Israel Aircraft Industries MBT Weapon Systems Division has developed the solid propellant fuelled day/ night-capable Nimrod long-range ground-launched semi-active laser-guided Anti-Tank Guided Weapon (ATGW) in response to an export requirement. Israeli Defence Force has also expressed interest. Nimrod can also be used as an anti-ship weapon.

Nimrod is transonic in operation and is powered all the way to the target. The gunner preselects the flight trajectory mode. This can be direct trajectory, high cruising trajectory or low cruising trajectory, the cruising altitude being constant and between 300 and 1,500 m. Mid-course guidance is provided by an integral inertial platform, and terminal guidance by a semi-active laser homing seeker for the last 15 to 30 seconds of missile flight. The target can be illuminated either by a ground-based or airborne laser designator.

The gimballed and stabilised seeker head acquires, tracks and homes in on its target using localised proportional navigation. It is said to have a look angle of more than 30°. The seeker has a search area of 5 km in width and 5 km in depth. In the terminal flight phase the weapon adopts a dive angle of approximately 45° to impact the armoured target on its vulnerable upper surfaces.

The missile is stored in a sealed canister which also acts as the launcher. Total weight of the missile and canister is 150 kg. It has five main sections: seeker, guidance and control, warhead, solid propellant rocket motor and servo. It is roll-stabilised in flight. Time to come into action at a launch site is less than 3 minutes without the site having to be surveyed for alignment or levelling, or with a direct line of sight to the target. The weapon can be fired in single-round, ripple or salvo modes.

In addition to the AMX-13 light tank tracked chassis application mentioned below there is also a truck (4 x 4) model with a pod of four missiles in the ready to launch position at the rear firing over the cab.

Modified AMX-13 light tank chassis (two eight-round container-launcher installations - unknown export customer).

Production complete. In service with an unidentified export customer. Recent information has indicated that Nimrod may be in service with the Israel Defence Force with target acquisition being carried out by special forces.