The Mistral 3 is a cutting-edge man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) designed and manufactured by MBDA, a multinational missile systems company headquartered in France. It represents the latest iteration of the Mistral family, combining decades of operational success with modern technologies to counter today’s and future airborne threats. Designed for rapid deployment and highly mobile air defense, the Mistral 3 is capable of engaging a wide variety of aerial targets, including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, drones, and cruise missiles.
Country users: Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Hungary, Indonesia, Serbia, Spain
Technical Data
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Launcher Unit
The Mistral 3 launcher unit is a compact and ergonomic system that enhances ease of use and operational efficiency in combat scenarios. The launcher is operated by a two-person team: a primary operator who handles aiming and firing and a secondary crew member responsible for target acquisition and reloading. The system features an integrated thermal imaging sight that allows for effective operation in all weather conditions, including nighttime engagements.
The launcher’s design emphasizes portability, enabling the crew to deploy and reposition as needed rapidly. It is equipped with a fire-and-forget capability, allowing the operator to disengage immediately after firing to seek cover or prepare for subsequent engagements. Its rapid reload mechanism ensures the ability to engage multiple threats quickly, while the ergonomic design minimizes operator fatigue, making it suitable for extended operations in high-stress environments.
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Missile
The Mistral 3 missile is a state-of-the-art fire-and-forget weapon system designed to neutralize a broad range of aerial threats with exceptional precision. The missile measures 1.88 m in length, weighs less than 20 kg, and has a diameter of approximately 92 mm. It is equipped with a 3-kg high-explosive warhead, enhanced with a laser proximity and impact fuse, ensuring effective destruction of both maneuvering and armored targets.
Powered by a two-stage solid-propellant rocket, the missile achieves a high supersonic speed of 930 meters per second, enabling rapid interception of fast-moving threats. The missile’s high maneuverability, rated at up to 30g, allows it to counter aerial targets performing evasive maneuvers of up to 9g. It has an interception range of 500 to 8,000 m and an altitude ceiling of 6,000 meters, making it highly effective in both close-range defense and medium-altitude engagements. Furthermore, the missile is designed for durability and reliability, with a 20-year maintenance-free operational life and the ability to function in extreme temperatures ranging from -40°C to +71°C.
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Guidance System
The Mistral 3 employs a sophisticated cooled infrared (IR) seeker, making it the first very short-range air defense missile to utilize an IR matrix imager. This guidance system provides exceptional sensitivity, allowing it to easily engage even low-signature and stealthy targets. The seeker is fully passive and emits no signals, making it immune to jamming and detection. Its advanced image-processing algorithms enable it to distinguish genuine threats from decoys, ensuring high reliability in complex combat environments.
The missile’s three-axis maneuverability ensures precise tracking and guidance, even in the terminal phase of engagement. It is highly resistant to modern infrared countermeasures such as flares, ensuring its effectiveness against technologically advanced adversaries. The fire-and-forget functionality further enhances its versatility, enabling operators to quickly redeploy or re-engage after firing.
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Combat Use
The Mistral 3 is designed to address various modern aerial threats in both high- and low-intensity combat scenarios. Its primary targets include fixed-wing aircraft, such as ground-attack jets and reconnaissance planes, as well as rotary-wing platforms like attack and utility helicopters. It is also highly effective against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ranging from reconnaissance drones to larger armed systems and cruise missiles.
The system’s interception range of up to 8,000 meters and altitude ceiling of 6,000 meters makes it suitable for neutralizing targets at varying ranges and altitudes. Its fire-and-forget capability ensures rapid response times, while the missile’s high supersonic speed and extreme maneuverability enable it to counter fast and agile threats. With a single-shot kill probability exceeding 96%, the Mistral 3 is highly reliable even against advanced aerial platforms employing modern countermeasures.
The Mistral 3 is combat-proven and qualified for use in harsh operational environments, from arid deserts to frigid arctic conditions. Its adaptability and unmatched effectiveness make it an indispensable component of modern air defense systems deployed by armed forces worldwide.
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