All MAPATS missiles are delivered in containers sealed at the factory level. The entire unit is then inserted into the launcher and, when the missile is fired, the container is left behind and removed from the launch tube, ultimately replaced with another ready-to-fire sealed unit. The process takes just seconds and allows an anti-tank team the capability to engage multiple targets (or one target multiple times) as needed. The portable nature of the design allows a team to displace from one advantageous location to another. The inherent back-blast of such units limits their indoor usage due to safety reasons.
The MAPATS has been in operational use since 1984 and units are manufactured on a needed basis, delivered directly to the Israeli Army. Several foreign parties have also procured the type in number including Chile, Ecuador, Estonia and Venezuela. A modernized version of the weapon system emerged in the 1990s and included such changes as an improved guidance procedure and all-new propulsion motor. Various warheads have also been developed including standard tandem HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) and HE (High-Explosive) types, the latter for assailing fortified bunker-type positions.
The "MAPATS" name also doubles as the word "explosion" in the Hebrew language.
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