MATADOR


The MATADOR is a man-portable, disposable anti-armour and anti-brickwall weapon system developed by Germany, Israel and Singapore. It is an updated version of the German Armbrust design, and operates on the same principles. The development of this weapon began in 2000 and the MATADOR will eventually replace the German Armbrust Light Anti-tank Weapon, which has been in service since the 1980s.
The MATADOR was developed jointly by the Singapore Armed Forces and the Defence Science and Technology Agency, in collaboration with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Dynamit Nobel Defence joint team.

Capabilities

The MATADOR is among the lightest in its class. The warhead is effective against both vehicle armour and brick walls. The weapon has little back-blast, making it safe for operation in confined spaces.
The MATADOR is supposed to be capable of defeating the armour of most known armoured personnel carriers and light tanks in the world. The dual-capability warhead, when acting in the delay mode, creates an opening greater than in diameter in a double brick wall, and acts as an anti-personnel weapon against those behind the wall, offering an unconventional means of entry when fighting in built-up areas.
The MATADOR's projectile is claimed to be insensitive to wind due to its propulsion system, which results in a highly accurate weapon system.

Warhead

The warhead can be used in both high-explosive anti-tank and high explosive squash head modes against armour, walls, or other fortifications respectively. Modes are selected by adjusting a probe : extending it for HEAT mode and leaving it retracted for HESH mode.

Counter-mass system

Similar to the Armbrust, the counter-mass counteracts the recoil of the weapon upon firing. The counter-mass consists of shredded plastic, which is launched out of the rear of the weapon when it is fired. This plastic is rapidly slowed by air resistance, allowing the weapon to be fired safely within an enclosed space. In addition, the positioning of the counter-mass takes into consideration the centre of gravity of the weapon to ensure good balance for better accuracy.

Variants

Variants of the original HEAT/HESH weapon have been developed by Rafael and Dynamit Nobel Defence, designed primarily for anti-structure use by soldiers operating in dense urban environments.
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Combat history

  • The MATADOR saw its first combat deployment in January 2009, by Israel Defence Forces soldiers during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. MATADOR-AS was used to breach walls in structures, allowing IDF troops to pass through and attack opponents inside.
  • In 2022, Ukrainian forces used MATADORs supplied by Germany against Russian forces during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
  • According to reports from Ukraine, the RGW-90 is capable of penetrating lightly armoured APCs and IFVs, but not guaranteed to easily defeat tank reactive armour. “This summer, the soldiers of the 93rd Brigade fired RGW90 into the forehead of a Russian tank with reactive armor. The tank was not destroyed, but it was stopped, and soldiers who were on the top of the tank got minced,” the military stated.
  • The MATADOR is seeing extensive usage in the Gaza war with numerous filmed clips of it being fired according to its Israeli main designation as a means to burst concrete obstacles. During the initial Hamas offensive several MATADORs were captured by militants in army bases and taken back to Gaza.

Operators

Current operators

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Failed bids

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Incidents

In December 2022 one was discharged by Polish police general commandant Jarosław Szymczyk inside his office at National Police Headquarters.
In October 2024, shrapnel from this weapon was found in the corpse of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Tal al-Sultan, an area of Rafah within the Gaza Strip.