IAI · Anti-Tank · Israel · Modern (1992–2009)
Open in interactive gallery →The Lahat (Hebrew: Blade; also Laser Homing Anti-Tank) is an Israeli laser-homing anti-tank guided missile — IAI's principal gun-launched ATGM + an unusual hybrid weapon that can be fired from tank guns, helicopters, + light infantry launchers. IAI designed the Lahat in 1992-1998 for the IDF's Merkava 4 tank programme + helicopter-launched export markets; service entry 2000. The missile serves Israeli Defense Forces + Indian Army + Croatian Army.
The Lahat is a tube-launched semi-active laser-homing missile. Length 95 cm, body diameter 105 mm (sized for 105 mm + 120 mm + 125 mm tank-gun barrels), weight 12.5 kg. Maximum range 8 km (tank-launched) or 13 km (helicopter-launched). Warhead: tandem HEAT (defeats explosive reactive armour + composite armour). Guidance: semi-active laser homing — the firing platform or a third-party designator (infantry team or UAV) laser-marks the target. Maximum speed 285 m/s. The missile is unique in being gun-launchable from standard tank cannons — the seeker + folding fins survive the ~10,000 G launch acceleration.
Lahat service is concentrated with IDF Merkava 4 tanks + Indian Army Arjun Mk 1 + Mk 2 tanks (which adopted the Lahat as their primary long-range ATGM after the Israeli-Indian Arjun-Lahat integration programme 2008-2014). The helicopter-launched variant is carried by IAF AH-64D Apaches + Indian Air Force HAL Rudras. Croatia bought 100 Lahats in 2014 for M-84A4 tanks. The Lahat is one of very few gun-launched ATGMs in worldwide service — competing only with the Russian 9M119 Refleks family. Production continues at IAI Systems Missiles & Space Division as of 2026.
The IAI Lahat is an Israeli missile that hunts tanks. The Hebrew name Lahat means 'Blade.' What makes the Lahat unusual is that it can be fired from many different launchers — from tank guns, from helicopters, or from light infantry launchers. Most anti-tank missiles only work from one type of launcher.
IAI designed the Lahat in the 1990s for the Israeli Merkava 4 tank program. The missile entered service in 2000. It is now used by Israel, India, and Croatia.
The Lahat is small — about 95 cm long and only 12.5 kg in weight. That is smaller than a tall middle-school student. The missile is shaped to fit inside 105 mm, 120 mm, and 125 mm tank gun barrels. So Israeli, American, and Russian tank guns can all fire it.
The Lahat is laser-guided. A spotter on the ground or in a helicopter shines a laser on the target. The missile sees the bright laser spot and steers itself there. Its range is 8 km when fired from a tank or 13 km when fired from a helicopter.
A spotter shines an invisible laser beam on the target. The missile has a small detector in its nose that sees the spot of laser light reflecting off the target. The missile then steers toward the brightest spot. As long as the spotter keeps the laser on the target, the missile will follow the laser straight there.
Tanks already have powerful gun barrels that can shoot regular shells very accurately. By making the Lahat fit inside the same barrel, Israel turned every Merkava tank into a missile launcher. The tank can pick — fire a regular shell at a close target, or fire a Lahat missile at a far target up to 8 km away.
The Lahat experiences ~10,000 G of axial acceleration during gun launch — far higher than free-flight rocket launch. IAI designed the missile with three key adaptations: (1) folded aerodynamic surfaces (fins + canards stowed against the body, deploying after barrel exit), (2) shock-isolated electronics packaged in steel housings (the laser seeker, fuze, + guidance computer must continue functioning after the launch transient), + (3) a tandem HEAT warhead with a precursor charge that survives the gun's chamber pressure (~600 MPa). The Lahat exits the barrel at ~285 m/s (relatively slow for a tank round), then its sustainer rocket motor ignites + accelerates the missile to cruise speed for the guided phase.