The latest addition to the Red Arrow missile family from Norinco, the multi-purpose Red Arrow 12 / HJ-12 is comparable to the American FGM-148 Javelin. The HJ-12 can be operated by a single person or mounted on vehicles.
Using its fire-and-forget mode, the HJ-12 can guide itself autonomously towards the designated target. This removes a key weakness in comparison to previous generations, which relied on input from the operator through wire guidance or laser beam riding.
The shoulder-fired Red Arrow 12 supports two flight modes, top-attack or direct-attack. The top-attack mode is useful against armored vehicles where armor is usually weakest at the top. The direct-attack mode is preferable against regular buildings.
The HJ-12 must be locked on before launch (LOBL) and uses two different seekers. The first version relies on electro-optical / television (TV) for clear-weather / daylight conditions and the second more expensive version uses a imaging infrared (IIR) seeker to give the HJ-12 the ability to be used in all-weather, day or night conditions.
