Rapier ADMS

History

During the Cold War (1947-1991), as the proliferation of high-performance low-altitude fighter jets of Soviet origin threatened Western Europe, war planners began to turn their attention to missile-oriented solutions. One of the developments during this period was the "Rapier" short-range long-range missile system developed by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) in the 1950s and 1960s.

The weapon was introduced to replace the ageing family of automatic cannons that once played an airspace denial and anti-aircraft role for British forces.

The development of the missile was originally a private enterprise of BAC and was known as "Sight" at the time (early 1960s). However, its development was driven by the involvement of the British Army, which had just dashed its hopes for the American-made MIM-46 Maurer (tracked) air defense missile system (described in detail elsewhere on this site). Mauler had his own problems. This prompted the Army to fund the Sightline program as insurance against the failure of the Mauler programwhich it did, and was officially canceled in November 1965.

Since then, the sight has turned into a rapier as the Army's attention shifted to what is now a promising home-made solution.

Testing continued until the second half of the 1960s, resulting in limited production and then quantitative. The British Army fielded the weapon system in 1971, followed by the Royal Air Force in 1974.

British Aircraft Corporation produced the weapon until 1977 and then under the BAe Dynamics brand until 1999. Today, it is sold by MBDA.

The original "rapier" missile form was transported on a wheeled trailer, which complicates the initial setup process. Four missiles were placed on launchers adjacent to a central cylinder containing the appropriate radar units. This delivered impressive lethality to one or more targets, and the rapier system proved to be an accurate and easy-to-use airspace-denial weapon at the time.

Use range up to 6,800 meters and 400 meters. The 45-kilogram, 2.29-meter-long rocket travels at Mach 2.5, giving the target little time to react.

The only major limitation of its original design was its inability to operate in all weather conditions, severely limiting its tactical value. The new Marconi DN181 "Blind Fire" radar units were the result of additional work by BAC engineers to address this limitation, these systems were added to the UK rapier inventory in 1979 (these upgraded units were previously sold to Iranians).

British ally, back in 1973).

Back in 1974, "tracked rapiers" were finally developed to improve the maneuverability of relatively stationary trailed rapier systems. This includes modifications to the M548 tracked carrier (based on the U.S. M113 APC) that integrate missile and launcher components into a more maneuverable carrier to better serve mechanized forces.

The Blindifre radar section is transported by the included carrier or used in its original towed form. The vehicle now enables better tactical flexibility and fast response times when dealing with emerging air threats.

The tracked light sword appeared in 1974 and entered service with the British Army in 1982. Over time, the towed rapier version was abandoned in favor of the Alvis "Stormer" tracked vehicle equipped with "Starstreak" missiles (described in detail elsewhere on this page). ).

Over its decades-long life cycle, the Rapier component has been better upgraded, providing improved capabilities for the ever-changing battlefield, and now includes cruise missiles and eventual drones. In addition, the missile has built-in anti-vehicle capabilities, and the variant family now includes Mk.1 (air defense), Mk.2A (enhanced air defense), and Mk.2B (anti-vehicle).

During the 1982 Falklands War, Argentina conducted its first combat operations with the British Army and the Rapier air defense system. British elements were dealing with an Argentine invasion of the neighboring island chain, and Argentine air power was vital to British land and navy.

Rapier has withstood the test of time by the British Army and the RAF - killing a dozen people (though estimates of the total are much lower).

Since then, Rapier has been working with the aforementioned Iranians (Army and Air Force), as well as Kenya (Air Force), Libya, Indonesia (Army), Singapore (Air Force), Turkey (Air Force), Switzerland (Air Force) and Arab Emirate (Army). It still serves in the British Army as part of the Royal Artillery.

More than 25,000 missiles have been put into circulation along with 600 launch vehicles and 350 radar systems.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Armor

Depends on available accessories.

Changes