MILAN

MILAN (French: Missile d'Infanterie Léger Antichar, lit. 'Lightweight Infantry Anti-tank Missile') is a Franco-West German anti-tank guided missile system. Design of the MILAN began in 1962; it was ready for trials in 1971, and accepted for service in 1972. It is a wire-guided semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) missile, which means the sight of the launch unit must be aimed at a target to guide the missile. The MILAN can be equipped with a MIRA or MILIS thermal sight to give it night-firing ability.
"Milan" is also a common name in French and German to designate a kite bird, thus falling in line with the Federal Defence naming convention to often use animal names as designators for high-value weapon systems.