What is "mokopa"

The Mokopa is a South African air-to-ground missile, designed primarily for use as an anti-tank weapon. It is currently in its final stages of development, and is being integrated onto the South African Air Force's Rooivalk attack helicopters. The missile is produced by Denel Dynamics, formerly Kentron. The current version utilises Semi-Active Laser (SAL) guidance, requiring the target to be illuminated by a laser designator either on the launch platform or elsewhere; though there are alternative guidance packages available including a millimetre-wave radar (MMW) seeker and a two-colour imaging infrared (IIR) seeker.

All variants of the Mokopa feature two launch modes, Lock-On Before Launch (LOBL) and Lock-On After Launch (LOAL). LOBL is the older, more conventional mode of missile launching, where the target has to be illuminated by the launch platform before launch. LOAL on the other hand allows the launch platform to launch the missile even though it may not be in sight of the target. In terms of the SAL version, this would then allow either the launch platform to move into place and only illuminate the target immediately prior to the missile striking the target, or it would allow an observer on the ground equipped with a laser designator to guide the missile in. This method of launching greatly reduces the exposure time of the launch platform to enemy fire.