FV438 Swingfire

History

The FV430 series of vehicles proved vital to British armour during the Cold War (1947-1991). The designation includes a "universal chassis" designed to perform a variety of battlefield roles - troop transport, fire support, airspace interdiction.

These include the FV438 "Swingfire", a lightly armored tracked vehicle assigned to the Anti-Tank Missile (ATGM) role and carrying the powerful "Swingfire" ATGM (the FV102 "Striker" is featured elsewhere (see this website for details, also with The Swingfire missile family is arranged together, but instead uses five missile lift launch packs above the rear fuselage).

The wire-guided swirl-fire missile was born at the request of the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and 46,650 were eventually produced from 1966 to 1993. Development was led by Fairey Engineering with support from the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Its main advantage is the missile's ability to rapidly rotate 90 degrees during flight, allowing for flexibility on the battlefield. Additionally, the long-range system allows the weapon to be fired from a distance of 100 meters - which helps the firing squad remain hidden during an attack.

In service with the British Army, the Swingfire was used as the successor to the Vickers Vigilant missile developed in the 1950s.

The FV430 chassis proved to be a viable candidate for the installation of two missile launchers on the top line of the fuselage, and the FV432 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) form was chosen to be the actual model convertible to the new form - while retaining the original Existing and proven drive arrangement: five twin tire wheels on one side of the fuselage, front drive wheels and rear chain tensioner (torsion bar suspension). The hull uses board sides with slightly sloping sloping boards, and the operator is only three people.

The total load of the missile consists of fourteen ready-to-launch swinging fires, which are protected by the hull - the reloading process takes place entirely within the confines of the vehicle (thus protecting the crew from the elements and dangers of the battlefield).

An optional 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) can be mounted to provide point defense against low-flying threats and against lightly armored land-based vehicles. An optional secondary weapon is the 7.62mm L7 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) for anti-infantry measures.

Three smoke grenade launchers are mounted in the front corners of the fuselage, for a total of six - this provides the crew with a self-defense option to hide the movement of the vehicle.

The whole vehicle weighs 16 tons, with a total length of 5 meters, a width of 3 meters and a height of 2.7 meters. Armor protection up to heavy small arms fire (12.7mm caliber) and artillery jets, but very little else - these are not direct contact tanks, but long range defenses (MBT) against enemy tanks (mostly Soviet main battle tanks) . ) Currently.

Power comes from a 240-horsepower Rolls-Royce K60 multi-fuel engine, enabling a travel speed of 52 km/h and a range of up to 480 km.

Originally, the British Army assigned their new FV438 missile carrier to the Royal Armoured Regiment, but the role was later taken on by the Royal Artillery.

The FV438 is no longer in service and has never been exported, its role being replaced by other more recent developments on the modern battlefield.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

14 x Swingfire missile reloads.

650x7.62mm ammo.

6 x Smoke Grenade

Changes