Topattack

Topattack, often written top-attack or top attack, is a military term describing a flight profile used by certain anti-armor missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and some bombs to strike armored vehicles from above. The concept exploits the relative vulnerability of the top surfaces of tanks and other armored targets, which typically offer thinner protection than the front or sides.

In a top-attack engagement, the weapon is guided or programmed to ascend toward an altitude above the target and then descend onto the vehicle’s upper armor. This trajectory increases the likelihood of damaging critical components such as the turret and vehicle electronics, while bypassing heavier frontal armor. Weapons employing this profile may use infrared, electro-optical, or laser-guided sensors and can be deployed in fire-and-forget or semi-autonomous modes.

Several weapons systems employ top-attack profiles. The best-known example is the Javelin anti-tank missile, which uses a top-attack flight path after launch to strike from above. Other missile families, including certain variants of air-to-ground and anti-armor missiles, have incorporated top-attack capabilities or multi-profile guidance to adapt to different engagement scenarios.

Operational and tactical considerations include the effectiveness against modern armored vehicles with improved top armor or active protection systems, the need for altitude and line-of-sight clearance, and potential collateral risks in populated or complex terrain. Top-attack remains a standard approach for defeating armored vehicles when a vehicle’s upper surfaces are exposed to observers and threats.