FV438 Swingfire
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FV438 Swingfire | |
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Type | Anti-tank vehicle |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Specifications | |
Weight | 16.2 t |
Length | 5.1 m |
Width | 3 m |
Height | 2.7 m |
Crew | 3 |
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Armor | 12.7 mm max |
Primary armament |
Two Swingfire ATGM launchers |
Secondary armament |
7.62 mm L7 GPMG, smoke dischargers |
Engine | Rolls-Royce K60 multi-fuel 240 hp |
Power/weight | 15.7 hp/tonne |
Suspension | torsion-bar, 5 road wheel |
Operational range |
480 km |
Speed | 52 km/h |
The FV438 Swingfire was an armoured anti-tank vehicle of the British Army.
It was derived from the FV430 series of vehicles by converting the FV432 to accommodate a launcher for Swingfire anti-tank guided missiles.
It had two firing bins and could carry fourteen missiles, which could be reloaded from inside the vehicle. Instead of using the mounted guidance system a control unit could be deployed and the missiles aimed and fired from up to fifty metres away, allowing the vehicle to remain completely hidden from the enemy; the Swingfire missile was capable of making a ninety-degree turn immediately after firing.
When it first came into use in the 1970s, the FV438s were operated by specialised anti-tank units of the Royal Artillery. The role was transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps in the mid 1980s, and the FV438s were taken into service as guided-weapon troops of armoured regiments, nine vehicles to a regiment.
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