In the post-war period, the anti-tank weapons of the British infantry underwent a total revision. Without any regret, anti-tank hand grenades, bottle launchers and stock mortars were written off and disposed of. After the PIAT anti-tank grenade launcher was removed from service in the mid-50s, its place in the British army was taken by the American 88, 9-mm M20 Super Bazooka grenade launcher, which received the designation M20 Mk II 3.5 inch rocket launcher in the UK. The British received the first samples of "Super Bazooka" in 1950, and in 1951 the licensed production of a grenade launcher began.
The British version of the M20 Mk II generally matched the American 88, 9mm M20V1 grenade launcher and had the same characteristics. His service in the British Armed Forces continued until the late 1960s. After decommissioning, the British Bazookas were sold to countries that were mostly former British colonies. According to user reviews, in comparison with the American prototype, these were more soundly made and reliable products.
Since the Super Bazooka was too heavy and bulky weapon, the British adopted the HEAT-RFL-75N ENERGA rifle grenade in 1952 for use in the squad-platoon link, the production of which began in Belgium in 1950.
In the British Army, ENERGA received the designation No.94. The grenade was fired from a 22-mm Mark 5 muzzle attachment with a blank cartridge. A 395 mm grenade weighed 645 g and contained 180 g of Composition B explosive (a mixture of hexogen with TNT).
The 7.7 mm Lee-Enfield No.4 rifles were originally used for firing, and from 1955 the L1A1 self-loading rifles. With each grenade supplied to the troops, a blank cartridge and a folding plastic frame sight, designed for a range of 25 to 100 m, came in a special case. During transportation, a sensitive piezoelectric fuse was covered with a removable plastic cap.
According to the instructions for use, the No.94 rifle grenade could normally penetrate 200 mm of homogeneous armor. But as the fighting in Korea showed, the armor-piercing effect of the grenade was small. Even not the newest Soviet medium tanks T-34-85 in some cases did not lose their combat effectiveness when hit by cumulative grenades, and it was difficult to expect that No.94 would be an effective tool against the T-54 or IS-3. For greater effect, a rifle grenade launched along a hinged trajectory was supposed to hit the tank from above, breaking through the relatively thin upper armor. However, the probability of hitting a moving armored vehicle with a mounted shot was low. Nevertheless, No.94 grenades were in the British Rhine Army units until the early 70s. According to the state, each rifle platoon had a shooter armed with a rifle with a 22-mm muzzle adapter for shooting anti-tank rifle grenades. Cases with three grenades were carried on the belt in special pouches.
In the early 70s, the No.94 grenade in the Rhine army was replaced with a disposable 66 mm M72 LAW grenade launcher, which received the British designation L1A1 LAW66. Data that the British used them against enemy armored vehicles could not be found. But it is reliably known that the Royal Marines with 66-mm grenade launchers suppressed the firing points of the Argentines in the Falklands.
In the British army, the 88.9 mm M20 Mk II gave way to the Swedish 84 mm Carl Gustaf M2 rocket launcher. The British military began using this weapon in the late 60s under the designation 84 mm L14A1 MAW. Compared to the Super Bazooka, the rifled Karl Gustav was a more accurate and reliable weapon, and also had better armor penetration and could fire fragmentation shells.
84-mm grenade launchers were actively used for fire support of amphibious assault forces in the Falkland Islands. On April 3, 1982, a British Marine Corps grenade-launcher crew hit the Argentine corvette Guerrico with a successful shot from an L14A1.
However, after the end of the Cold War, the British command decided to write off most of the existing 84-mm L14A1 grenade launchers and abandon the purchase of modern modifications. It is noteworthy that the British army began to use the Carl Gustaf en masse earlier than the Americans, and by the time the US adopted the Carl Gustaf M3, the British had already parted with their 84 mm L14A1 MAW.
In addition to individual anti-tank weapons, which could be used by individual infantrymen, in the post-war period in the UK, heavy recoilless guns and guided anti-tank missile systems were created.
The first British recoilless gun was put into service in 1954 under the name QF 120 mm L1 BAT (Battalion Anti-Tank). It outwardly resembled an ordinary anti-tank gun, had a low silhouette and shield cover. The gun was developed as an inexpensive alternative to the 76.2mm QF 17 pounder, and the recoillessness was much easier. The 120mm recoilless gun was based on the 88mm 3.45inch RCL built in 1944. The 88-mm RCL gun with a rifled barrel had a mass of 34 kg and fired 7, 37 kg shells with an initial speed of 180 m / s. The effective firing range against armored vehicles was 300 m, the maximum - 1000 m.
As in many other cases, in the creation of anti-tank ammunition, the British went their own original way. As the only ammunition for the 88-mm recoilless shell, the HESH (High-explosive squash head) high-explosive squash head, equipped with powerful plastic explosives, was adopted. When it hits the armor of the tank, the weakened head of such a projectile is flattened, the explosive is, as it were, smeared on the armor and at this moment is undermined by the bottom inertial fuse. After the explosion, stress waves arise in the armor of the tank, leading to the separation of fragments from its inner surface, flying at great speed, hitting the crew and equipment. The creation of such shells was largely due to the desire to create a single unified multipurpose ammunition, equally suitable for fighting armored vehicles, destroying field fortifications and destroying enemy manpower. However, as practice has shown, the best results of using HESH-type projectiles were demonstrated when firing at concrete pillboxes and tanks with homogeneous armor. Due to the fact that the body of the high-explosive armor-piercing projectile has a relatively small thickness, its fragmentation effect is weak.
Due to the protracted process of fine-tuning the 88-mm gun, it reached an acceptable operational level already in the post-war period, and due to the reduction in defense costs, the military was in no hurry to adopt it. In connection with a sharp increase in the security of promising tanks, it became obvious that an 88-mm armor-piercing high-explosive projectile would not be able to ensure their reliable defeat and the caliber of the gun was increased to 120 mm, and the mass of the shot was 27.2 kg.
A 120-mm armor-piercing high-explosive projectile weighing 12, 8 kg left the barrel with an initial speed of 465 m / s, which was a fairly high figure for a recoilless gun. The aiming range was 1000 m, the maximum - 1600 m. According to British data, an armor-piercing high-explosive projectile was effective against armor up to 400 mm thick. Combat rate of fire of the gun - 4 rds / min.
After the release of a number of 120-mm recoilless guns, the British army command demanded a reduction in mass. If such disadvantages as a small effective firing range, low accuracy when firing at maneuvering targets, the presence of a dangerous zone behind the gun due to the outflow of powder gases during firing, it was still possible to put up, then the weight of the gun in a combat position of more than 1000 kg made it difficult use of a battalion level as an anti-tank weapon. In this regard, at the end of the 50s, the modernized L4 MOBAT (Mobile Battalion Anti-Tank) gun was adopted.
By dismantling the armor shield, the mass of the gun was reduced to 740 kg. In addition, the modernized version was able to fire in the 360 ° sector with vertical guidance angles from -8 to + 17 °. To facilitate the process of aiming the gun at the target, a sighting 7, 62 mm Bren machine gun was mounted parallel to the barrel, firing from which tracer bullets were fired. If necessary, the machine gun could be removed from the gun and used separately.
It was believed that a crew of three could roll the gun a short distance. An army Land Rover vehicle was used to tow the L4 MOBAT. However, the mobility of the 120mm recoilless recoil still did not satisfy the British military, and in 1962 a new version appeared - the L6 Wombat (Weapon Of Magnesium, Battalion, Anti Tank - Anti-tank gun made of magnesium alloys).
Thanks to the use of higher quality steel, it was possible to reduce the thickness of the rifled barrel walls. Smaller wheels made it possible to make the gun squat, but towing it over a considerable distance was no longer envisaged, and the new recoil-free was to be transported in the back of a truck. But most importantly, the widespread use of magnesium alloys in the design made it possible to reduce the weight by more than half - to a record 295 kg.
Another feature was the introduction of a 12.7-mm M8S semi-automatic sighting rifle, the ballistic characteristics of which coincided with the flight path of a 120-mm armor-piercing high-explosive projectile. This made it possible to significantly increase the likelihood of hitting a moving tank from the first shot, since the gunner could navigate by range and choose a lead along the trajectory of the tracer bullets. When a sighting-tracer bullet hit the target, it exploded, forming a cloud of white smoke. The M8S sighting semi-automatic rifle chambered for the 12.7 × 76 special cartridge, used on the L6 WOMBAT, was borrowed from the American 106-mm M40A1 recoilless gun, but differed in barrel length.
In the mid-60s, incendiary and lighting shells were introduced into the 120-mm recoilless ammunition, which was supposed to expand the combat capabilities. To repel the attacks of enemy infantry at a distance of up to 300 m, a shot with ready-made lethal elements in the form of arrows was intended. Also, for training and practice of calculations, an inert projectile equipped with blue was used, which could be fired at its own tanks, without the risk of damage to them.
Simultaneously with the adoption of the L6 WOMBAT, some of the existing L4 MOBAT were modernized. Then they received the designation L7 CONBAT (Converted Battalion Anti-Tank - Converted battalion anti-tank gun). The modernization consisted of installing new sights and replacing the Bren sighting machine gun with a semi-automatic 12.7 mm rifle.
However, the new L6 WOMBAT quickly replaced the earlier modifications. Despite the widespread use of ATGMs, there were many recoilless guns in the Rhine army stationed in the FRG. The British command believed that in the course of hostilities in urban areas, recoilless systems could be more useful than ATGMs. But by the second half of the 70s, against the background of the rapid rearmament of Soviet tank divisions deployed to the west, it became obvious that 120-mm armor-piercing high-explosive shells would be ineffective against new generation tanks with multi-layer combined armor. However, the British army did not immediately remove the 120-mm recoilless guns from the armament of the British army. They were still capable of destroying light armored vehicles, destroying fortifications and providing fire support. The L6 WOMBAT remained in service with paratroopers and marines until the late 1980s. To increase mobility, 120-mm recoilless guns were often installed on off-road vehicles.
In terms of the ratio of mass, size, range and accuracy of firing, the British L6 WOMBAT are the most advanced in their class and represent the evolutionary pinnacle of the development of recoilless guns. After decommissioning in the UK, a significant part of the 120mm recoilless wheels was exported. Foreign users in third world countries appreciated them for their unpretentiousness and a fairly strong projectile. In local wars, British-made recoilless guns were used very rarely for armored vehicles. They usually fired at enemy positions, provided fire support to their infantry and destroyed firing points.
The first example of guided anti-tank weapons adopted in the British army was the Malkara ATGM (Sheath - in the language of the Australian aborigines), created in Australia in 1953. Now it may seem strange, but in the 50s and 60s, Australian engineers were actively developing various types of missiles, and a missile range was functioning in the Australian desert.
In the Malkara ATGM, technical solutions typical of the first generation complexes were implemented. The ATGM was controlled by the guidance operator in manual mode using a joystick, visual tracking of the rocket flying at a speed of 145 m / s was carried out by two tracers installed on the wingtips, and guidance commands were transmitted via a wired line. The first version had a launch range of only 1800 m, but later this figure was brought to 4000 m.
The first British-Australian guided anti-tank complex turned out to be very cumbersome and heavy. Since the customer initially planned to use the ATGM not only against armored vehicles, but also for the destruction of enemy fortifications and use in the coastal defense system, an unprecedented large caliber was adopted for the Australian missile - 203 mm, and an armor-piercing high-explosive warhead of the HESH type weighing 26 kg was equipped with plastic explosives …
According to British data, the Malkara ATGM could hit an armored vehicle covered with 650 mm of homogeneous armor, which in the 50s was more than enough to destroy any serial tank. However, the mass and dimensions of the rocket turned out to be very significant: weight 93.5 kg with a length of 1.9 m and a wing span of 800 mm. With such weight and size data, there was no question of carrying the complex, and all its elements could be delivered to the starting position only by vehicles. After the release of a small number of anti-tank systems with launchers installed on the ground, a self-propelled version was developed on the chassis of the Hornet FV1620 armored car.
A launcher for two missiles was mounted on the armored car, two more ATGMs were included in the ammunition carried with them. The British army abandoned ground launchers already in the late 50s, but armored cars with Malkara ATGMs were in service until the mid-70s, although this complex was never popular due to the complexity of targeting the missile and the need to constantly maintain the training of operators.
In 1956, Vickers-Armstrong began developing a light anti-tank missile system that could be used in a portable version. In addition to reducing the weight and dimensions, the military wanted to get an easy-to-use weapon that did not impose high requirements on the skills of the guidance operator. The first version of ATGM Vigilant (translated from English - Vigilant) with ATGM Type 891 was adopted in 1959. Like most anti-tank systems of that time, the "Vigilant" used the transmission of guidance commands by wire. The crew of three carried six missiles and a battery, as well as a simple and easy-to-use control panel, made in the form of a rifle butt with a monocular telescopic sight and a thumb control joystick. The length of the cable connecting the control panel with the launchers was enough to move the launch position 63 m away from the operator.
Thanks to a more advanced control system, the presence of a gyroscope and an autopilot, the Type 891 missile control was much smoother and more predictable than on the Malkara ATGM. The likelihood of hitting was also higher. At the range, an experienced operator at a distance of up to 1400 m hit an average of 8 targets out of 10. A rocket weighing 14 kg had a length of 0.95 m and a wingspan of 270 mm. The average flight speed was 155 m / s. Information about the armor penetration and the type of warhead used on the first ATGM modification is rather contradictory. A number of sources indicate that the Type 891 missile used a 6 kg armor-piercing high-explosive warhead of the HESH type.
In 1962, the troops began to receive an improved version of the Vigilant ATGM
with a Type 897 rocket. Thanks to the use of a shaped charge and a special rod with a piezoelectric fuse, it was possible to increase the armor penetration. A cumulative warhead weighing 5.4 kg normally penetrated 500 mm homogeneous armor, which was very good for the early 60s. The length of the Type 897 missile increased to 1070 mm, and the launch range was in the range of 200-1350 m.
Based on the technical solutions implemented to launch the French SS.10 and ENTAC ATGMs, Vickers-Armstrongs engineers also used disposable tin launchers. Before launching the rocket, the front cover was removed, and the rectangular container was oriented towards the target and connected to the control panel with an electric cable. Thus, it was possible not only to reduce the time of equipping the firing position, but also to increase the convenience of transporting missiles and provide them with additional protection from mechanical influences.
Despite the modest launch range, the Vigilant ATGM was liked by combat crews and was a rather formidable weapon for its time. British sources claim that a number of anti-tank systems were purchased by the US Marine Corps, and by the end of the 60s, Vigilent was acquired by nine more states.
Almost simultaneously with the Vigilant ATGM, the Pye Ltd company, specializing in the production of electronics and electrical engineering, which had no prior experience in aircraft and rocketry, was developing a longer-range complex of guided anti-tank weapons. The ATGM, known as Python, used a very original rocket with a jet-nozzle system for thrust control and stabilization by the method of rotation. To reduce the guidance error, a special signal stabilization device was developed, which compensated for the operator's excessively sharp efforts on the joystick manipulator and converted them into smoother signals to the rocket steering machine. This, among other things, made it possible to minimize the influence of vibration and other factors that adversely affect the accuracy of guidance.
The control unit, completely made on a semiconductor element base, was installed on a tripod and weighed 49 kg with a rechargeable battery. To observe the target, prismatic binoculars with variable magnification were used, which could be used separately from the command unit as an observation device.
Light alloys and plastics were widely used in the design of the Python ATGM. The rocket had no steering surfaces, the plumage was intended purely to stabilize and stabilize the rocket in flight. The flight direction was changed using the thrust control system. The transmission of commands took place over the wire. To facilitate the process of tracking the rocket, two tracers were installed on the wings. ATGM weighing 36.3 kg carried a powerful 13.6 kg warhead. The length of the rocket was 1524 mm, the wingspan was 610 mm. The range and speed of flight were not disclosed, but according to expert estimates, the missile could hit a target at a distance of up to 4000 m.
ATGM Python looked very promising, but its fine-tuning was delayed. In the end, the British military preferred the relatively simple Vigilant, if not so long-range and sophisticated. One of the reasons for the failure of a very advanced "Python" was the critically high coefficient of novelty of the technical solutions used. After the British War Department officially announced its refusal to purchase Python ATGMs, it was offered to foreign buyers during the 20th Farnborough Exhibition in September 1959. But there were no customers able to finance the launch of the new ATGM into mass production, and all work on this complex was curtailed in 1962.
Simultaneously with the completion of work on the Python ATGM, British Defense Secretary Peter Thornycroft announced the beginning of the development of a long-range anti-tank complex by the standards of that time, which later received the designation Swingfire (Wandering Fire). The complex received this name for the ability of the rocket to change the direction of flight at an angle of up to 90 °.
The new anti-tank complex was not created from scratch; during its development, Fairey Engineering Ltd used the backlog of an experienced Orange William ATGM. Test missile launches began in 1963, and in 1966 the serial assembly of a batch intended for military trials. However, until 1969, the project was under threat of closure due to intrigues in the military department. The project has been criticized for being too expensive and behind schedule.
Initially, the Swingfire ATGM had a control system of the same type as other British first-generation anti-tank complexes. Commands to the missile were transmitted via a wired communication line, and targeting was done manually using a joystick. In the mid-70s, a semi-automatic guidance system was created for the new ATGM, which immediately brought it to the second generation and allowed it to fully reveal its potential. The complex with a semi-automatic guidance system is known as the Swingfire SWIG (Swingfire With Improved Guidance).
ATGM Swingfire is launched from a sealed transport and launch container. The missile with a launch weight of 27 kg has a length of 1070 m and carries a 7 kg warhead with a declared armor penetration of up to 550 mm. Flight speed - 185 m / s. The launch range is from 150 to 4000 m. The spring-loaded stabilizers that unfold after launch are stationary, the missile course is corrected by changing the angle of inclination of the nozzle, which ensures excellent maneuverability.
In the early 80s, an improved version of the Swingfire Mk.2 with electronic equipment on a new element base (less mass), with a reinforced warhead and a simplified launcher began to enter service with the British army. According to advertisements, the upgraded missile is capable of penetrating 800 mm of homogeneous armor. A combined thermal imaging and optical sight from Barr & Stroud, operating in the wavelength range of 8-14 microns, was introduced into the ATGM for action in day and night conditions.
Due to the significant mass, most of the Swingfire complexes were installed on various armored chassis or jeeps. However, there are also purely infantry options. The British Army operated the Golfswing towed launcher, which weighed 61 kg. Also known is the Bisving modification, suitable for carrying by the crew. When placed in a combat position, the control panel can be moved 100 m from the launcher. The combat crew of a portable installation is 2-3 people.
From 1966 to 1993, more than 46 thousand Swingfire anti-tank missiles were produced in the UK. Despite the fact that the British ATGM was about 30% more expensive than the American BGM-71 TOW, it enjoyed some success in the foreign arms market. Licensed production of Swingfire was established in Egypt, the complex was also officially exported to 10 countries. In the UK itself, all Swingfire modifications were officially completed in 2005. After long disputes, the British military leadership decided to replace the outdated anti-tank complex with the American FGM-148 Javelin, the production license of which was transferred to the British aerospace corporation British Aerospace Dynamics Limited. Although the Swingfire anti-tank complex was criticized throughout its life cycle for its high cost, it turned out that its price was about 5 times lower than that of the Javelin.
Talking about the guided anti-tank systems used by the British army, one cannot fail to mention the MILAN ATGM (French Missile d'infanterie léger antichar - Light infantry anti-tank complex). The production of the complex, developed by the Franco-German consortium Euromissile, began in 1972. Due to the fairly high combat and service-operational characteristics, MILAN became widespread and was adopted by more than 40 countries, including Great Britain. It was a fairly compact second-generation ATGM system with a semi-automatic line-of-sight guidance system typical of its time with the transmission of commands from the launcher to the missile via a wired communication line. The guidance equipment of the complex is combined with an optical sight, and the MIRA night sight is used for firing at night. The range of the MILAN ATGM is from 75 m to 2000 m.
Unlike the guided anti-tank weapon systems previously adopted in the UK, MILAN was developed from the very beginning with a semi-automatic guidance system. After detecting the target and launching the missile, the operator is only required to keep the target in the line of sight, and the guidance device receives infrared radiation from the tracer, which is located at the rear of the ATGM and determines the angular misalignment between the line of sight and the direction to the missile tracer. The hardware unit receives information about the position of the missile relative to the line of sight, which is given by the guidance device. The position of the gas jet rudder is determined by the rocket gyroscope. Based on this information, the hardware unit generates commands that control the operation of the controls, and the rocket remains in the line of sight.
According to the data published by the manufacturer, the first version of the rocket weighing 6, 73 kg and 918 mm long was equipped with a 3 kg cumulative warhead with armor penetration up to 400 mm. The maximum flight speed of the rocket is 200 m / s. Rate of fire - up to 4 rds / min. The mass of the transport and launch container with a ready-to-use ATGM is about 9 kg. The mass of the launcher with a tripod is 16.5 kg. The weight of the control unit with an optical sight is 4.2 kg.
In the future, the improvement of the ATGM went along the path of increasing armor penetration and launch range. In the MILAN 2 modification, produced since 1984, the ATGM caliber was increased from 103 to 115 mm, which made it possible to bring the thickness of the penetrated armor to 800 mm. In the MILAN ER ATGM with a 125-mm rocket caliber, the launch range has been increased to 3000 m, and the declared armor penetration is up to 1000 mm after overcoming dynamic protection.
In the British Armed Forces, MILAN finally supplanted the first generation Vigilant anti-tank systems in the early 80s and was used in parallel with the heavier and longer-range Swingfire. The relatively small weight and dimensions of the MILAN ATGM made it possible to make it a company-level anti-tank infantry weapon, suitable for equipping units operating in isolation from the main forces.
The MILAN ATGM has a very rich history of combat use and has been successfully used in many local armed conflicts. As for the British armed forces, for the first time in battle, the British used this complex in the Falklands to destroy Argentine defensive structures. During the anti-Iraqi campaign in 1991, the British destroyed up to 15 units of Iraqi armored vehicles with MILAN ATGM launches. Currently, in the British army, the MILAN ATGM is completely replaced by the FGM-148 Javelin, which operates in the "fire and forget" mode.
