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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0785.PDF
fL'GHT, % June 1961 795 Missiles and Space flight VIGILANT VICTORIOUS IN last week's issue we related on page 744 the outstanding per-formance of the Vickers-Armstrongs V.897 Vigilant anti-tankmissile—described in our May 22, 1959, issue—during recent trials before senior NATO officers. The weapon scored eleven hitsand two near-misses out of thirteen shots, all deliberately planned against difficult targets. The last round was fired against a movingtank at a range of 200yd, which is believed to be—by a wide margin—the closest hit yet demonstrated by any kind of guidedweapon. In the following text, ranges are given in both metres and yards, for the firing range was calibrated in metric units. The demonstration was held on a range in Italy, and was wit-nessed by senior British and Allied officers. After the shoot, the senior general present stated that he had been greatly impressedby the 100 per cent reliability of the missiles fired, by Vigilant's high accuracy at various ranges from 1,200m (1,300yd) down and,particularly, by the hit at 180m which he described as "fantastic." The demonstration was started by the arrival of a small heli-copter, carrying the operator and two complete Vigilant rounds in their carrying cases (total weight per package, 481b or 22kg). The operator then made a 50yd sprint to the firing point, andhad the rounds rigged and ready for action in about a minute. The target was a manned Patton M46 tank, which has a smallturret, hull-down and broadside-on to the firing position at 1,200m (1,300yd) range. From the operator's slit trench only the turret,6ft by 11ft, was visible over the undulating range, which was crossed by several small ridges. On the first shot the missile was steered onto the sight-line withinthe first 2sec of flight. The stability of Vigilant's autopilot then made necessary only fractional alterations of course, until theround (with, of course, no warhead fitted) hit the turret squarely. This shot was fired by a fully trained Vigilant operator. The second shot was a repetition of the first, and was also asquare-on turret hit. It was fired by a man who, until then, had fired only eight missiles previously. He was given this quite dif-ficult target to prove BAC's strong claim for Vigilant that, since few practice missiles are required, training costs are very low. Itwas explained to the audience that, in Vigilant firings in England, ordinary infantry soldiers had frequently hit six out of six movingtargets on their first live firings against tanks—this after only simu- lator training. Crossing Targe! The Patton then moved from left to right atabout 18 m.p.h. across the field of fire. For much of the way it was sheltered behind a ridge, and was invisible to the operator.The tank drove along the 1,200m line, but, en route, gave two "snap" shots of opportunity at the turret only—one of 20sectarget visibility and one of 15sec. Both these fleeting targets were engaged, and both were clean hits on the small turret—the onlyvisible part of the tank. The observers (on higher ground) were able to watch Vigilant's unwavering flight all the way, the tracking flarebehind the missile showing up well even in the strong light. At the end of a half-mile (1,000m) run across the field of fire, the tankturned right and began to close the firing position. Head-on It was then a very small, almost head-on, target, andvery difficult to see against the bright sunlight. On its run-in from 1,000m to 400m (438 yd), the tank altered course 30 to the left, atabout 800m. During this run the operator obtained, in quick suc- cession, four more turret hits with four shots. Two of the shots In the heading photograph a Vickers photographer has recorded the exact moment of impact of an inert-war- head Vigilant on its target. The latter is a Sherman, with turret reversed, and the smoke and flame originate in the unexpended portion of the missile's rocket motor Right, a Vigilant operator reels out the guidance cable between the rigged missile in its box and the "hide" from which he will fire it. Maximum distance between the operator and the weapon is 70yd Below, a diagram showing the path taken by the M46 Patton tank used as a target during the Italian trials of Vigilant described on this page, together with the distances between launching position and impact. The operator would be in centre foreground, with six rounds on his left and seven on his right
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