RBS 56 BILL

The RBS 56 BILL^[2] is a Swedish manportable SACLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile developed by AB Bofors.

RBS 56 BILL (Robot 56)
Type	SACLOS Anti-tank missile
Place of origin	Sweden
Service history
In service	1988 – present
Used by	See Operators
Production history
Manufacturer	Bofors
Unit cost	$80,000 (1989)[1]
Produced	1985 – late 1990s
No. built	15,000 +
Specifications
Mass	36 kg (launcher)
Length	900 mm
Diameter	150 mm
Muzzle velocity	250 m/s
Effective firing range	150 to 2,200 m
Guidance system	SACLOS

History

Development began in 1979 and BILL entered production in 1985. The Swedish Army began receiving the missile in March 1988.^[3] BILL stands for Bofors, Infantry, Light and Lethal.

By 1996, 15,000 missiles had been produced and supplied to the Swedish and Austrian armies. Between 1996 and 1997, Brazil received a number of BILL missiles.

In the late 1990s, production shifted to the RBS 56B BILL 2. The Swedish army received the first deliveries of the BILL 2 in 1999.

Design

Austrian exercise

A man portable BILL system consists of a missile in a sealed launch tube, tripod, day sight and thermal night-vision sight. The missile's shaped charge warhead is aimed downwards at an angle of 30 degrees and is triggered by a proximity fuze as the missile passes over the intended target.

The top attack warhead allows the missile to strike the thinner top armour of tanks. To enable this to work effectively the missile flies 0.75 meters above the line of sight between the launcher and the target. A secondary effect of this is to enable the missile to be used to engage targets largely behind cover, for example a hull down tank.

When launched the missile is propelled from the launch tube at around 72 meters per second by a gas generator at the rear of the launch tube. Once the missile is clear of the launch tube the sustainer motor engages and accelerates the missile to a speed of 250 meters per second. Once the missile is about 400 meters from the launcher, the sustainer motor cuts out and the missile continues in free flight.

Operators

Current operators

•  Brazil: Marines^[4][5]
  • 100 RBS-56 Bill ordered in 1995, delivered in 1996-1997

•  Ukraine: Ukrainian army^[6]
•  Sweden: Swedish army, 1985–2013, 2021–^[7]
  • Re-acquired RBS 56 in 2021 in anticipation of the Swedish Armed Forces introducing a new, modern, medium-range anti-tank missile, with planned delivery from 2025.^[8]

Former operators

•  Austria: through 2010,^[9] 3,000 purchased ^[5]
  • 1,000 RBS-56 Bill ordered in 1989, delivered in 1989-1993
  • 2,000 RBS-56B Bill2 ordered 1996, delivered in 1998-2001
•  Estonia: Purchased in 2006.^[10]
•  Latvia^[11]
•  Saudi Arabia

See also

• NLAW (Robot 57)