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MBB's W E A P O N S

Right, the French Roland vehicle is a modified

AMX30 tank (foreground) while the German
carrier is the Marder vehicle (background).
Below, o close-up view of the Roland I instal-
lation in the AMX30. The sighting system
looks through the window in the front of the
central pedestal, bottom, the Marder Roland
II installation is virtually identical apart from
the addition of a tracking radar (with the
elliptical flat-faced antenna) and its associated
infra-red gathering sub-system which is
mounted on the antenna shoulder

400m by means of an infra-red sensor mounted on the Eight reload rounds are carried in two rotating quad-
tracking radar. Roland is detected in flight by a second ruple magazines in the vehicle body on either side of the
channel in the tracking radar, which receives signals from turret. When both launcher arms are empty they can be
a radio beacon in the missile. Steering correction com- reloaded automatically within lOsec. The empty containers
mands are then issued automatically to keep the missile are jettisoned laterally from the launcher arms, the
on the tracking-radar boresight. The warhead, which is magazine covers open outwards, the arms are lowered and
detonated by a TRT radio-electric proximity fuze, consists clamp on to a new round, they are raised to the firing
of more than 50 p-charges in five rows, forming a trun- position again and the doors shut. The magazines them-
cated cone. It is normally lethal against typical targets at selves can be restocked manually in less than lOmin.
up to 6m detonation range, but the projectile will puncture
an aircraft skin at far greater ranges. Operation can be switched from optical to radar or
vice versa at any time, even when the missile is in flight.
If the shot is unsuccessful a second missile can be The optical method is used whenever possible because it
fired at the same target after 2sec, or a second round is more accurate, and is in any case employed when the
can be launched at a different aircraft after 6sec. target is flying at less than 25m altitude or is in close
formation with other aircraft. Similarly, the optical mode
is used in the presence of heavy ECM. It is thought that
missiles could be fired while the vehicle is moving but this
has never been tried. It should be possible over fairly
smooth ground where the vehicle would not be manoeuvring
any more violently than the target, but over rough ground
the tank can undergo step changes of velocity, making
missile operation impracticable. The ability to operate
when the launch platform is moving will in any case be
needed for the naval variant which is being studied for
the Bundesmarine.
MBB is responsible for the forward section of Roland,
including the warhead. Steering is by a pair of deflectors
in the motor efflux, these being cheaper and lighter than
fin actuators. They are only effective in one axis, however,
so Roland, like Milan and Hot, is spun during flight—at
600 r.p.m.—and the deflectors are activated at the desired
angle to the reference gyroscope. The deflectors operate
at a constant speed, so control response would normally
decrease as the missile accelerated and dynamic stability
increased. This is overcome by four fixed canard fins which
flip out following booster burnout, destabilising the missile
and thus amplifying control response.

ROLAND
Round of ammunition weight, 75kg; length, 2-6m; diameter, 28cm.
Missile weight, 63kg; length, 2-4m; diameter, 16cm; span (wings unfolded),
50cm.
Performance max range, 6,000m; min range, 500m; speed, Mach 1 -6.

MBB has recently received a production order worth

DM432 million (£72 million) for 350 Kormoran air-to-ship
missiles and 56 aircraft installations to equip one wing of
German Navy Starfighters from 1976. The weapon will
later arm MRCAs and could equip S-3As if they are bought.
MBB refutes suggestions that the Viking is too slow for
Kormoran operation, maintaining that a positive decision
to attack a ship should be made rather than attempting
to launch an anti-ship missile from a cruising maritime-
patrol aircraft.
Kormoran is, however, optimised for operation from
a fighter-bomber and requires a minimum launch speed
of Mach 0-6. The missile is powered directly off the pylon
rather than dropping before motor ignition, so a high
forward speed is necessary if the boost motors are to be