General Dynamics FIM-43 Redeye

History

The FIM-43 "Redeye" is a portable anti-aircraft missile launcher that requires only one crew to operate. Design began as early as 1959, and production was taken over by General Dynamics. The missile system debuted in 1968 and remained in service until 1995. It was especially useful for guerrilla jihadists fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan, and proved deadly for Soviet pilots flying Mi-8 "Hip" and Mi-24 "Hind" helicopters and Su-25 "Frogfoot" close support aircraft opponent.

Ultimately, the Red Eye was replaced in all respects by the much-improved FIM-92 Stingera man-portable missile system that precisely filled the U.S. Army's role.

With the advent of the jet age in the late 1940s, the U.S. Army strived to produce a powerful anti-aircraft weapon capable of surpassing the limitations of the standard 12.7mm (0.50 caliber) heavy machine gun in that role. The FIM-43 Redeye man-portable missile entered the market in the late 1950s, but was initially plagued by technical issues that delayed the arrival of the first-generation missile system until the late 1960s, with evaluations for a decade in the second half of 2019. As the system continued to evolve, a limited production followed, becoming an improved red-eye version, which entered service in 1968 and became the standard U.S. air and missile defense system. Foreign operators eventually followed, including Afghanistan, Denmark, Greece (which was eventually replaced by Stinger), Pakistan and Sweden, and the United States (which was also later replaced by Stinger).

At least 85,000 Redeye systems are believed to have been produced.

The Redeye warhead consists of a first stage booster injector and a second stage sustainer. The top speed can reach Mach 1.7. The explosion occurs via a shock fuze. The warhead (M222) is of the explosive fragmentation type and weighs 2.35 pounds. The launcher was designated M171.

Aiming is done through components attached to the launch vehicle itself. Tracking is initially done visually, the system takes over and eventually warns the operator to "lock out". Pressing the trigger will ignite the missile, and once the missile has passed the launcher, the four stabilizing fins will pop out.

The boost motor is then replaced by a support motor, which pushes the missile towards the target if the lock is still present.

Operationally, the Redeye is a powerful weapon, although not without limitations. The missile itself can only muster 3g of power, in which case a faster target can easily outpace the weapon. Additionally, the seeker should be trained against the hot exhaust gases produced by the jet engine, which means the missile must be fired behind a passing target (called a tailgate), and the target can simply maneuver past its seeker.

The warhead also includes shock fuze detonation fragments, which means the missile's tip needs to be in direct contact with the target in order to detonate -- as this "near miss" doesn't need to apply. As aircraft countermeasures have improved, the Red Eye missile has become less of a threat to its simple homing capabilities and inherent performance limitations.

The Redeye was decommissioned between 1982 and 1995, after which the FIM-92 Stinger system entered service in 1981.

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