The Mistral anti-aircraft missile system has long been in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Let’s find out what this weapon is and where it is used.
We first heard about the Mistral system back in April 2022 when Norway decided to transfer hundreds of these short-range systems to the Ukrainian military. At that time, the Norwegian Minister of Defense emphasized that the Mistral SAM is “an effective weapon used in the Navy and will be very useful for Ukraine.” It’s important to understand that Mistral is not just a portable system but also a stationary installation. In the case of Norwegian weapons, it is the paired Sibmad installation in the first version.
However, the Mistral SAM systems have also been transferred to Ukraine by other partner countries. Recently, it became known that Estonia will also transfer Mistral SAM systems and missiles to Ukraine. Five EU countries have agreed on a joint purchase of Mistral systems for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Specifically, Estonia, together with France, Belgium, Cyprus, and Hungary, signed a contract to purchase short-range Mistral anti-aircraft missile systems. This means that stocks of these modern SAM systems in the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be replenished. We decided to investigate what makes the French Mistral systems unique.
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What is interesting about Mistral?
The Mistral is a very short-range air defense missile system (SHORAD) developed and manufactured by the French company MBDA. The system is designed for use on various platforms such as ground vehicles, surface ships, and helicopters, as well as in portable configurations (MANPADS). It is intended to engage targets flying at low altitudes (up to 3 km), including helicopters and aircraft. The French have even boasted that recent tests of this weapon have shown its capability to easily destroy ships and boats. The name “Mistral” in French means “sea breeze.” Interestingly, French amphibious assault ships also bear the same name, so it’s important not to confuse them.
The Mistral system was adopted by the French Army in 1988 and has undergone multiple upgrades since then. In the 2000s, the next generation, Mistral 2, was developed, followed by Mistral 3. This weapon system has been adopted by approximately 25 European countries, including Norway, Estonia, Belgium, Finland, Cyprus, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Spain, and others. Overall, around 15,000 of these systems have been manufactured.
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History of the Mistral MANPADS development
During the development of the Mistral system, the French sought to address the shortcomings of other SAM systems and meet the demands of modern, high-maneuver combat. The development of the French portable missile SATCP (sol-air à très courte portée), which later became the basis for Mistral, began in 1974.
The development of the system itself was entrusted to the company Matra, which later became Matra BAe Dynamics, and is now known as MBDA, a defense company based in France. MBDA was formed to develop missile systems through the merger of Matra BAe Dynamics, Aerospatiale Matra (EADS), and Alenia Marconi Systems.
The main collaborators were: “Societe Anonyme de Telecommunications” (SAT) – infrared seeker head, “Manufacture de Machines du Haut Rhin SA” – warhead, “Societe Nationale des Poudres et Explosifs” (SNPE) – solid propellant charge, “Societe Europeenne de Propulsion” – rocket engine. The French Ministry of Defense set specific requirements for the SAM during the complex’s development, namely: a single missile for all system variants, independence from launch method, and minimal maintenance needs. Full-scale development of the MANPADS began in 1980. From 1986 to 1988, the French army conducted extensive military trials of the new air defense complex at their own test ranges, culminating in its adoption in 1988 under the designation Mistral.
In addition to the basic portable variant, a wide range of versions of the Mistral system were created for various situations and platforms, including:
- ATLAS: A mobile SAM with a launcher unit (PU) for two missiles.
- ALAMO: A system designed to be mounted on light vehicle chassis.
- ATAM: Helicopter variant used primarily for air-to-air combat against enemy helicopters.
- SANTAL: A turret-based system with 6 guided missiles and target acquisition radar.
- SIMBAD: Shipborne version with paired launch units for small-tonnage vessels.
There are other variants developed based on the Mistral SAM system. In 2006, at the Eurosatory exhibition in Paris, MBDA showcased a multi-role combat vehicle MPCV based on a light armored VBR chassis. The combat vehicle was equipped with a turret module carrying 4 guided Mistral missiles and a remotely operated 12.7mm machine gun. The vehicle housed 4 missiles internally with manual reload capability.
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What does the Mistral man-portable air defense system consist of?
The Mistral MANPADS consists of a guided missile in a sealed transport-launch container, a hardware and software complex for automatic friend-or-foe identification to prevent friendly fire incidents, a power source, and a tripod with aiming devices.
The Mistral MANPADS system is operated by a two-person team consisting of a commander and a gunner. They carry a 20-kilogram tripod with equipment and aiming devices, as well as a 20-kilogram missile in its transport-launch container. One person carries the missile, while the other carries the tripod. The entire system can be set up and ready to fire in 60 seconds. The combat station includes seating, a fire control unit, and a compressed air supply. To enhance mobility, the team can transport the system to its deployment site using automotive transport.
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Mistral anti-aircraft guided missile
Let’s talk in more detail about the Mistral anti-aircraft guided missile, because it is the main component of the SAM.
Essentially, the Mistral guided missile is a fully autonomous “fire-and-forget” system. It employs a “duck” aerodynamic configuration, which ensures high maneuverability. This design enables it to withstand high loads and achieve precise targeting accuracy during the final phase of flight. According to MBDA’s official website, the most advanced variants of the missile can reach speeds up to 930 m/s and maneuver with accelerations up to 30 g (likely referring to the Mistral 3, the latest generation). These capabilities allow it to engage all types of modern airborne targets, including high-speed and highly maneuverable objects.
Structurally, the missile consists of a body, an infrared homing head (IRH), dual-stage solid propellant motors for steering, target guidance electronics, a thermochemical battery, a detonator, a warhead, a march and starting motor that are jettisoned after firing, and a self-destruct mechanism.
The infrared homing head is installed inside a pyramidal-shaped fairing. This fairing design offers advantages over the conventional spherical shape by reducing frontal drag. The missile’s body diameter is 90 mm, allowing for larger IRH compared to competitors’ systems. The homing head utilizes a mosaic type receiver device made with indium arsenide, significantly enhancing the missile’s capability to detect and track airborne targets with reduced infrared emissions. This technology enables the IRH to distinguish genuine signals from false ones (such as IR traps, brightly illuminated clouds, sun glare, etc.).
In addition, to achieve high sensitivity of the infrared homing head, a cooling system is implemented. A special canister containing a cooling agent is connected to the launcher mechanism. The Mistral missile’s homing head can detect and track jet aircraft at distances up to 6 km, and helicopters equipped with infrared emission reduction devices at distances up to 4 km.
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Combat equipment of the Mistral missile
It’s worth noting that the Mistral SAM is equipped with a powerful fragmentation-high explosive warhead. Weighing nearly 3 kg, it contains ready-made spherical impacting elements made from a tungsten alloy, totaling approximately 1500-1800 elements. The warhead includes both contact and non-contact laser fuzes. The non-contact laser fuze incorporates a precise distance measurement mechanism, preventing premature detonation due to obstacles such as trees or terrain features. The fuze’s operational error margin for distance is within one meter. During field trials of the Mistral SAM, it was observed that detonation of the warhead at such distances from airborne targets effectively results in their destruction.
Compressed air launches the missile and operates the gyroscopes while also serving as a coolant for the infrared detectors. Targeting is achieved using a telescopic sight. The interrogator for the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system, installed in the launcher, operates during target tracking. Compared to any other small-range air defense missile, the Mistral is considered the most reliable and successful in its class. It boasts a target hit success rate of 93%.
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Two-stage solid rocket engine
Military requirements for reducing the size and weight of the engine, as well as ensuring its operational sequence and maintaining necessary reliability levels, compelled developers to abandon the traditional single-engine design for small-range guided missiles in favor of a more complex technical solution. The Mistral missile is equipped with a dual-stage solid propellant rocket engine, developed and manufactured by Snecma Propulsion Solide in Paris, using propellant charges from EURENCO (formerly SNPE). Thus, the propulsion system of the Mistral missile consists of two engines: a booster and a sustainer. The booster engine is located in the nozzle section of the sustainer engine.
During the movement of the surface-to-air missile inside the transport-launch container, the engine provides it with an initial velocity of 40 m/s. The starter engine is equipped with several nozzles that rotate the missile at 10 revolutions per second for stabilization during flight. The unfolding of the stabilizer plane and aerodynamic control surfaces of the missile occurs upon its exit from the launch container. At a safe distance of about 15 meters from the operator, the starter engine of the missile is discarded, and the sustainer engine is ignited, providing the missile with a maximum speed of Mach 2.6 (800 m/s). Thanks to this high flight speed, the missile reaches a helicopter hovering 4 km away from the launch site in just 6 seconds. This prevents the helicopter from not only deploying its own weapons but also attempting to hide behind natural terrain folds. According to the manufacturer, upgraded missiles of the complex achieve an even more impressive speed of 930 m/s (Mach 2.8).
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Sight
The sighting device of the portable surface-to-air missile system consists of telescopic and collimator sights. Using the collimator display, the operator can account for horizontal and vertical lead angles. As mentioned earlier, the Mistral MANPADS is also equipped with friend-or-foe identification equipment and a thermal imaging device, which ensures effective use of the system even in nighttime conditions.
According to the manufacturer, the system can be used over a wide range of ambient temperatures, including under harsh weather conditions, ranging from -40 to +71°C.
Launch mechanism
The launch mechanism of the Mistral MANPADS includes the following components: a switching device that ensures the necessary sequence of command and signal passage; a coolant gas cylinder; a battery; and an indicator with a vibration and sound device that activates upon receiving signals from the air target by the homing head of the missile.
For nighttime use, the system can be equipped with thermal imagers such as the MITS-2 from Thales Optronics or the MATIS from Sagem.
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Preparation and launch of the Mistral guided missile
For the convenience of aiming and launching the surface-to-air guided missile, the operator of the system uses a tripod with a seat. The tripod itself mounts the transport-launch container with the missile and all the necessary equipment for operation. Using appropriate mechanisms, the necessary elevation and azimuth angles are ensured for firing in almost any direction.
During transportation and carrying, the system is divided into two parts, each weighing about 20 kg: the tripod with sighting devices and the electronic block, and the transport-launch container with the missile itself. When designing this system, French engineers paid a lot of attention to reducing the time required for its deployment and reloading.
According to the results of the tests, it takes about one minute to mount the transport-launch container with the missile on the tripod and bring the system to combat readiness. Activating the seeker head (cooling the IR sensor and spinning up the gyroscope) requires 2 seconds. The average reaction time (from activating the launch chain to the launch of the surface-to-air missile) is approximately 5 seconds without external guidance data or 3 seconds if such data is available. Reloading the system with a new missile takes about 30 seconds.
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Tactical and technical characteristics of the Mistral system
- Target destruction range: 500-6000 м
- Height of target destruction: 5-3000 м
- Maximum missile speed: 800 m/s (2.6 M)
- Missile body diameter: 90 mm
- Length of the missile: 1860 mm
- Launch weight of the rocket: 18.7 kg
- Weight of the missile warhead: 3 kg
- Type of warhead: 1800 pcs. spherical elements made of tungsten alloy
- Weight of the rocket in the transportation and launch container: 24 kg
- Weight of the tripod with sighting devices: about 20 kg
- Fuze: non-contact laser fuze
- Time to bring the system into a combat position: up to 60 seconds.
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Why do the Ukrainian Armed Forces need MANPADS?
For those who have read this article, explanations will be unnecessary. The airspace of Ukraine is always at risk due to rockets and guided aviation bombs, all launched from airplanes and helicopters. Therefore, such a modern portable anti-aircraft missile system will allow for shooting down more enemy aircraft, UAVs, and helicopters.
This is truly a unique and highly valuable assistance from our Western partners. In the current conditions of fierce battles with occupiers, every precision projectile, combat vehicle, air defense system, guided missile, combat landing craft, or fighter aircraft is critically needed. Therefore, we sincerely want to thank our Western friends and partners for their help and support. There will be no escape for the aggressors from accountability. Glory to Ukraine! Death to enemies! Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine!
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