Mistral Missile System

Quick Facts

Variants	Mistral-2 ALAMO ALBI ATLAS SANTAL ATAM SADRAL SIMBAD TETRAL PMMC Aspic
Role and Mobility	Short-Range Surface-to-Air Defense; Man-Portable
Interceptors and Range	High Explosive Warhead with High Density Tungsten Balls Range: 6 km
Sensors	Fully Autonomous Infrared Homing Seeker Optical Sighting Device
Targets	Supersonic Aircraft
Status/Exports	Operational; Austria, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Cyprus, Colombia, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Kenya, Lebanon, Morocco, Norway, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, and Venezuela
Designer/Producer	MBDA Missile Systems

Overview

The Mistral Missile System that South Korea operates is a man-portable short-range surface-to air-missile system, capable of being launched from a variety of vehicles. The interceptors track their targets using infrared seekers. The Mistral’s seeker has a narrow field of view to focus on the prime target and reject decoys or interference. There are several variations of the Mistral missile and missile system mount:[i]

Mistral: The original missile and man portable system.

Mistral-2: An improved missile, with extended range and improved maneuverability. It is fully digital and can intercept helicopters with reduced infrared signatures.

ALAMO: A Mistral missile mount for light vehicles.

ALBI: A Mistral mount with two missiles, used on wheeled or lightly armored vehicles.

ATLAS: An improved ground-based mount with two Mistral missiles.

SANTAL: A turret mount for armored vehicles, equipped with six Mistral missiles.

ATAM: An air-to-air version of the Mistral, intended to be equipped on helicopters and aircraft.

SADRAL: An automated naval mount with six Mistral missiles.

SIMBAD: A pedestal naval mount with two Mistral missiles used on ships. There is also a remote-controlled version called the SIMBAD-RC.

TETRAL: A remote controlled naval mount with four Mistral-2 missiles, and a thermal camera for 24-hour capability.

PMMC: A Mistral MANPADS or ATLAS mount with added radar and fire control system.

Aspic: A pedestal mount with four Mistral-2 missiles, designed for wheeled or tracked vehicles.

Strategic Implications

The Mistral is a reliable and effective missile system, with a proven success rate of 93%.[ii] It can be operated from a variety of launch vehicles, making the Mistral a versatile weapon which can be effective in a range of situations. This is a beneficial trait in today’s high-paced geopolitical realm, which requires a flexible response capability.