammond

has the RBS70 ever been used to down an aircraft?

Dear Member,

There have been reports since the Iran-Iraq War that Singapore bought some RBS-70 firing units and then passed them on to Iran. They are reported in all the defense publications listing a nations military assets and weapons. They were supposedly used to defend the Imman-Ks residence, etc and used against the Iraqis. But no one has ever seen a photo of them or heard any more. Some believe that it was just a big bluff by Iran. No one knows for sure. Maybe one of our members can enlighten us?

Jack E. Hammond

has the RBS70 ever been used to down an aircraft?

And the Bofors BILL is an excellent ATGM but not cheap and not widely sold either.

Folks,

In the 1980s Sweden’s Bofors developed a tripod MANPADS that used laser beam riding guidance. It is considered the only MANPADS that is totally immune to decoying or jamming.
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Not quite. This also applies to British systems. The most recent British MANPADS (the “Startreak”) also uses laser beam riding guidance, and is therefore also immune to flares and/or DIRCMs !!!