ERYX ERYX is a short - range portable SACLOS - based wire - guided anti - tank missile ( ATGM ) produced by European company MBDA . It is used by several countries , including the Canadian Army , French , and Norwegian armies . The weapon can also be used against bunker s and pillbox es . It also has some capability in the anti aircraft role to bring down low flying helicopters , due to its wire guided system . An agreement was reached in 1989 between the French and Canadian governments to co - produce the ERYX missile system . It entered service in 1994 . Development . The Eryx began as a project in the late 1970s by the French Ministry of defense to replace the short range Luchaire ' s LRAC F1 STRIM 89mm rocket launcher in the French Army . The requirement was for a cost effective antitank weapon that could defeat any known or future main battle tank at range maximum range of 600 meters with considerable accuracy , including on windy days . Aérospatiale , the French defense and aerospace firm , believed it was , from a practical standpoint , impossible to design an unguided antitank rocket that could meet the strict requirements . The weapon system that Aérospatiale offered was basically a mini - short range wire guided antitank missile , the ACCP ( Anti Char Courte Portee ) which in French translates to " Short Range Anti - tank Weapon System " . The first prototype was delivered to the French Ministry of Defense for testing in 1982 . The concept firing post ( See : " ACCP " image ) used a scaled down version of the MILAN tracking and guidance system , but was found in field condition tests to be impractical both from a technical and cost standpoint . In 1989 , France and Canada signed a joint venture to co - produce the ERYX missile . AlliedSignal Aerospace Canada Inc has been developed the Mirabel thermal imager for the ERYX firing post . Canadian industries , including Simtran and Solartron Systems , also produced the Eryx Interactive Gunnery Simulator ( EVIGS ) and the Eryx Precision Gunnery Simulator ( EPGS ) . Enhanced Eryx . MBDA approached the Canadian government twice , once in 2005 , and again in 2006 , with a proposal to develop an improved version of the Eryx which would see an improved range , sight , and anti - armour capabilities as a way of extending the Eryx ' s service life . The Canadian government opted not to participate in the improvement program because it did not meet the new requirements of the Canadian Forces , and conflicted with an ongoing replacement project . In 2007 MBDA provided funding for the development of an enhanced Eryx system . The new system features a new , non - cooled thermal sight which uses a bolometric sensor . MBDA asserts that the new sight is quieter , reduces weight , increases battery life , and provides a detection range greater than the missile ' s own maximum range . The enhanced Eryx also includes a new training simulator . The system was demonstrated for a potential Middle Eastern customer in October 2009 . Description . The missile is ejected from its launch tube using a very low powered short burn rocket motor located in the tail . The launching motor completes its burn before leaving the container , protecting the gunner from being burned . After the missile coasts a safe distance the main sustainer motor ignites and burns until impacting the target or it reaches its maximum range of 600 meters . The main rocket motor is located at mid - body with two exhausts in the side ( e . g . similar to the US BGM - 71 TOW antitank missile ) . Unlike most wire guided antitank missiles the Eryx is propelled at a relative low speed of approximately 240 meters per second at its maximum range . The missile is guided in flight by two vanes located at mid body which act against the main rocket motors thrust . As the missile slowly rotates the launch units send signals commanding the correction by one of the two vanes to move against the missile motors thrust . For example if the missile has to move to the left , the right thrust vector vane will actuate at the correct time . No other missile in service today uses this type of system to physically control the missile in flight . In addition the " soft launch " is what enables the Eryx to be fired from confined spaces ( e . g . buildings ) and not cause a massive launch signature that will reveal the Eryx gunners position to hostile counter fire . Aérospatiale claims that this " soft launch " feature enables the Eryx antitank team to be used effectively in urban antitank warfare . The Eryx missile uses a SACLOS guidance system , the launcher tracks a light source on the rear of the missile and compares its position with the center of the launcher ' s cross - hair , sending corrective signals down a trailing control wire . The missile increases resistance to jamming by having a beacon as the light source on the rear of the missile that pulsates or blinks at a special encoded rate recognized by the Eryx ' s tracking device located on the launch post . Unlike most wire guides antitank missiles that use SACLOS guidance , which require a complex optical tracker unit that has to zoom from a wide to narrow view in micro seconds after the missile is launched ( e . g . the MILAN ) , the Eryx uses one charge - coupled device ( CCD ) matrix that operate in the IR spectrum , and two fields of view ( one narrow and one large ) with an automatic switch during missile flight . Again Aérospatiale also states that this unique and simplified SACLOS tracking system provides for a far more cost effective solution and enable the Eryx to be highly resistant to decoys or jamming and other enemy counter measures . The missile uses a tandem - charge HEAT warhead in order to defeat explosive reactive armour fitted to many armored vehicles today ; a much small diameter warhead at the front of the missile body and a larger main warhead at the rear . Locating the main warhead at the rear of the missile body provides the correct stand off needed for the optimum effectiveness of the Eryx warhead without the need of a complex collapsible nose probe ( e . g . the TOW ) which is standard on most antitank missiles today . This simple solution keeps the missile ' s cost extremely low when compared to other antitank missiles but also for a compact missile design that can be produce in mass quantities . Dispute with MBDA and Turkey . In 1998 the Turkish government signed a contract with MBDA to replace the Turkish Armed Forces ' aging 3 . 5 - inch rocket launchers and RPG - 7 s . The deal , worth approximately €404 million , would see the licensed production of 1 , 600 Eryx launchers , and 20 , 000 missiles in Turkey . The project encountered setbacks after the Turkish Army claimed that missile failed to meet accuracy requirements of a 72 percent hit rate ( i . e . this claim is " unofficially " rejected by MBDA ) . The poor performance was attributed to technical difficulties , and later corrected by MBDA . In 2004 the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defense Industries ( SSM ) canceled the contract citing MBDA ' s failure to meet the terms of the agreement in a timely manner , and MBDA was blacklisted in Turkey . MBDA , in turn , stated that the reason for cancellation was an excuse , and that the systems were simply no longer needed . This is likely based on the 2004 decision by the Turkish Armed Forces to disband four army brigades , and downsize remaining army units , thereby decreasing the requirement for new anti - armor systems . According to MBDA , the ERYX is still in service though with the Turkish Army . The blacklisting has been attributed to a largescale souring of Franco - Turrkish relations . According to report by Undersecretariat for Defense Industries of Turkey , MBDA and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding on to acquire 632 Eryx launchers , 3920 missiles and modification systems for a total package of 404m € . Combat service . With production having begun in 1994 , the ERYX had remained untested in live combat until in 2008 . While having no notable experience , the ERYX has seen deployment in Afghanistan and UN peace - keeping operations . The Canadian Forces have deployed ERYX to Afghanistan but except for the Mirabel thermal imager , the ERYX missile has never been used in operations . In 2010 , videos showing French forces fighting in Afghanistan prove the ERYX is currently used in Afghanistan . In early 2013 pictures emerged , of the ERYX being used during the French Army operations in Mali .