Seacat

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Seacat

Seacat GWS Mk.21
Seacat GWS Mk.21

General Information
Type Anti-aircraft guided missile
Local name GWS Mk.20, GWS Mk.21, GWS Mk.22, GWS Mk.24
NATO designation Seacat
Country of origin United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Manufacturer Short Brothers
development 1956
Commissioning 1962
Working time until the early 2000s
Technical specifications
length 1.48 m
diameter 190-220 mm
Combat weight 65 kg
span 650 mm
drive Solid rocket engine
speed Mach 0.8-0.9
Range 5.5 km
Service ceiling 915 m
Furnishing
steering gyroscope
Target location MCLOS via radio link
Warhead 18.14 kg continuous rod
Detonator Impact and proximity detonators
Weapon platforms Ships
Lists on the subject

Seacat was a ship-based short-range anti- aircraft missile from the United Kingdom .

development

The Seacat was created due to a request from the Royal Navy . This was from the Second World War originating mm 40-Bofors guns replaced with light anti-aircraft missiles. The development contract was awarded to Short Brothers in Belfast . Development of the Seacat began there in 1956 under the internal name SX-A5 . As the basis for the new anti-aircraft guided missile , the developers used the draft of the Malkara anti-tank missile . The Seacat was first presented to the public in 1959 at the Farnborough International Airshow . For the sea trials 1961, a complete system on the Seacat was HMS Decoy , a frigate of the Daring class (1949) incorporated. After the sea trials, the Seacat was launched on various Royal Navy ships. Then there were also sales on the export market.

With the Seacat it was not possible, supersonic combat objectives. Therefore it was replaced by the Sea Wolf from 1978 in the Royal Navy .

technology

Seacat was to combat aircraft and helicopters in the subsonic range , designed to fly. The system consisted roughly of an optical straightening device (Seacatdirector), a simple fire control computer and a triple or quadruple starter for the guided weapons that could be rotated through 360 °.

The Seacat guided missile was divided into three sections. In the missile head of the impact and the were infrared - proximity fuse and the Continuous Rod -Gefechtskopf housed. The warhead weighed 18.14 kg and had an explosive content of 9.97 kg. The pneumatic systems with the gas generator and the actuators were housed behind the warhead . These provided the control impulses for the large control wing in the middle of the guided missile. The four control wings were trapezoidal and had a sweep of around 45 °. The autopilot and the receiver for the control commands were also located in the middle section . The two-stage solid rocket engine from IMI was housed in the stern . There were also four stabilizing wings at the stern. The Seacat guided missiles were stored in sealed plastic containers in magazines under the ship deck . From there they were carried by the ship's crew to the starter and placed on it. In addition to the missiles, the starter also housed the cylindrical transmitter system for transmitting the control commands.

The straightening device was called Seacatdirector and was placed on a rotating platform. The tachymetric straightener was operated by two men. The shooter visually captured and tracked the target with a dissecting microscope . The aiming device was moved manually by the second crew member, who also followed the target with a binocular. If the target was within firing range, the shooter launched the Seacat guided missile. After a flight distance of around 300 m, the guided missile appeared in the shooter's field of vision. To make the missile easier to see, two torches were attached to its rear, which produced a bright light and a trail of smoke . The shooter now had to bring the guided weapon into a target axis with the target and brought the guided weapon towards the target using a small joystick . He had to follow both the guided weapon and the target with the binocular. All movements of the aiming device were imitated by the starter and the starter sent the control commands via radio to the Seacat guided missile. If the target came within the response radius of the proximity fuse , the warhead was ignited. In the event of a direct hit, the warhead was triggered by the impact fuse. This control procedure, called MCLOS (Manual Command to Line of Sight), required a high degree of skill and concentration from the shooter .

variants

GWS Mk.20

The first variant was the GWS-20 version. This stands for Guided Weapon System Mark 20 . In this first embodiment, the control procedure was as described above. The system was only suitable for use in fine weather. GWS Mk.20 came within the Royal Navy a. A. Used on 1959 County-class destroyers , Rothesay-class frigates and Fearless-class DropShips.

GWS Mk.21

In this second version, a target assignment could be made to Seacatdirector by ship radar. The target and the missile were also tracked by radar during the fighting process. Type 262 radars , Contraves Sea Hunter , Elsag NA9 or Hollandse signaling apparatus WM-40 were used. Thanks to the radar aid, it was now partially possible to use the Seacat system even at night and in bad weather. The guided missile control was still done manually via MCLOS by a shooter. By installing an altimeter in the missile, low-flying targets could now also be fought. GWS Mk.21 came within the Royal Navy a. A. on the frigates of the Tribal class as well as on the destroyers of the County class (1959) and the Battle class .

GWS Mk.22

Seacat GWS Mk.22 at the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Center in Sydney

In the GWS Mk.22 version, the system has been fundamentally revised. The Seacat director was now crewed by one man and was housed in a closed cabin. The shooter was protected from the weather. The movements of the Seacatdirector now took place automatically through the control movements of the shooter and no longer through muscle power. A radar was installed on the roof of the cabin, which tracked both the target and the Seacat guided missile. Type 903 or Type 904 radars which operated in the I / J band were used . The SACLOS control method was used with the help of the radar . The shooter now only had to pursue the target with a sight . The missile control was carried out automatically and the course corrections for the missile were calculated with the British Aerospace MRS3 fire control computer . This control method was much more reliable and the hit expectancy could be increased significantly. Seacat could now also be used at night and in bad weather. Various ships within the Royal Navy were upgraded and equipped with the GWS Mk.22. GWS Mk.22 was also used on the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes (R12) .

GWS Mk.24

In the GWS Mk.24 version, the Seacatdirector was not crewed. The control was now carried out with a remote control unit. The Seacat system was operated from consoles under the ship deck. The target was tracked using radar and the Type 323 TV camera . This was connected to the Ferranti WSA-4 fire control system. Compared to the previous model, the hit expectation could be increased again.

Tigercat Mk.I

Tigercat of the SADF

The Tigercat was created in the 1950s and was a vehicle-mounted version of the Seacat for use in the countryside. The system was installed on two trailers and was transported by Land Rover . A triple starter for the guided missiles was installed on one trailer. The movements of the launcher were made by means of servos . The horizontal directional range of the thrower was 170 ° and the vertical directional range was −30 to + 60 °. The fire control computer and the optical target unit were housed on the second trailer. In order to prepare Tigercat to fire, the trailers were uncoupled and placed on three splay legs. The functions and the fighting process were carried out in the same way as the Seacat GWS Mk.20.

Tigercat Mk.II

The Tigercat Mk.II was an improved version of the Tigercat Mk.I and was also called Radar Enhanced Tigercat . This version has the same improvements as the Seacat GWS Mk.24. A Marconi ST850 / M fire control radar which worked in the I / J band was used . In addition, the improved Mk.II guided missiles with modernized electronics were used. Tigercat Mk.II was a forerunner of the later Rapier system .

commitment

Seacat was used by the Royal Navy during the Falklands War . Immediately after the war, the Seacat system was awarded 6-10 kills. According to later evaluations, the Seacat system was only awarded one suspected launch. Tigercat was used in the civil war in Angola , in the Falklands War, and in the First Gulf War and Second Gulf War .

distribution

literature

  • Christopher Chant: Air Defense Systems and Weapons: World AAA and Sam Systems in the 1990s. Brassey's Defense Publishers, Oxford, United Kingdom, 1989, ISBN 0-080-36246-X .
  • Stephen Badsey: The Falklands Conflict Twenty Years on: Lessons for the Future. Sandhurst Conference Series, Sandhurst, United Kingdom, 2004, ISBN 0-415-35029-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Christopher Chant: Air Defense Systems and Weapons: World AAA and Sam Systems in the 1990s. Brassey's Defense Publishers, p. 36.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Christopher Chant: Air Defense Systems and Weapons: World AAA and Sam Systems in the 1990s. Brassey's Defense Publishers, p. 37.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g Seacat - The Guided Missile to Defend Small Ships. (PDF) In: flightglobal.com. Flightglobal Archive, September 5, 1963, accessed December 8, 2017 .
  4. ↑ RB 07 Seacat. In: robotmuseum.se. Arboga Robotmuseum, accessed December 8, 2017 .
  5. ↑ SEACAT MISSILE SYSTEM - GWS20. In: gunplot.net. Royal Australian Navy - The Gunplot, accessed December 8, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Seacat missile and director. In: tripadvisor.com. Royal Australian Navy Heritage Center, July 30, 2017, accessed December 8, 2017 .
  7. ^ A b Christopher Chant: Air Defense Systems and Weapons: World AAA and Sam Systems in the 1990s. Brassey's Defense Publishers, p. 38.
  8. ↑ Hilda (Tigercat) SAM. In: saairforce.co.za. SAAE - Unofficial website on the South African Air Force, accessed December 8, 2017 .
  9. ↑ a b c Christopher Chant: Air Defense Systems and Weapons: World AAA and Sam Systems in the 1990s. Brassey's Defense Publishers, p. 39.
  10. ^ Stephen Badsey: The Falklands Conflict Twenty Years on: Lessons for the Future. Sandhurst Conference Series, Sandhurst, pp. 205-206.
  11. ^ The Battle for the Falklands. Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins: London 1983, ISBN 0-7181-2228-3 .
  12. ^ Trade Register on sipri.org , accessed December 8, 2017.