Ukraine buys 5,100 anti-tank weapons co-developed by Singapore, Germany, Israel

SINGAPORE — Ukraine has bought 5,100 anti-tank weapons that were co-developed by Singapore, Germany and Israel.

The RGW90 HH Matador weapons were acquired from German maker Dynamit Nobel Defence (DND) at a cost of €25 million (S$37.6 million), according to Deutsche Welle (DW), citing German media. The order will be paid by the Ukrainian government.

A total of 2,650 of the weapons have arrived in Ukraine, with the remaining 2,450 to be delivered by end-May, DW added.

The Matador was co-developed by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), in partnership with Rafael Advanced Defence Systems of Israel and DND.

With a calibre of 90mm, the one-metre long portable and disposable Matador weighs about 9kg. It is able to fire up to 500 metres at a muzzle velocity of 250m/s.

According to a media release by DSTA in 2004, the development of the Matador began in 2000 with the intention to replace the Armbrust light anti-tank weapon, which had been in service in Singapore since the 1980s.

“The Matador is a crucial step forward in the army's journey to transform itself into a 3rd generation fighting force and will greatly enhance the firepower of the infantry formation. The army will gain the added capability to fight in built-up areas,” DSTA said then.

The Matador has the capability to destroy ground-based targets such as main battle tanks, light armoured vehicles, bunkers, and others, according to various weaponry websites.

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