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Swingfire is a British wire-guided anti-tank missile.
[edit] DevelopmentSwingfire was developed by Fairey Engineering Ltd and the British Aircraft Corporation. It replaced the Vickers Vigilant missile in British service. It was a product of both its predecessor the Vigilant and the experimental Orange William missile. The name comes from the ability of the missile to make a rapid turn of up to ninety degrees after firing to bring it onto the line of the sighting mechanism. This means that the launcher vehicle can be concealed and the operator, using a portable sight, placed at a distance in a more advantageous firing position. Besides its use on the FV438 Swingfire and the Striker armoured vehicles, Swingfire was developed to be launched from other platforms:
[edit] Combat historySwingfire has seen combat use in the Gulf War [2] and the Iraq War. [edit] Replacement in British ArmyAfter a lengthy debate, the Swingfire was replaced with the Javelin in mid-2005 to meet new and changing situational requirements. The British Army invested heavily in the Javelin, and it is now the main heavy anti-tank missile system in use by the British Army.[3][4] [edit] Specification
[edit] Operators
[edit] Decommissioning problemsSwingfire inadvertently became the subject of questions in the Houses of Parliament in March 2002 when 20 warheads, removed for decommissioning, were washed into the Bristol Channel along with 8 anti-tank mines.[11] The warheads, with a total explosive weight equivalent to 64.2 kg of TNT,[12] were never located.[13] [edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
[edit] External links
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