APILAS
The RAC 112 APILAS (RAC - Roquette AntiChar (French for "anti-tank rocket"), APILAS - Armour-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System) is a portable one-shot 112 mm recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher, designed in France by GIAT Industries. Over 120,000 of the APILAS launchers have been produced, and they are in service with many countries.
Also recorded as Armor-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System · RAC 112 APILAS
APILAS
Jackehammond · Public domain
- Field
- anti-tank missile and rocket-propelled grenade.
- Region
- France.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
The RAC 112 APILAS (RAC - Roquette AntiChar (French for "anti-tank rocket"), APILAS - Armour-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System) is a portable one-shot 112 mm recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher, designed in France by GIAT Industries. Over 120,000 of the APILAS launchers have been produced, and they are in service with many countries.
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Evidence Panel
original value insufficient · checked 25 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q688926 · wikipedia · APILAS
In this article
History
History
84,000 were ordered in 1984 by the French Army to replace the LRAC F1 until the adoption of the Eryx short-range missile. The French company Matra Manurhin Défense (now NEXTER - ex GIAT) produced 120,000 APILAS between 1985 and 2006.
Design
Design
The APILAS is supplied in an aramid fibre launcher tube with a retractable sight. The effective range of APILAS is from 25 m (it takes 25 m for the rocket to arm itself) up to 300–500 m depending on the target. The shaped charge warhead is electrically fused and will detonate at impact angles up to 80 degrees. Although heavy, the APILAS is able to pierce 700 mm of RHA. Within the French Army it is categorized as "traumatic weapon", because of its blast and noise. A French soldier cannot fire it more than three times in his service during peacetime. An off-route mine system was developed using the APILAS rocket mounted on a tripod using a sensor package, or tripwires.
Operators
Operators
Belgium Chad Chile Colombia Cyprus Djibouti Finland France Italy Jordan Morocco Saudi Arabia South Africa South Korea Spain Syria: Syrian Arab Army Free Syrian Army Taiwan Ukraine
Former operators
Former operators
Republic of South Africa South West Africa
Rocket projectile of French APILAS infantry antitank weapon. Photo taken at the Association of the United States Army 1988 convention in the equipment and weapons hall.
Jackehammond
Apilas anti-tank rocket on display during Finnish Defence Forces 2014 Flag day in Lappeenranta Rakuunanmäki.
MKFI
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Rottman, Gordon L. Armies of the Gulf War. Osprey Publishing. 58-59. 1993. 9781855322776.
- 2.the first versions did not have the gunner's face mask, but was added later due to unburn propellant after the projectile left the tube
- 3.Nous sommes fiers de – Lance-roquette anti-char APILAS. manurhin-group.com.
- 4.ROQUETTE ANTICHAR DE 112 mm appelée également " RAC 112 APILAS ". musee-infanterie.com.
- 5.Darcourt, Pierre. Tchad: le désert des Tartares. La Gazette des armes. 125. 16–19. January 1984.
- 6.Routledge. The Military Balance 2009. 173, 264, 293. January 26, 2009. 9780415498463.
- 7.Gander, Terry J. Giat Industries APILAS light anti-tank weapon. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002–2003. 1790–1791. 2001.
- 8.Establishment of the 1 Reconnaissance Commando.
- 9.Jenzen-Jones, N.R. French APILAS anti-tank weapon in Syria. armamentresearch.com. 8 September 2015.
- 10.Janovsky, Jakub. Joining NATO, Joining The Cause: Finnish Aid To Ukraine. Oryx.
- 11.https://armourersbench.com/2025/10/25/apilas-in-ukraine/
Bibliography printed in the source article · 2
- Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005–2006
- Jane's Mines and Mine Clearance 2005–2006
References
Citations
References
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Broader subject
2- anti-tank missileTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
- rocket-propelled grenadeTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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