M47 Dragon
Encyclopedia
The M47 Dragon is an American
shoulder-fired
, man-portable anti-tank missile system. It has since been phased out in US service, in favor of the newer FGM-148 Javelin
system.
system in concert with a high explosive anti-tank
warhead and was capable of defeating armored vehicles
, fortified bunker
s, main battle tanks
, and other hard targets. While it was primarily created to defeat the Soviet Union
's T-55
, T-62
, and T-72
tanks, it has since seen action up into the current era including the Persian Gulf War
. The U.S. Armed Forces
officially retired the weapon in the late 1990s - however stocks of the weapon remain in arsenals.
In use by the U. S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, as well as many foreign militaries, the design was first fielded in January 1975 to US soldiers stationed in Europe. The effective range of the Dragon was about 1000 meters, with the rocket traveling 100 meters per second, guided by an infrared sight. The operator had to continue to track the missile to its target, which exposed him to enemy fire. The principles of flight and guidance were interesting. The first oddity was the delay between snapping the trigger and the ignition of the launch motor. This was due to a chemical battery charging the initiator circuit (the operator could hear a rising whine similar to the whine made by early integrated flash cameras when charging the flash circuit). This usually led to the operator tensing up in anticipation of the sudden explosion from the launcher that he knew was coming. The missile was discharged from the launcher tube by a "launch motor", which was a rocket motor that completely expended itself within the tube so as not to injure the operator with exhaust gas. The missile coasted away from the operator and a burning infrared flare was ignited at the rear of the missile. The "service motor" which drove the missile to the target was, in this case, a series of small explosive charges set into the skin of the missile. These were activated by the sight controller which sent signals from the sight mechanism to the missile along the wire which spooled out behind the missile and remained connected to the sight. The operator kept the sight crosshairs on the target; the sight tracked the infrared flare and sent corrections to the missile service motor to bring the flight of the missile to the crosshairs aim point. The service charges were fired as needed both to keep the missile correcting toward the aim point and to keep it up and moving forward. If the operator over-corrected his aim point beyond the service motor's capability to keep up, the missile grounded itself. This was a recoilless weapon—the launcher did not "kick", per se, when fired—but the sudden loss of the 30 lb missile weight from the shoulder caused many soldiers to flinch badly enough to lose track of the target, resulting in a missile grounding.
The Dragon was not particularly popular with U.S. soldiers. Because of the missile's relatively short range and loud firing signature, Dragon crew were expected to take heavy casualties in the event of a war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact
.
has reverse-engineered a version of the Dragon, the Saeghe. They displayed it in 2002 at the Defendory exhibition
in Athens
, when it was in mass production
. Hezbollah acquired Saeghes for anti-tank and anti-armor uses.
Known versions include Saeghe-1 and Saeghe-2.
tube, breech/gas generator, tracker, bipod, battery, sling, and forward and aft shock absorbers. In order to fire the weapon, non-integrated day or night sights must be attached. While the launcher itself is expendable, the sights can be removed and reused.
on August 2001.: Phased out of service, being replaced by Spike
.: Replaced by FGM-148 Javelin
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
shoulder-fired
Shoulder-launched missile weapon
A shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched missile or man-portable missile is a projectile fired at a target, small enough to be carried by a single person, and fired while held on one's shoulder...
, man-portable anti-tank missile system. It has since been phased out in US service, in favor of the newer FGM-148 Javelin
FGM-148 Javelin
The FGM-148 Javelin is a United States-made man-portable third generation anti-tank missile fielded to replace the Dragon antitank missile.-Overview:Javelin is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance...
system.
Description
It used a wire-guidanceWire-guided missile
A wire-guided missile is a missile that is guided by signals sent to it via thin wires connected between the missile and its guidance mechanism, which is located somewhere near the launch site. As the missile flies, the wires are reeled out behind it...
system in concert with a high explosive anti-tank
High explosive anti-tank
High explosive anti-tank warheads are made of an explosive shaped charge that uses the Munroe effect to create a very high-velocity partial stream of metal in a state of superplasticity that can punch through solid armor....
warhead and was capable of defeating armored vehicles
Armoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
, fortified bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
s, main battle tanks
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
, and other hard targets. While it was primarily created to defeat the Soviet Union
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....
's T-55
T-55
The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of...
, T-62
T-62
The T-62 is a Soviet main battle tank, a further development of the T-55. Its 115 mm gun was the first smoothbore tank gun in use.The T-62 was produced between 1961 and 1975. It became a standard tank in the Soviet arsenal, partly replacing the T-55, although that tank continued to be...
, and T-72
T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
tanks, it has since seen action up into the current era including the Persian 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...
. The U.S. Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
officially retired the weapon in the late 1990s - however stocks of the weapon remain in arsenals.
In use by the U. S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, as well as many foreign militaries, the design was first fielded in January 1975 to US soldiers stationed in Europe. The effective range of the Dragon was about 1000 meters, with the rocket traveling 100 meters per second, guided by an infrared sight. The operator had to continue to track the missile to its target, which exposed him to enemy fire. The principles of flight and guidance were interesting. The first oddity was the delay between snapping the trigger and the ignition of the launch motor. This was due to a chemical battery charging the initiator circuit (the operator could hear a rising whine similar to the whine made by early integrated flash cameras when charging the flash circuit). This usually led to the operator tensing up in anticipation of the sudden explosion from the launcher that he knew was coming. The missile was discharged from the launcher tube by a "launch motor", which was a rocket motor that completely expended itself within the tube so as not to injure the operator with exhaust gas. The missile coasted away from the operator and a burning infrared flare was ignited at the rear of the missile. The "service motor" which drove the missile to the target was, in this case, a series of small explosive charges set into the skin of the missile. These were activated by the sight controller which sent signals from the sight mechanism to the missile along the wire which spooled out behind the missile and remained connected to the sight. The operator kept the sight crosshairs on the target; the sight tracked the infrared flare and sent corrections to the missile service motor to bring the flight of the missile to the crosshairs aim point. The service charges were fired as needed both to keep the missile correcting toward the aim point and to keep it up and moving forward. If the operator over-corrected his aim point beyond the service motor's capability to keep up, the missile grounded itself. This was a recoilless weapon—the launcher did not "kick", per se, when fired—but the sudden loss of the 30 lb missile weight from the shoulder caused many soldiers to flinch badly enough to lose track of the target, resulting in a missile grounding.
The Dragon was not particularly popular with U.S. soldiers. Because of the missile's relatively short range and loud firing signature, Dragon crew were expected to take heavy casualties in the event of a war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
.
Dragon II
Designed and upgraded from Dragon in 1985 when its penetration effectiveness was increased.Super-Dragon
Upgraded from Dragon II in 1990, it was capable of penetrating 18 inches (450 mm) of armor at a maximum effective range of 1,500 meters.Saeghe
IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
has reverse-engineered a version of the Dragon, the Saeghe. They displayed it in 2002 at the Defendory exhibition
Defendory
Defendory is a bi-annual international trade show for the defence industry held in Greece. It is organised in the grounds of Athens’s Ellinikon International Airport, which became defunct following the construction of the New Athens International Airport in Spata.It was first staged in 1980 and the...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, when it was in mass production
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
. Hezbollah acquired Saeghes for anti-tank and anti-armor uses.
Known versions include Saeghe-1 and Saeghe-2.
Components
The launcher system of the Dragon consists of a smoothbore fiberglassFiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
tube, breech/gas generator, tracker, bipod, battery, sling, and forward and aft shock absorbers. In order to fire the weapon, non-integrated day or night sights must be attached. While the launcher itself is expendable, the sights can be removed and reused.
Users
: Acquired M47 Dragons captured from Iran.: Was replaced by SpikeSpike (missile)
Spike is a fourth generation man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile with tandem-charged HEAT warhead, developed and designed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and in service with a number of nations....
on August 2001.: Phased out of service, being replaced by Spike
Spike (missile)
Spike is a fourth generation man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile with tandem-charged HEAT warhead, developed and designed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and in service with a number of nations....
.: Replaced by FGM-148 Javelin
FGM-148 Javelin
The FGM-148 Javelin is a United States-made man-portable third generation anti-tank missile fielded to replace the Dragon antitank missile.-Overview:Javelin is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance...
.
See also
- FGM-148 JavelinFGM-148 JavelinThe FGM-148 Javelin is a United States-made man-portable third generation anti-tank missile fielded to replace the Dragon antitank missile.-Overview:Javelin is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance...
- BGM-71 TOWBGM-71 TOWThe BGM-71 TOW is an anti-tank missile. "BGM" is a weapon classification that stands for "Multiple Environment , Surface-Attack , Missile ". "TOW" is an acronym that stands for "Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire command data link, guided missile"...
- Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW)Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault WeaponThe Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon is a shoulder-launched rocket weapon, based on the Israeli B-300, with the primary function of being a portable assault weapon and a secondary anti-armor rocket launcher. It was introduced to the United States armed forces in 1984...
- SRAW
- ERYXERYXERYX is a short-range portable SACLOS-based wire-guided anti-tank missile produced by European company MBDA. It is used by several countries, including the Canadian Army, French, and Norwegian armies. The weapon can also be used against bunkers and pillboxes. It also has some capability in the...
- List of U.S. Army Rocket Launchers By Model Number