Profile
- Type
- Disposable shoulder-fired anti-armor recoilless weapon
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Origin
- Germany / Singapore / Israel
- Service note
- 2000-present
Infantry Weapons
MATADOR
MATADOR, also fielded in German service and export lists as RGW 90, is a 90 mm man-portable disposable recoilless weapon for infantry anti-armor and anti-structure work. Its dual HEAT/HESH effect, confined-space firing capability, and light one-soldier operation made it a relevant close-range weapon for Ukrainian units after Germany and industry channels supplied RGW 90 launchers during the Russia-Ukraine War.
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
Service History
- In service
- Entered Singapore service as a replacement for Armbrust; supplied to Ukraine as RGW 90 during the Russia-Ukraine War
- Used by
- Ukrainian Armed Forces, Singapore Army
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- Singapore Armed Forces / Defence Science and Technology Agency / Dynamit Nobel Defence
- Designed
- Development began in 2000
- Variants
- MATADOR, RGW 90 HH, MATADOR-AS, MATADOR-WB
Specifications
- Caliber
- 90 mm
- Weight
- 7.5 kg for RGW 90 HH; 8.9 kg in Singapore MATADOR factsheet
- Length
- 0.96 m in HESH mode / 1.08 m in HEAT mode for RGW 90 HH
- Effective range
- 20-500 m for RGW 90 HH
- Warhead
- Dual-mode HEAT/HESH effect for armored and structural targets
- Confined-space firing
- Rated for firing from enclosed spaces; RGW 90 HH lists use from rooms of at least 18 cubic meters
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Ukraine
Ukrainian forces fielded RGW 90/MATADOR disposable anti-tank weapons supplied from German-funded deliveries and industry stocks, including large batches documented on Germany's official Ukraine aid list.
MATADOR Images
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RGW90 HHPublisher: Dynamit Nobel Defence | Note: Manufacturer page for RGW 90 HH specifications, effects, confined-space firing, and DND product background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Factsheet - MATADOR: Unguided Short Range Anti-Armour Weapon (SRAAW)Publisher: Singapore Ministry of Defence | Note: Official Singapore factsheet covering MATADOR development, role, 90 mm caliber, confined-space use, range, and HEAT/HESH capability. | Accessed: 2026-06-20MATADORPublisher: ST Engineering | Note: Manufacturer product page identifying MATADOR as a lightweight 90 mm anti-armored vehicle weapon with anti-brick-wall capability. | Accessed: 2026-06-20The arms and military equipment Germany is sending to UkrainePublisher: Federal Government of Germany | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict use by documenting delivered man-portable anti-tank weapons RGW 90 for Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Large Batch of RGW-90 Matador Missiles and More in the New Military Aid Package From Germany to UkrainePublisher: Defense Express | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict use by reporting a German aid update listing 2,056 RGW-90 Matador weapons and earlier Ukrainian receipt of the system. | Accessed: 2026-06-20UA TDF with MATADORPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image page identifies the weapon with a Ukrainian Territorial Defense unit and lists CC BY 4.0 licensing attributed to mil.gov.ua. | Accessed: 2026-06-20MATADOR weapon system on display at AOH 2022Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image page for a MATADOR display photograph with CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing. | Accessed: 2026-06-20