Blowpipe
| Blowpipe | |
|---|---|
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| General Information | |
| Type | Anti-aircraft missile |
| Manufacturer | Shorts Missile Systems |
| development | 1960s |
| Technical specifications | |
| length | 1.34 m |
| diameter | 76 mm |
| Combat weight | 11.3 kg |
| span | 274 mm |
| drive | Solid - rocket engine |
| speed | 435 m / s |
| Range | 0.5-3.5 km |
| Furnishing | |
| steering | MCLOS |
| Target location | Radio remote control |
| Warhead | 2.2 kg fragmentation warhead |
| Detonator | Proximity and impact fuses |
| Lists on the subject | |
Blowpipe is a portable anti-aircraft missile developed by the British aircraft manufacturer Short Brothers , which was used by the British Army and the Royal Marines from 1968 . It has been replaced by the Javelin and the Starstreak anti-aircraft missile.
description
The rocket to be fired from the shoulder is located in a launch cylinder to which the control unit is attached. To enable a more compact design, the rigid tail unit is housed in the front part of the starting cylinder. The rocket is controlled via the front tail unit. When fired, the missile moves forward through the tail assembly , which latches into the rear of the missile body. When it takes off, the rocket is propelled by a solid propellant with only a short burn time, then by the main engine. The rocket is steered by the shooter via a small joystick that can be operated with the thumb , which is located in the control unit. To make it easier for the shooter to steer the rocket into the target, a small flare is attached to the rear of the rocket, making it easier for the shooter to follow the course of the rocket. The rocket is detonated using either a proximity fuse or an impact fuse . After the missile detonates, the control unit can be separated from the launch container and attached to a new one.
The blowpipe has been replaced by the more powerful Javelin. This is based on a very similar design, but it has a semi-automatic steering system: the shooter keeps the targeted target in the crosshairs even after firing and the control unit directs the missile to the currently targeted point.
The blowpipe was originally developed under the name Submarine Launched Airflight Missile (SLAM) as a surface- to -air missile for use on submarines . For this purpose, it was integrated into a mast, which, like the periscope , could be extended from the command tower . This system was tested on the HMS Aeneas (P427) in the 1970s .
Combat fitness
During the Falklands War in 1982, the blowpipe was used by both warring parties. The targets were mostly fast, low-altitude aircraft that followed the contour of the terrain in order to remain undetected as possible. As a result, the shooter usually only had 20 seconds to recognize the target, align the launch unit at the target and fire the missile. The British official report said that of 95 missiles fired, just nine destroyed their target. All targets destroyed were slow-flying planes or helicopters. A later report showed that the Blowpipe actually had only two kills: a British Harrier GR3 (XZ972) and an Argentine Aermacchi MB-339A (0766 (4-A-114)). It was found that the blowpipe was particularly unsuitable for attacking a target that was passing or rapidly moving away from the shooter. The blowpipe's poor performance resulted in its being decommissioned in the UK .
In 1986 some mothballed blowpipes were secretly handed over to the mujahideen in Afghanistan to support them in the fight against the Soviet Army . However, the system again proved ineffective. This was mainly due to the manually controlled guidance system, which requires constant visual contact with the target and makes it the responsibility of the shooter to guide the missile from launch to impact. Due to the ineffectiveness of the blowpipe, a better system had to be found. As a consequence, US Stinger missiles were made available to the mujahideen . Since the Stinger was not freely available on the international arms market like the Blowpipe and its origin was thus obvious, this step meant confirmation of Western support for the Mujahideen. Blowpipe missiles are still in circulation in Afghanistan. A missile of this type was last discovered there in June 2003 in an arsenal.
In 1991 the Canadian military took the blowpipe out of the camps to give at least some protection against air attacks to the part of the Navy that participated in the Gulf War . Out of 27 missiles fired for test purposes, however, nine did not function properly - presumably because of their old age.
distribution
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United Kingdom - 285 launchers -
Ecuador - 220 launchers -
Canada - 111 launchers -
Portugal - 57 launch devices -
Nigeria - 48 launch devices -
United Arab Emirates - approx. 20 launch devices -
Malawi - 12 launch devices -
Qatar
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Argentina
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Chile - 25 launchers -
Thailand - 100 launch devices -
Oman
swell
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from May 1, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from May 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from November 13, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from May 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/jpt/demining/countries/afghan/kabul02/Thum1.html
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- Chris Hobson: Falklands Air War , ISBN 1-85780-126-1
- Max Hastings & Simon Jenkins: The Battle for the Falklands , ISBN 0-330-35284-9
