One of the most active and inventive defence manufactur er s in the world today is Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. Their product line ranges from sophisticated aircraft down to individual weapons. Now the Engineering Division of IAI has brought out the PICKET, a man-portable antitank guided missile. The weapon system is based on a supersonic missile, which is self guided and follows a line-of-sight trajectory. There is no in-flight command guidance, which makes the PICKET invulnerable to electronic countermeasures.

The missile is very lightweight indeed. Designed for shoulder launching, its total weight is 6 kg, and it measures 76 cm in length. Its compactness and the simplicity of operation that it has achieved make it ideal for short-range use (around 500m) against all kinds of armoured vehicles - i.e., when time is of the essence and just a few seconds difference in getting off one's round can be crucial. Naturally, the PICKET can also be used against fortified positions, at about the same range.

In flight, the missile uses an inertial guidance system. First, the gunner uses an optical sight for target acquisition. With the target lined up, he squeezes the trigger, and in half a second the missile is launched. Since no mid-flight guidance is required, the gunner can ''fire and forget''-trigger, wait for the missile to start its flight, drop the launcher and take cover. No adjustment for rage is needed. This is possible because of the flat trajectory. For a moving target, of course, the gunner must be able to lead the target correctly, but this task too is facilitated by the great speed of the missile.

The PICKET is directionally controlled, moving along the line of sight at the instant of launching and maintaining that course. The guidance and control system is made up of a gyroscope, an electronics pack, and a thrust vectoring system consisting of four jet tabs. The gyroscope is uncaged about 100 milliseconds after the triggering of the weapon (i.e., just before the launch). From that instant on, the missile is locked on its line-of-sight course.

The gyroscope serves to sense and correct angular momentum, due either to the gunner's movement in following the target or to tipoff and crosswinds. With its supersonic speed and its straight trajectory, the PICKET achieves a high hit probability, one of the best in its class.

From front to rear, the missile is composed of an armour-piercing warhead, guidance bay, single stage rocket motor, directional control bay, and an ejection rocket motor. Essentially a booster, the latter accelerates the missile up to launch speed and gives it the stabilizing rotational motion. As soon as it is out of the launch tube, the three folding finds open automatically to provide flight stability. Simultaneously the booster is dropped by a spring mechanism, and the cruise motor does not ignite until the missile is a safe distance from the gunner. The cruise motor provides constant thrust throughout the flight. Each missile is carried in an expendable container-launcher.

The PICKET launcher is a smooth fiberglass tube with integral sup-ports and grips. The trigger and are carried separately until the weapon is readied for action. Thus the container has no sharp edges jutting out and is easily transportable, light enough and com-pact enough to be carried by a fully equipped infantryman. A nylon strap allows it to be shoulder-carried.

The PICKET can be fired from the prone, kneeling, or upright position, but obviously the prone position gives the best results. Firing is easy, requiring non complicated operations. There is no control check-list needed. The gunner, after choosing his firing position and selecting his target, puts the various supports in position (either for shoulder support or support on the ground) and clips on the trigger and sight units. The weapon is now ready to fire, and simultaneously pressing the trigger and the safety release lever ignites the booster and starts the launch. Half a second later, the PICKET is on its way. Now the gunner can drop the launch tube.

Unlike many other portable antitank weapons, the PICKET provides for interrupting the launch sequence at any time, unless the trigger has been fully depressed. This means that if the target selected has disappeared, or if another target suddenly presents a greater threat, the gunner, right up to the last instant, can change targets or simply decide not to fire. Thus the PICKET is most flexible in use.