The Infantry Anti-Armour Missiles of the United Commonwealth Armed Forces

Over the century or so during which armoured vehicles have played a part in war, there has been a determined effort by every major military to discover the best way to kill them. Building from experience dating back to the earliest iteration of armoured combat vehicles, United Commonwealth has decided that the best way for infantry forces to engage and destroy armoured vehicles is through the use of guided missiles.
During the early days of Armoured warfare, the best way to kill a vehicle was using some form of direct fire artillery, or field gun, which tended to have of a significantly bigger calibrer than any mounted on a vehicle.
However, as technology developed, the new vehicles, called Armtracks within the United Commonwealth, carried both thicker armour and larger weapons. In order to keep up with these advancements, research was put into other weapons that could be used to kill these new Armtracks. The end result was missiles.
The advantages of missiles include them being smaller and lighter, enabling their use without relying on towing vehicles, their greater penetrative ability when compared to cannons, and the fact that since a single missile generally can do the job of half a dozen field gun shells, fewer missiles are needed, easing logistics somewhat.

List of missiles

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"Vigil" Grenade Launcher, Rocket

During the 2nd Toradai War of 122, the United Commonwealth Army and Marine Corp got their first taste of enemy Armour. For a period, the only ability the Commonwealth forces to deal with the Toradian armour was using there own limited vehicles, which were further hampered by the local terrain.
Fortunately for the infantry on the ground, the Office of Army Research and Development, or OARD, was developing a new weapon system to face the projected threat. Even better for the troops, the General commanding the operation, General Zhan Zexian, was an old classmate of the Director of OARD, Lieutenant General Arthur O'Connor,and was able to expedite the weapons development, with the assistance of the Chief of the General Staff of the time, Field Marshal Bruno von Aven.
The Vigil first saw combat a mere 2 months after General Zexian first contacted his old friend, and while it was not great by modern standards, it served the needs of the soldiers that used it, and by the end of the war was credited with over a hundred confirmed vehicle kills, both Armtrack and Transport.
The weapon would soon spread across the entirety of the United Commonwealth Army and Marine Corp, and would even achieve export status to close U.C. allies, before being replaced by the Talon APOG.

"Talon" Armour Penetrating Ordnance, Guided

The Talon APOG, developed by Farouk Industries, was the first guided Anti-Armour weapon to enter service in the United Commonwealth Army, in the early 140s. It was created taking advantage of lessons learnt during the Toradai war, and would enter widespread service by 145, in time for the war against the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Mecklitz.
The Grand Duchy's Army had rapidly advanced in military technology, mostly owing to imported arms from other nations. This led to them acquiring several hundred Armoured vehicles, and receiving foreign crew training.
However, their training would not be enough, and the war itself was over in less than a week after the invasion, making it the shortest war in Commonwealth history. The Talon played a large role, as it was both given to infantry and mounted on certain vehicles.
The weapon utilised a long wire that would relay control information from the operator to the missile, allowing it's operator to guide it, and its shaped explosive charge, into contact with the enemy vehicle. However, this required the operator to stay exposed and in control during flight, something it's replacement would not.

"Lance" Personal Anti-Armour

Developed in the early 150's, by a joint team from Farouk Industries, Ferdinand Holwitz AG, and OARD, the Lance PA systems were the first family of automatically guided infantry weapons, marking a turning point in the precision of modern weaponry.
The weapon, which came in the PA Heavy (PAH) and Transportable (PAT) variants, was constructed in large quantities during the build up to the First Great War, the first, but unfortunately not the last, major conflict to see fighting between its belligerents take place across multiple, in this case 4, Worlds.
During this conflict, the PAT's and PAH's saw combat across all fronts of the War, with the PAT's, operated by units ranging from Airborne jumpers to mechanised infantry, seeing slightly more action. In the end, the war was won by the United Commonwealth, and the Lance would continue service until the second month after breakout of the Second Great War.
The Lance's main improvement, other than a larger payload, was the addition of a guidance system that merely required the operator to merely keep their target in view until the missile makes contact.

"Surefire" Infantry Missile, Armour Penetration

The Surefire's main advantage over its predecessor is what is known as the Roof Attack system, where the warhead would take advantage of a vehicle's weaker roof armour to do have a greater chance of penetrating it and killing its occupants.
The missile, developed jointly by Farouk Industries and OARD during what became known as the First Interbellum, also brought along further advancements in guidance, with this missile now no longer requiring any operator input anytime after firing, allowing them to get away after firing to escape retaliation.
Seeing service early after the start of the Second Great War, this missile would become loved by its operators, along with its name, due in part to them being in less danger when using it. The Surefire would take on the roles of both previous variants of the Lance, and would continue into service during the 3rd Great War.

The Future

Even with the success of the Surefire, it's common knowledge that the design teams at OARD, Farouk, and others are all working on the next big product for Armed Forces. Rumours speculate that the new weapon could be anything from an even better missile to a miniature Magnetic Rifled Gun, to some form of plasma beam. Whatever the new weapon ends up being, as far as the Armed Forces are concerned, what with technological developments from the enemies of the United Commonwealth and its allies, a new weapon cannot come soon enough.

Creation Date

The first missile was developed in 102, and the first guided one in 113

Owning Organization

The Arms of the United Commonwealth Army