RBS 56 BILL

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RBS 56 BILL (Robot 56)
TypeSACLOS Anti-tank missile
Place of originSweden
Service history
In service1988 – present
Used bySee Operators
Production history
ManufacturerBofors
Unit cost$80,000 (1989)[1]
Produced1984 – late 1990s
No. built15,000 +
Specifications
Mass36 kg (launcher)
Length900 mm
Diameter150 mm
Muzzle velocity250 m/s
Effective firing range150 to 2,200 m
Guidance
system
SACLOS

The RBS 56 BILL[2] is a Swedish man-portable SACLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile developed by AB Bofors.

History

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Development began in 1979 and BILL entered production in 1985. The Swedish Army began receiving the missile in March 1988.[3] BILL stands for Bofors, Infantry, Light and Lethal.

By 1996, 15,000 missiles had been produced and supplied to the Swedish and Austrian armies. Between 1996 and 1997, Brazil received a number of BILL missiles.

In the late 1990s, production shifted to the RBS 56B BILL 2. The Swedish army received the first deliveries of the BILL 2 in 1999.

Design

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Austrian exercise

A man portable BILL system consists of a missile in a sealed launch tube, tripod, day sight and thermal night-vision sight. The missile's shaped charge warhead is aimed downwards at an angle of 30 degrees and is triggered by a proximity fuze as the missile passes over the intended target.

The overfly top-attack (OTA) warhead allows the missile to strike the thinner top armour of tanks. To enable this to work effectively the missile flies 0.75 meters above the line of sight between the launcher and the target. A secondary effect of this is to enable the missile to be used to engage targets largely behind cover, for example a hull down tank.

When launched the missile is propelled from the launch tube at around 72 meters per second by a gas generator at the rear of the launch tube. Once the missile is clear of the launch tube the sustainer motor engages and accelerates the missile to a speed of 250 meters per second. Once the missile is about 400 meters from the launcher, the sustainer motor cuts out and the missile continues in free flight.

RBS 56B BILL 2

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Design

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The RBS 56B BILL 2[2] is a man-portable or vehicle-mounted anti-tank missile designed upon the original BILL 1 Anti-tank guided weapon.. The BILL 2 is currently produced by Saab Bofors Dynamics, who are located in Karlskoga, Sweden. The BILL 2 comes with one 10.5 kg missile, a launching tube, tripod with x7 magnification day sight, and one thermal imaging sight.

Firing Modes

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The BILL 2 has three firing modes that the launcher's operator can select, before launching the missile.

  • Basic – In this mode the missile will use both of its sensors to hit the armoured vehicle from the top.
  • Non-Armored – In this mode the missile uses no sensors and flies on a LOS or line-of-sight, while using the impact fuse.
  • Soft Target – In this mode the optical sensor is used, but the magnetic sensor is not. The missile then uses OTA to attack its target.

Missile

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The BILL 2 Missile uses a SACLOS or semi-automatic command to line-of-sight guidance system, and is controlled via a communications wire that trails behind the missile from the launch tube. The BILL 2 warhead has an optical and magnetic sensor. The optical sensor serves to find the target's range, while the magnetic sensor detects metallic targets to determine the best point for the missile to detonate.

The BILL 2 contains both a proximity fuse and an inertial impact fuse. The BILL 2 is armed with a pair of vertically striking explosively formed penetrator warheads, which each direct a self-forging slug of metal downwards at extreme velocities using a high explosive blast. The 40 mm frontal "precursor" warhead destroys any reactive armour protecting the target and leaves the 110 mm rear warhead to penetrate the armour.

Operators

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Current operators

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    • Re-acquired RBS 56 in 2021 in anticipation of the Swedish Armed Forces introducing a new, modern, medium-range anti-tank missile, with planned delivery from 2025.[7]

Former operators

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Trade Registers". Archived from the original on 2019-04-22. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  2. ^ a b "RBS 56 BILL Anti-Tank Guided Missile". Military-Today.com. Archived from the original on 2022-08-28. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  3. ^ "Home and away wins for Bofors". International Defense Review. August 1989. p. 110.
  4. ^ "Ukrainian military received Swedish RBS-56 ATGMs".
  5. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (2015). "Chapter Four: Europe". The Military Balance. 115 (1): 140. doi:10.1080/04597222.2015.996348. S2CID 219628714.
  6. ^ "En Suède, une solution intérimaire en attendant le MMP". 28 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Förmågan att bekämpa pansarfordon stärks". Swedish Armed Forces. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  8. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (2010). "Chapter Three: Europe". The Military Balance. 110 (1): 175. doi:10.1080/04597220903545825. S2CID 219623422.
  9. ^ a b "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  10. ^ Austrian Army
  11. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (2020). "Chapter Eight: Latin America and the Caribbean". The Military Balance. 120 (1): 405. doi:10.1080/04597222.2020.1707970. S2CID 219623398.
  12. ^ Moralez, João Paulo; Braga, Carlos Chagas Vianna (2025). "O Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais da Marinha do Brasil". Tecnologia & Defesa. No. 178. p. 58.
  13. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (2006). "Europe". The Military Balance. 106 (1): 68. doi:10.1080/04597220600782820. S2CID 219626337.
  14. ^ "Watch: A Solid Catastrophic, K-Kill - Sweden's SACLOS ATGM". 15 May 2016.
  15. ^ Dagens Nyheter: Boforsvapen till Saudiarabien
  • Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005-2006.
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