SACLOS is an acronym that stands for Semi-Automatic Command to Line-Of-Sight. It's a type of guidance system that helps missiles or other weapons hit their targets accurately. Here's a simple explanation of how it works:
Imagine you're playing darts, and you want to hit a specific spot on the dartboard. You could just throw the dart and hope for the best, but you'd have a better chance of hitting your target if someone gave you instructions on where to aim.
That's basically what SACLOS does for missiles. It uses a transmitter and receiver to send signals between the missile and the operator who's controlling it. The operator uses a joystick or other device to guide the missile towards the target, and the SACLOS system calculates how to steer the missile based on the operator's commands.
The key feature of SACLOS is that it's semi-automatic. That means the operator still has to do some of the work to guide the missile, but the SACLOS system helps them do it more accurately. In contrast, some guidance systems are fully automatic, with the missile navigating to the target on its own using sensors and other technology.
SACLOS was first used in military missiles in the 1950s and 1960s, and it's still used in some modern missile systems today. While it's not the most advanced type of guidance system, it's often more effective than just firing a missile blindly and hoping for the best.