HJ-8 Anti-Tank Guided Missile

Reading Time: 3 minutes Category: Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM)Operator(s): Bangladesh ArmyOrigin: China (Norinco)Guidance: Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight (SACLOS), Wire-guidedWarhead Types: Tandem HEAT, Thermobaric, Anti-structureEffective Range: 100 m to 4,000 m (variant dependent)Penetration: Up to 800 mm behind ERA (HJ-8E and later variants)Launcher Weight: ~25 kg (including tripod and optics)Missile Weight: ~25 kgManufacturer: Norinco (China), DynTek Engineering (Pakistan – Baktar-Shikan)In Service Since: Early 2000s Overview The HJ-8 (Hongjian-8 or “Red Arrow-8”) is a second-generation, wire-guided anti-tank guided missile system developed by China’s Norinco and used extensively throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa. In the context of the Bangladesh Army, the HJ-8 serves as the primary long-range anti-armour system, offering a robust capability against modern main battle tanks, fortified bunkers and light armoured vehicles. Bangladesh has also acquired the Baktar-Shikan, a licensed Pakistani-produced variant of the HJ-8 manufactured by DynTek Engineering and marketed by Global Industrial and Defence Solutions