Blowpipe missile
Encyclopedia
The Shorts
Blowpipe is a man-portable surface-to-air missile
(MANPADS) which was in use with the British Army
and Royal Marines
from 1975. It was superseded by an interim design, Javelin
, and later the greatly improved Starstreak missile
.
. To reduce the overall size of the container, the rear fins of the missile are stored in the larger diameter cylinder at the front of the tube (this also contains the Yagi antenna
for transmitting guidance signals); during firing the fins slip onto the rear of the missile as it flies through and are held there by heat-activated adhesive tapes. This gives the launch container a unique shape, seemingly oversized at the front and extremely thin at the rear. The missile is powered by a short duration solid rocket
for launch, then by a main sustainer rocket once it is well clear of the launch tube.
Guidance
of the Blowpipe is initially semi-automatic with the missile gathered to the centre of the sight's crosshairs by the infrared
optic atop the aiming unit. Two to three seconds after launch, missile guidance is switched to fully MCLOS
mode, and the operator regains full control of the missile. The operator has to steer the missile all the way to its target manually via a small thumb
Joystick
. The operator can opt not to use autogathering when engaging low flying targets such as helicopters, but then has to super-elevate the launcher to ensure the missile does not hit the ground. Four flares
in the tail of the missile make it visible in flight, first to the infrared optic, then to the operator. Detonation is either by proximity
or contact fuse
. In emergencies, the operator can end an engagement by the operator shutting off the power to the transmitter with the system switch, after which the missile will immediately self-destruct. The aiming unit can then be removed from the empty missile container and fitted to a new round.
Blowpipe was developed as a SAM for submarine
s, fitted as a cluster of four missiles into a mast that could be raised from the submarine's conning tower
under the name Submarine Launched Airflight Missile (SLAM) trialled on HMS Aeneas
(P427) in 1972.
in 1982. With the targets being fast flying aircraft, flying low and using the ground to hide their approach the Blowpipe operator had about 20 seconds to spot the target, align the unit and fire. Brigadier Julian Thompson
compared using the weapon to "trying to shoot pheasants with a drainpipe." The official report stated that of the 95 missiles fired by the British, only 9 managed to destroy their targets and all of these were slow flying planes and helicopters. A later report determined that only two kills could be attributed to Blowpipe: A British Harrier GR3 (XZ972) attacked by Argentine Army special forces (Commandos Company), and an Argentine Aermacchi MB-339
(0766 (4-A-114)) during the Battle of Goose Green
.
Blowpipe was found to be particularly ineffective when used to engage a crossing target or to chase a target moving rapidly away from the operator. The poor performance led to it being withdrawn from UK service. In 1986 some of the mothballed units were sent clandestinely
to equip the Mujahideen
fighting the Soviets
in Afghanistan
. The system again proved ineffective, and was eventually supplanted by the US Stinger
missile. While Blowpipe was available on the international arms market and therefore its origins were open to speculation, the Stinger was restricted, which at the time indicated a more open acknowledgment of Western support for the Mujahideen. Blowpipe missile systems are still being found in weapon caches as recently as June 2003 in Afghanistan.
The Canadian military took Blowpipe from storage to give some protection to their naval contribution to the 1991 Gulf war
, although sheer age had degraded the weapons, and nine out of 27 missiles tested misfired in some way.
Blowpipe saw more effective use in the Cenepa War
of 1995 between Ecuador and Peru, where it was deployed mainly against Mil Mi-17
and Mil Mi-18 Peruvian helicopters.
, which was of a generally similar design but improved in performance and with a semi-automatic guidance system (SACLOS
) – the operator now controls the missile by keeping the target in his sight, and the aiming unit steers the missile to remain centered in the sight.
The basic Javelin missile body was retained in the Starburst surface-to-air missile
, but the guidance system was further improved to a self-contained system in the missile itself. Unlike the Javelin where the guidance is calculated in the controller unit and sent to the missile via radio
, in Starburst a laser in the control unit "paints" the target, and the missile passively guides itself to intercept the laser. This renders it largely immune to any possible jamming.
Starburst was used only briefly, before being replaced by Starstreak. Starstreak uses the same beam-riding concept of Starburst, but dramatically improves the missile and warhead. In Starstreak the missile quickly accelerates to Mach 3.5, then separates to release three dart-like interceptors. Each dart is independently guided by riding the laser beam, thus improving the chances of a hit. The darts are also effective against armour.
Afghanistan
Argentina
Canada
Chile
Ecuador
Guatemala
:(82 launchers)
Malawi
Malaysia
Nigeria
Oman
Portugal:
Qatar
Thailand
United Arab Emirates: (about 20 launchers)
United Kingdom: (285 launchers)
Short Brothers
Short Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first company in the world to make production aircraft and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s...
Blowpipe is a man-portable surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
(MANPADS) which was in use with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
from 1975. It was superseded by an interim design, Javelin
Javelin surface-to-air missile
Javelin is a British, man-portable surface-to-air missile, formerly used by the British Army and Canadian Army. It can be fired from the shoulder, or from a dedicated launcher known as Javelin LML—Lightweight Multiple Launcher...
, and later the greatly improved Starstreak missile
Starstreak missile
Starstreak is a British short range surface-to-air missile manufactured by Thales Air Defence , in Belfast. It is also known as Starstreak HVM where HVM stands for "High Velocity Missile". After launch the missile accelerates to approximately Mach 3.5, at which point it launches three laser beam...
.
Description
The missile is shipped as a single round in a storage cylinder/firing tube. The aiming unit is clipped to the launch tube and fired from the operator's shoulderShoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula , and the humerus as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, which...
. To reduce the overall size of the container, the rear fins of the missile are stored in the larger diameter cylinder at the front of the tube (this also contains the Yagi antenna
Yagi antenna
A Yagi-Uda array, commonly known simply as a Yagi antenna, is a directional antenna consisting of a driven element and additional parasitic elements...
for transmitting guidance signals); during firing the fins slip onto the rear of the missile as it flies through and are held there by heat-activated adhesive tapes. This gives the launch container a unique shape, seemingly oversized at the front and extremely thin at the rear. The missile is powered by a short duration solid rocket
Solid rocket
A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a rocket engine that uses solid propellants . The earliest rockets were solid-fuel rockets powered by gunpowder; they were used by the Chinese in warfare as early as the 13th century and later by the Mongols, Arabs, and Indians.All rockets used some form of...
for launch, then by a main sustainer rocket once it is well clear of the launch tube.
Guidance
Guidance system
A guidance system is a device or group of devices used to navigate a ship, aircraft, missile, rocket, satellite, or other craft. Typically, this refers to a system that navigates without direct or continuous human control...
of the Blowpipe is initially semi-automatic with the missile gathered to the centre of the sight's crosshairs by the infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
optic atop the aiming unit. Two to three seconds after launch, missile guidance is switched to fully MCLOS
MCLOS
MCLOS is a first-generation method for guiding guided missiles.With an MCLOS missile, the operator must track the missile and the target simultaneously and guide the missile to the target. Typically the missile is steered with a joystick, and its path is observed through a periscope-type...
mode, and the operator regains full control of the missile. The operator has to steer the missile all the way to its target manually via a small thumb
Thumb
The thumb is the first digit of the hand. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position , the thumb is the lateral-most digit...
Joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
. The operator can opt not to use autogathering when engaging low flying targets such as helicopters, but then has to super-elevate the launcher to ensure the missile does not hit the ground. Four flares
Flare (pyrotechnic)
A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signalling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications...
in the tail of the missile make it visible in flight, first to the infrared optic, then to the operator. Detonation is either by proximity
Proximity fuze
A proximity fuze is a fuze that is designed to detonate an explosive device automatically when the distance to target becomes smaller than a predetermined value or when the target passes through a given plane...
or contact fuse
Contact fuse
A contact fuze, percussion fuze or direct-action fuze is the fuze that is placed in the nose of a bomb or shell so that it will detonate on contact with a hard surface....
. In emergencies, the operator can end an engagement by the operator shutting off the power to the transmitter with the system switch, after which the missile will immediately self-destruct. The aiming unit can then be removed from the empty missile container and fitted to a new round.
Blowpipe was developed as a SAM for submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s, fitted as a cluster of four missiles into a mast that could be raised from the submarine's conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
under the name Submarine Launched Airflight Missile (SLAM) trialled on HMS Aeneas
HMS Aeneas (P427)
HMS Aeneas , named after the hero Aeneas from Greek mythology, was an Amphion-class submarine of the Royal Navy, built by Cammell Laird and launched 9 October 1945....
(P427) in 1972.
Combat performance
Blowpipe was used by both sides during the Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
in 1982. With the targets being fast flying aircraft, flying low and using the ground to hide their approach the Blowpipe operator had about 20 seconds to spot the target, align the unit and fire. Brigadier Julian Thompson
Julian Thompson
Major General Julian Howard Atherden Thompson, CB, OBE is a military historian and former Royal Marines officer who, as a brigadier, commanded 3 Commando Brigade during the Falklands War.-Military career:...
compared using the weapon to "trying to shoot pheasants with a drainpipe." The official report stated that of the 95 missiles fired by the British, only 9 managed to destroy their targets and all of these were slow flying planes and helicopters. A later report determined that only two kills could be attributed to Blowpipe: A British Harrier GR3 (XZ972) attacked by Argentine Army special forces (Commandos Company), and an Argentine Aermacchi MB-339
Aermacchi MB-339
The Aermacchi MB-339 is an Italian military trainer and light attack aircraft. It was developed as a replacement for the earlier MB-326.-Design and development:...
(0766 (4-A-114)) during the Battle of Goose Green
Battle of Goose Green
The Battle of Goose Green was an engagement of the Falklands War between British and Argentine forces. Goose Green and its neighbour Darwin are settlements on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. They lie on Choiseul Sound on the east side of the island's central isthmus...
.
Blowpipe was found to be particularly ineffective when used to engage a crossing target or to chase a target moving rapidly away from the operator. The poor performance led to it being withdrawn from UK service. In 1986 some of the mothballed units were sent clandestinely
Secrecy
Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups, perhaps while sharing it with other individuals...
to equip the Mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
fighting the Soviets
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. The system again proved ineffective, and was eventually supplanted by the US Stinger
FIM-92 Stinger
The FIM-92 Stinger is a personal portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile , which can be adapted to fire from ground vehicles and helicopters , developed in the United States and entered into service in 1981. Used by the militaries of the U.S...
missile. While Blowpipe was available on the international arms market and therefore its origins were open to speculation, the Stinger was restricted, which at the time indicated a more open acknowledgment of Western support for the Mujahideen. Blowpipe missile systems are still being found in weapon caches as recently as June 2003 in Afghanistan.
The Canadian military took Blowpipe from storage to give some protection to their naval contribution to the 1991 Gulf war
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, although sheer age had degraded the weapons, and nine out of 27 missiles tested misfired in some way.
Blowpipe saw more effective use in the Cenepa War
Cenepa War
The Cenepa War , also known as the Alto Cenepa War, was a brief and localized military conflict between Ecuador and Peru, fought over control of a disputed area on the border between the two countries...
of 1995 between Ecuador and Peru, where it was deployed mainly against Mil Mi-17
Mil Mi-17
The Mil Mi-17 is a Russian helicopter currently in production at two factories in Kazan and Ulan-Ude...
and Mil Mi-18 Peruvian helicopters.
Replacement
Blowpipe was replaced by the Javelin surface-to-air missileJavelin surface-to-air missile
Javelin is a British, man-portable surface-to-air missile, formerly used by the British Army and Canadian Army. It can be fired from the shoulder, or from a dedicated launcher known as Javelin LML—Lightweight Multiple Launcher...
, which was of a generally similar design but improved in performance and with a semi-automatic guidance system (SACLOS
SACLOS
SACLOS is an acronym for Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight, a second-generation method of missile guidance. In SACLOS, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight...
) – the operator now controls the missile by keeping the target in his sight, and the aiming unit steers the missile to remain centered in the sight.
The basic Javelin missile body was retained in the Starburst surface-to-air missile
Starburst surface-to-air missile
Starburst is a British man-portable surface-to-air missile produced by Shorts Missile Systems of Belfast . It is used by the British Army, Malaysian Army, and in the Canadian Army as the Javelin...
, but the guidance system was further improved to a self-contained system in the missile itself. Unlike the Javelin where the guidance is calculated in the controller unit and sent to the missile via radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, in Starburst a laser in the control unit "paints" the target, and the missile passively guides itself to intercept the laser. This renders it largely immune to any possible jamming.
Starburst was used only briefly, before being replaced by Starstreak. Starstreak uses the same beam-riding concept of Starburst, but dramatically improves the missile and warhead. In Starstreak the missile quickly accelerates to Mach 3.5, then separates to release three dart-like interceptors. Each dart is independently guided by riding the laser beam, thus improving the chances of a hit. The darts are also effective against armour.
Operators
AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
Argentina
- Argentine ArmyArgentine ArmyThe Argentine Army is the land armed force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of the country.- History :...
Canada
- Canadian Army - (111 launchers)
Chile
- Chilean ArmyChilean ArmyThe Chilean Army is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army is organized into seven divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade....
Ecuador
- Ecuadorian ArmyEcuadorian ArmyThe Ecuadorian Army is the land component of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces. Its 24,135 soldiers are sensibly deployed in relation to its military doctrine...
- (220 launchers)
GuatemalaGuatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
:(82 launchers)
Malawi
- Military of MalawiMilitary of MalawiThe Armed forces of Malawi are the state military organisation responsible for defending Malawi. They originated from British colonial units formed before independence in 1964.-Army structure:...
- (12 launchers)
Malaysia Nigeria
- Nigerian ArmyNigerian ArmyThe Nigerian Army the largest of the Nigerian Armed Forces, has about 100,000 professional personnel. The original elements of the Royal West African Frontier Force in Nigeria were formed in 1900....
- (48 launchers)
Oman
- Royal Army of OmanRoyal Army of OmanThe Royal Army of Oman protects the sovereignty of Oman. In terms of matériel, the Army is small but well equipped to the extent that external aggression is now realistically deterred.-Field organization:*One divisional HQ...
Portugal:
- Portuguese ArmyPortuguese ArmyThe Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
- (57 launchers)
Qatar
- Military of QatarMilitary of QatarThe Qatar Armed Forces are the military forces of Qatar. The country maintains a modest military force of approximately 11,800 men, including an army , navy and air force . Qatar's defense expenditures accounted for approximately 4.2% of gross national product in 1993...
Thailand
- Royal Thai Air ForceRoyal Thai Air ForceThe Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913, as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force had engaged in many major and minor battles. During the Vietnam war era, the air force has been developed with USAF-aid...
- Royal Thai Army
United Arab Emirates: (about 20 launchers) United Kingdom: (285 launchers)
- British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
- Royal MarinesRoyal MarinesThe Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...