Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has announced the development of a new light short-range missile called Teaser –’Prankster’, in Spanish– which is, according to the manufacturer, the ‘first missile guided in the world that uses external optical guidance without a homing sensor’. The Teaser, shown publicly at the defense fair AUSA which took place last week in Washingtonseeks to balance traditional unguided missiles, with limited range, with current guided missiles, which are heavier, more expensive and require training. A soldier needs less than 3 days of training to be able to operate the Teaser.
Teaser is a missile that can be launched from the shoulder, weighing just over 2 kilogramsmeasure 70cm long and 8.4cm in diameter and operates without depending on satellite navigation systems (GNSS). The company describes the weapon as an infantry weapons system tactical, affordable and ACLOS (Line of Sight Automatic Control).
ACLOS is a guidance system used in missiles and other weapons that allows The operator maintains the target in line of sight throughout the projectile’s flight time.. In this type of system, the operator must continue aiming towards the target until the missile hits, since Guidance commands are automatically sent to the missile to correct its trajectory and keep it heading in the desired direction.
Unlike self-guided missiles that track the target on their own, ACLOS systems require the operator to be continually involved, but do not rely on navigation systems. This means that Immune to traditional GNSS jamming or deception.
The new weapon uses an external sight, called Teaser-Sightto guide it towards objectives up to 2.5 kilometers away. ‘The Teaser looks used internal day and night vision channels, and can also employ external video sourceswhich allows the system to be configured according to the specific needs of the user without requiring changes or adaptations to the missile,’ explains IAI.
Since the operator needs to maintain the target lock during flight, the company emphasizes the speed of the missile: about 200 meters per secondwhile maintaining a low signature during launch and flight.
The multipurpose anti-structure warhead It is designed for use by infantry units, battalion-sized or smaller, and special forces, allowing them to attack moving targets, such as personnel, lightly armored vehicles and low-altitude aerial vehicles, as well as light structures. Images distributed by the company show how it will be deployedeither as a shoulder-launched weapon with a launch tube or on a truck using containers to fire it.
The company notes that the decision to focus on short range comes from the need for the armed forces to have a system like this, for both close range combat in urban environments and open areas. The company claims that ‘the two-stage engine integrated into the missile (ejection stage and booster) allows safe recoil, allowing firing from closed areas’. It could also be used by small boat crews.