AV-TM 300

The AV-TM 300^[6] Tactical Missile or MTC-300 (Míssil Tático de Cruzeiro) is a Brazilian cruise missile developed by Avibras for the Astros II system. Nicknamed Matador ("killer"),^[7] it is projected to be a less expensive alternative to the American BGM-109 Tomahawk.^[8] The missile is equipped with a central computer that combines a Ring laser gyroscope, connected to an active GPS navigation device that uninterruptedly supplies positioning information for course correction. Apparently there also will be a naval version called X-300.^[9] The missile can use a single warhead of 200 to 500 kg high explosive or cluster munition warhead with 64 submunitions for anti-personnel or anti-tank targets.^[4]

AV-TM 300
Type	Cruise missile
Place of origin	Brazil
Production history
Manufacturer	Avibras
Unit cost	US$1,000,000
Produced	Officially in development since 2001[1]
Specifications
Mass	1140 kg[2]
Length	5400 mm[2]
Diameter	450 mm [9]
Wingspan	1250 mm[2]
Warhead	200-500 kg
Engine	Turbomachine TJ1000 Turbojet[3] 1,000 lbf[3]
Propellant	1st stage: solid propellant 2nd stage: turbojet (0.85 Mach)
Operational range	30-300 km (Depending on the engine power, the Missile can reach more than 500 or 1,000 km)
Maximum speed	0.85 Mach[2]
Guidance system	GPS / INS[4]
Accuracy	less than 30 meters[2]
Launch platform	Astros II JAS F-39 Gripen (pending)[5]

Development

The first version of the missile was created in 1999,^[1] however, the development of the missile officially started in September 2001.^[8] Eventually, the original specifications underwent a major modification, including removal of the retractable wings and addition of composite materials. The missile uses solid-fuel rockets for launching, and a turbojet during the subsonic cruise flight.^[1] The missile uses a variant of the Turbomachine TJ1000, an indigenous turbojet engine developed by Turbomachine company and used by Avibras under a manufacturing license agreement.^[10]

The Brazilian Army signed the development contract and invested R$ 100 million since 2012, the development stages are being finalized by 2021 and already have about two dozen launches from test fields such as the CLBI. The force has commissioned an initial batch of 100 units. In addition to being used in the land force, the weaponry can be used by the ASTROS of the Brazilian Marine Corps.^[11][12] As of December 2023, the missile was still in the test phase and had yet to enter service.^[13] By April 2024, Avibras faced debt and labor issues and owed approximately R$ 60 million worth of undelivered orders to the Brazilian Army. General Rocha Lima, head of the Army Projects Office, described the AV-TM as the company's greatest unconcluded project.^[14]

Air launched variant

The MICLA-BR (acronym in Portuguese for Brazilian Long-Range Cruise Missile) development was confirmed by the Brazilian Air Force in September 2019 to equip the JAS F-39 Gripen with the first tests of the missile conducted in the same year with a Brazilian F-5 EM as a test platform.^[5][15] The Brazilian Air Force intends to declare the MICLA-BR fully operational in the early 2030s.^[5]

Operators

 Brazil

• Brazilian Army – used in the ASTROS system
• Brazilian Marine Corps – used in the ASTROS system
• Brazilian Air Force – under development for the JAS F-39 Gripen^[5]

See also

• 3M-51 Alfa – (Russia)
• Atmaca – (Turkey)
• Babur – (Pakistan)
• BGM-109 Tomahawk – (United States)
• BrahMos – (Russia, India)
• Hyunmoo-3 – (South Korea)
• Khalij Fars – (Iran)
• 3M-54 Kalibr – (Russia)
• Noor ASCM – (Iran)
• P-800 Oniks – (Russia)
• Qader – (Iran)
• Ra'ad (air-launched cruise missile)
• RK-55 – (Soviet Union)
• SOM – (Turkey)
• YJ-18 – (China)
• Zafar – (Iran)

References

1. Godoy, Roberto (16 December 2012). "AV-TM300 - Brasil Deverá ter Míssil de Médio Alcance em 2016" (in Portuguese). Estadao. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
2. "Míssil Tático de Cruzeiro AV-TM 300" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Army. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
3. Trimble, Stephen (10 April 2013). "Brazilian start-up unveils country's first turbojet". Flight Internacional. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
4. Caiafa, R. (19 July 2012). "Míssil tático e foguete guiado com os contratos em andamento do programa Astros 2020" (in Portuguese). Info Defesa. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
5. "India ofrece el misil de crucero BrahMos NG a la Fuerza Aérea Brasileña para los cazas Gripen". Defensa.com. 13 May 2022.
6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. Vieira, Mateus de Paula (17 September 2020). "Míssil Tático de Cruzeiro AV-TM 300 "Matador" da Avibras entra em fase final de desenvolvimento, afirma Ministro da Defesa". DEFESA TV (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
8. Zaborsky, Victor (Summer 2003). "The Brazilian Export Control System" (PDF). The Nonproliferation Review. Center for Nonproliferation Studies: 127. ISSN 1073-6700. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
9. "Av/Mt-300".
10. Müller, Leonardo (20 November 2013). "Conheça a TJ1000" (in Portuguese). Portal Defesa. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
11. "Brasil adquire míssil Cruise tático com 300 km de alcance". 24 June 2021.
12. "Avibras testará dois mísseis táticos de cruzeiro na Barreira do Inferno". 24 June 2021.
13. Godoy, Roberto (11 December 2023). "Crise entre Maduro e Guiana pega o Brasil sem caça-tanques, estoques de munições e aposentando navio". Estado de S. Paulo. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023.
14. Rittner, Daniel (4 April 2024). "O que pensa o Exército sobre a venda da Avibras, símbolo da indústria de defesa, para grupo australiano". CNN Brasil. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
15. "Brasil testa o Micla-BR da Avibras e a FAB em um F-5EM Tiger II". Infodefensa. 2 October 2019.