During the 1980s South Africa developed and deployed into combat the ZT3 Ingwe missile, noted for being ahead of its time in tactical performance.
Developed by Kantron (Danel Dynamics), it catapulted South Africa through 2 generations of anti-tank warfare.
Most anti-tank missiles from the 1980s were TOW, trailed on thin copper wires, and limited range. The ZT3 has eliminated wires.
The launcher projected a coded laser grid behind the missile.
Sensors on the missile's tail read its position on the grid and pointed it at the target, making it impossible to jam and invisible to the target.
The ZT3 could be fired from a moving vehicle and hit targets at a distance of 5 km, a rare capability.
Later, the ZT3A2 Ingwe, featured a tandem HEAT warhead, capable of defeating ERA and penetrating over 1,000mm of armor.
After 40 years, the ZT3 marks are still considered the most reliable and have outlasted many competitors.
It has been integrated into other platforms, such as the Rooivalk and Mi-24 Super Hind attack helicopters, and is exported internationally.