FV438 Swingfire

The FV438 Swingfire was an armoured anti-tank vehicle of the British Army.

FV438 Swingfire
Type	Anti-tank vehicle
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Specifications
Mass	16.2 t
Length	5.1 m
Width	3 m
Height	2.7 m
Crew	3
Armor	12.7 mm max
Main armament	Two Swingfire ATGM launchers 2 ATGM in launchers with 14 more missiles stored inside. Launchers could be reloaded inside the Vehicle.
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
Maximum speed	52 km/h

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 100 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 FV438s entered service in the 1970s, they were operated by specialised anti-tank units of the British Infantry and Royal Armoured Corps. In 1977, the anti-tank role was transferred to the Royal Artillery, which formed the FV438s into four independent Royal Horse Artillery batteries, one for each Armoured Division in the British Army of the Rhine. In 1984, the Royal Artillery relinquished the anti-tank role and the FV438s were formed into guided-weapon troops (each of 9 vehicles), one for each Armoured Regiment.[1][2][3][4]