BAe Swingfire
Notes: The
Swingfire was an early ATGM development; it was developed in the mid-1960s, but
proved to be very effective and served with the British Army until 2005, when it
was replaced by the US-designed Javelin ATGM.
When fired from a modified Land Rover, it is also known as the Beeswing;
when carried and fired from a helicopter it is also known as the Hawkswing; and
when carried and fired from a small trailer of Argocat light cargo vehicle, it
is also known as the Golfswing. The
Swingfire has seen service in both Iraq and Afghanistan, where it was primarily
used as a bunker-buster.
The name
“Swingfire” comes from a unique deployment ability.
The operator can place the primary guidance module up to 50 meters away,
and this primary guidance module may be pointed up to 90 degrees from the
operator. The operator has a radio
link to his own primary sight, and when the Swingfire is fired, it can swerve up
to 90 degrees to place the missile and target inside the sight module radius.
The Swingfire uses a simple box launcher, so the is a cold launch and the
launch signature does not occur until the Swingfire has traveled 10 meters, at
which point the main engine ignites.
Thus, finding the operator of a Swingfire can be a bit difficult,
especially is the operator is camouflaged and the crew can pack up and leave
after the missile is hits its target.
(Most Swingfire teams carried multiple primary guidance modules so that
retrieving the original module is not as urgent).
Despite the large control surfaces, the Swingfire is actually controlled
by thrust squibs. Detonation is by impact upon the target (or an accidental hit
on something else).
In the 1980s,
the Swingfire received upgraded guidance systems, changing the Guidance and
Difficulty below. Explosives and
warhead design improvements made the warhead more effective.
This advanced warhead became available in 1985.
Weapon |
Weights |
Missile Caliber |
Guidance |
Missile Speed |
Prices |
Swingfire (Early) |
(Launcher) 6 kg;
(Missile) 27 kg |
170mm |
MCLOS Wire |
925 |
(Launcher) $2295;
(Missile) $3009 |
Swingfire (Late) |
(Launcher) 6 kg;
(Missile) 27 kg |
170mm |
SACLOS Wire |
925 |
(Launcher) $2695;
(Missile) $1063 |
Weapon |
Reload |
Round |
Min Range |
Max Range |
Damage |
Pen |
Difficulty |
Swingfire (Early) |
4 |
HEAT |
150 |
4000 |
C29 B55 |
129C |
AVG |
Swingfire (Late) |
4 |
HEAT |
150 |
4000 |
C38 B60 |
197C |
AVG |
Vickers Vigilant
Notes: One of
the first developed man-portable ATGMs, the Vigilant began as a private
development by Vickers in 1956, and began service with the British Army and to a
more limited extent, the US Marine Corps, in the early 1960s.
In addition, Finland, Kuwait, Dubai, and Switzerland used the Vigilant
during the same time period. The Vigilant, though effective for its time, had a
short service like, as a greatly improved version of the Vigilant, the
Swingfire, entered service in 1966.
The Vigilant was
flexible in its setup, as the components included a launcher box, a
sight/controller, a battery, and a controller with a joystick where the operator
actually steers the missile and gives the launch commands.
The operator could, therefore, be located 63 meters from where the
missile is located and the launch signature occurs.
This could make finding the operator difficult, even though he must stay
in place until the Vigilant hits (or misses).
The sight unit has a 3.2x sight and simple engraved stadia lines to aid
in steering. The missile is fired,
then steered into his line of sight, then the missile and the target steered
into the same sight picture. The
Vigilant was unusual for the time in that it’s flight was gyroscopically
stabilized. This was used to enable
the shooter to be located so far from the launcher.
An optional missile selection box allowed the crew to control up six
emplaced missiles with one controller (IE, six missiles could be set up, but
only one could be controlled at a time by a given gunner).
Normal HEAT
warheads were not deployed with the Vigilant.
Instead, one was developed with a HEAT warhead and standoff probe, and
the other with a hardened steel nose containing a HEAT warhead.
For game purposes, both function as a sort of tandem warhead, though
neither are tandem warheads in the normal sense of the term.
Weapon |
Weights |
Missile Caliber |
Guidance |
Missile Speed |
Prices |
Vigilant |
(Launcher) 6 kg;
(Missile) 14 kg |
120mm |
MCLOS Wire |
778 |
(Launcher) $1240;
(Missile) HEAT-P $231; HEAT-HP $241 |
Weapon |
Reload |
Round |
Min Range |
Max Range |
Damage |
Pen |
Difficulty |
Vigilant |
3 |
HEAT-P |
200 |
1375 |
C12 B40 |
20/65C |
AVG |
Vigilant |
3 |
HEAT-HP |
200 |
1375 |
C11 B30 |
23/65C |
AVG |