MATADOR

MATADOR
TypeRecoilless gun
Place of originGermany
Israel
Singapore
Service history
In service2000–present
Used bySee Operators
Wars
Production history
DesignerSingapore Armed Forces,
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems,
Defence Science and Technology Agency
Designed1999
ManufacturerDynamit Nobel Defence
Unit cost~€5,000
Specifications
Mass10.350 kg (22 lb 13.1 oz)
Length1 m (3 ft 3 in)
Caliber90 mm (3.5 in)
60 mm (2.4 in)
110 mm (4.3 in)
Muzzle velocity250 m/s (820 ft/s)
Effective firing range500 m (1,600 ft)
Feed systemSingle-shot, disposable
SightsIntegral optical sights
Night vision device on a Picatinny rail

The MATADOR (man-portable, anti-tank, anti-door) is a 90-millimetre (3.5 in) man-portable, disposable anti-armour and anti-brickwall weapon system developed by Germany, Israel and Singapore. It is an updated version of the German Armbrust design, and operates on the same principles. The development of this weapon began in 2000 and the MATADOR will eventually replace the German Armbrust Light Anti-tank Weapon, which has been in service since the 1980s.

The MATADOR was developed jointly by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), in collaboration with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Dynamit Nobel Defence (DND) joint team.

Design

Warhead

The warhead can be used in both high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and high explosive squash head (HESH) modes against armour, walls, or other fortifications respectively. Modes are selected by adjusting a probe (most likely a fuse extender): extending it for HEAT mode and leaving it retracted for HESH mode.

The warhead is effective against both vehicle armour and brick walls. The weapon has little back-blast, making it safe for operation in confined spaces.

Counter-mass system

Comparing the Armbrust (top) and MATADOR (bottom).

Similar to the Armbrust, the counter-mass counteracts the recoil of the weapon upon firing. The counter-mass consists of shredded plastic, which is launched out of the rear of the weapon when it is fired. This plastic is rapidly slowed by air resistance, allowing the weapon to be fired safely within an enclosed space. In addition, the positioning of the counter-mass takes into consideration the centre of gravity of the weapon to ensure good balance for better accuracy.

Variants

Croatian army soldiers with RGW 90

Variants of the original HEAT/HESH (HH) weapon have been developed by Rafael and Dynamit Nobel Defence, designed primarily for anti-structure use by soldiers operating in dense urban environments.

MATADOR-MP
Multi-purpose variant. As with the initial MATADOR, this is achieved with a dual-mode fuse, which has been improved on the MATADOR-MP such that it now automatically discriminates between hard and soft targets rather than requiring the operator to manually make the selection. A dedicated targeting device, mounted on its Picatinny rail, incorporates a reflex sight and laser rangefinder to provide a high hit probability.
MATADOR-WB
Specialised wall-breaching weapon, featuring an explosively-formed ring (EFR) warhead that breaches a man-sized hole, between 75 cm (30 in) to 100 cm (39 in) across, in typical urban walls.
MATADOR-AS
Anti-structure weapon with an advanced tandem warhead that can also be set between two modes. The anti-emplacement mode uses an enhanced blast effect to defeat structures and fortifications, while the penetrating/mouse-holing mode defeats light armoured vehicles and creates mouseholes in urban walls. MATADOR-AS has been ordered by the British Army, and was slated for service entry in 2009.
RGW
RGW 90 is a German designation for the MATADOR, with "RGW" standing for "recoilless grenade weapon". The RGW 60 is a variant that is smaller and fires a 60 mm warhead, instead of the usual 90 mm.

Combat history

Operators

Map with MATADOR operators in blue

Current operators

Belgium
In 2013, made order for 111 RGW90 AS, 509 in 2016, 390 in 2018 1450 delivered in 2020. In January 2022, Belgian Ministry of Defence made a €19 million order for several batches of RGW90, which were to be delivered before the year ends, 4002 were reported to be exported at the end of 2022.
Croatia
On 18 January 2023, documents were released that the army plans on ordering an unknown number of RGW90s worth €3 million. According to footage published by magazine Croatian soldier on social media, system is currently used in regular training.
Germany
Variants used:
  • The German Army has ordered 1,000 MATADOR-AS under the name RGW90 AS with scalable anti-structure munition.
  • The German Army also uses the LRMP version (range: 1,200 meters) under the designation "Wirkmittel 90".
  • In late 2020, the German Army ordered 3,000 cartridges in different munition types for the Wirkmittel 90.
  • Germany also ordered the 1,087 RGW60 for its Special Forces in 2020 (689 RGW 60 HEAT known as DM 52 and 398 RGW 60 HESH known as DM 62).
Israel
The Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Police's YAMAM national counter-terror unit use the RGW 90.
 Kosovo
The Minister of Defence ordered up to 1000 RGW 90 for the Kosovo Security Force in 2023, with deliveries planned for 2024-2025.
Mexico
The RGW60 variant has first seen in September 2018. Around 3,000 units were ordered.
Singapore
The MATADOR replaced the Armbrust in the Singapore Armed Forces.
  • 4,780 delivered in 2020.
Slovenia
The Slovenian Ground Force, use the RGW 90.
 Switzerland
8,000 delivered in 2018.
Ukraine
  • The Armed Forces of Ukraine bought 5,100 units with the first batch of 2,650 units received on 26 March 2022, and 2,450 remaining units were to be delivered in smaller batches by the end of May 2022 to support its fight against Russia in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
  • 16,000 RGW 90 were donated by Germany as of 17 October 2024.
  • Over 2,600 Anti-Structure Munitions (ASM), donated by the United Kingdom since February 2022.
United Kingdom
British Army ordered the Anti-Structures Munition (ASM) version of the MATADOR from Dynamit Nobel Defence.
  • No longer in service after all were donated to Ukraine in 2022.
Vietnam
Used by the Vietnam People's Navy's Infantry.

Failed bids

United States
The RGW 60 and RGW 90 lost a competition against the AT4CS TW for the US Army XM919 programme for a new Individual Assault Munition.

Incidents

In December 2022 one was discharged by Polish police general commandant Jarosław Szymczyk inside his office at National Police Headquarters.

In October 2024, shrapnel from this weapon was found in the corpse of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Tal al-Sultan, an area of Rafah within the Gaza Strip.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ukraine Buys 5100 Anti-Tank Weapons Co-developed by Singapore, Germany, Israel", Yahoo News, 29 March 2022, retrieved 9 March 2023
  2. 1 2 "MATADOR - Dual-purpose anti-tank and anti-structure rocket launcher". {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Factsheet - MATADOR: Unguided Short Range Anti-Armour Weapon (SRAAW)" (Press release). Singaporean Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). 15 June 2005. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd". Rafael.co.il. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd". Rafael.co.il. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "DSTA Press Release". Safra Radio. Archived from the original on 12 May 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "Matador Brochure" (PDF). Rafael.co.il. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012."Matador Brochure (archived)" (PDF). Rafael.co.il. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
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  9. ↑ "Wall-Breaching Weapon Debuts". Defense Technology International. 1 February 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
  10. ↑ Starr, Michael (20 April 2022). "Israeli weapon seen used by Neo-Nazi Ukrainian unit against Russia". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "The Ukrainian military shared their assessment of the RGW-90 Matador grenade launcher". Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "ישראל ימין עכשיו • ISRAEL NOW GAZA גל פתוח". Telegram. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  13. ↑ "Short range anti-armour weapon system Dynamit Nobel RGW 90AS for the Belgian army 0106138". www.armyrecognition.com. 1 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  14. 1 2 "UNROCA (United Nations Register of Conventional Arms)". www.unroca.org. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  15. ↑ "Belgium orders RGW90 man-portable anti-tank weapons from German company DND". www.armyrecognition.com. 28 January 2022. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
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  21. ↑ "Weitere Wirkmittel 90 mm werden beschafft | der Monitor für Defence und Sicherheitspolitik". 26 November 2020. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
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  23. ↑ "Israel unleashed Bulls and Matadors on Gaza". Aviation Week. 23 February 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  24. ↑ https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/rjgfk51aq (Hebrew)
  25. ↑ "Breaching walls: a must in mout operations: why breach walls during a military operation? At least two answers immediately come to mind; (1) to neutralise enemy troops that are hiding in the building and (2) to open an access for one's own troops, avoiding too-obvious accesses that would quite certainly be booby-trapped. Those two aspects require two different approaches, however". Thefreelibrary.com. 1 October 2009. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  26. ↑ de Cherisey, Erwan (24 September 2018). "Mexican military shows off new equipment". IHS Jane's 360. Paris. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  27. ↑ "MATADOR - Unguided Short Range Anti-Armour Weapon (SRAAW)". Mindef.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  28. ↑ "Slovenian combat units start training with RGW-90s - Jane's Missiles and Rockets". Articles.janes.com. 2 July 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  29. ↑ "UNROCA (United Nations Register of Conventional Arms)". www.unroca.org. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  30. ↑ Matsuyama, Brendan (9 June 2021). "Swiss Infantry Platoon (2019-Present)". Battle Order. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  31. ↑ "Ukraine buys 5,100 anti-tank weapons co-developed by Singapore, Germany, Israel". sg.news.yahoo.com. 29 March 2022. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  32. ↑ "Military support for Ukraine | Federal Government". Website of the Federal Government | Bundesregierung. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  33. ↑ "What has Britain donated to Ukraine?". 30 April 2024.
  34. ↑ Hambling, David. "Britain's Thermobaric Secret". Wired. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  35. ↑ "20250610 FOI07471 Richmond Response ArmyPolSec.pdf". www.whatdotheyknow.com. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  36. ↑ "New weapons of Vietnam Army (by Vietnamese)". Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  37. ↑ "AT4CS TW wird die zukünftige Individual Assault Munition der U.S. Army" (in German). 28 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  38. ↑ Adam Easton (17 December 2022). "Poland grenade incident: Police chief confirms unusual Ukrainian gift". BBC.
  39. ↑ Zitun, Yoav; Curiel, Ilana (17 October 2024). "Sinwar's desperate last moments: Tried to down IDF drone with stick before building collapsed". Ynet News. Retrieved 18 October 2024.