The Malkara (from an Aboriginal word for "shield") was one of the earliest guided anti-tank missiles (ATGMs). It was jointly developed by Australia and the United Kingdom between 1951 and 1954, and was in service from 1958 until gradually replaced by the Vickers Vigilant missile in the late 1960s. It was intended to be light enough to deploy with airborne forces, yet powerful enough to knock out any tank then in service. The basic form was later adapted for the short-range surface-to-air role as the Seacat and influenced the development of the Ikara.
Design was principally undertaken at the Australian Government Aeronautical Research Laboratory, and this phase was also one of the first examples of computer simulation in engineering design. Development testing was carried out at Woomera Prohibited Area, and approval testing at the tank training range at Lulworth Cove, Dorset. Although testing at Dorset apparently achieved an impressive 90% Pkill, in service the missiles were not considered a great success, due to three principal failures:
They were considered too heavy. As they were too heavy for manpacking, they could only be operated from their specialist vehicles, reducing flexibility; and
Accuracy achieved in practice was poor. This may have been because the awkward control system required a lot of practice. Malkara had a training simulator integrated with the launch interface equipment. In their memoirs, some operators state that they only fired one missile in their careers.
Finally, their speed was low, taking almost 30 seconds to reach maximum range.
However, lessons learned from the Malkara project led to improvements in later programs. In addition, the basic airframe and expertise were directly used in the development of the Ikaraanti-submarine missile and the Sea Cat naval surface-to-air missile.
Malkara was unusual among anti-tank missiles in that it had a High-explosive squash head (HESH), also known as High Explosive Plastic (HEP), warhead instead of the more usual shaped charge HEAT (High Explosive Anti Tank) warhead. The United Kingdom always showed interest for HESH, the main explosive-based anti-tank ammunition in British use including contemporary tanks like the Centurion. A 26/27 kg anti-tank warhead was well above the average, but Malkara had a calibre of 203 mm (8.0 in).
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War Machine encyclopedia, Aerospace Publishing Ltd., pag. 253 (in Italian version printed by De Agostini, 1984).
Rockets and Missiles - John W. R. Taylor - Hippo Books No 8 - Hamlyn, 1971 - ISBN0-600-37528-5
January 01, 1970
malkara, missile, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, malkara, missile, news, newspapers, books, scholar. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Malkara missile news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2009 Learn how and when to remove this message The Malkara from an Aboriginal word for shield was one of the earliest guided anti tank missiles ATGMs It was jointly developed by Australia and the United Kingdom between 1951 and 1954 and was in service from 1958 until gradually replaced by the Vickers Vigilant missile in the late 1960s It was intended to be light enough to deploy with airborne forces yet powerful enough to knock out any tank then in service The basic form was later adapted for the short range surface to air role as the Seacat and influenced the development of the Ikara MalkaraMalkara on display at the Tank Museum Bovington TypeAnti tank guided missilePlace of originAustralia United KingdomService historyIn service1958 to 1960sUsed byUnited KingdomProduction historyDesignerRoyal Aircraft Establishment Aeronautical Research LaboratoryDesigned1954ManufacturerGovernment Aircraft Factories Fairey Engineering LtdProduced1958 1964No built1 000VariantsnoneSpecificationsMass93 5 kg 206 lb Length1 9 m 6 ft 3 in Diameter203 mm 8 0 in Wingspan80 cm 2 ft 7 in Warhead26 kg 57 lb HESHDetonationmechanismimpactEnginesolid rocketOperationalrange4 000 metres 2 5 mi Guidancesystemwire guided line of sightSteeringsystemcontrol surfacesLaunchplatformVehicle Contents 1 Development and operations 2 Operators 3 Specifications 4 See also 5 References 6 SourcesDevelopment and operations editDesign was principally undertaken at the Australian Government Aeronautical Research Laboratory and this phase was also one of the first examples of computer simulation in engineering design Development testing was carried out at Woomera Prohibited Area and approval testing at the tank training range at Lulworth Cove Dorset Although testing at Dorset apparently achieved an impressive 90 Pkill in service the missiles were not considered a great success due to three principal failures They were considered too heavy As they were too heavy for manpacking they could only be operated from their specialist vehicles reducing flexibility and Accuracy achieved in practice was poor This may have been because the awkward control system required a lot of practice Malkara had a training simulator integrated with the launch interface equipment In their memoirs some operators state that they only fired one missile in their careers Finally their speed was low taking almost 30 seconds to reach maximum range nbsp Malkara equipped Humber Hornet vehicle However lessons learned from the Malkara project led to improvements in later programs In addition the basic airframe and expertise were directly used in the development of the Ikara anti submarine missile and the Sea Cat naval surface to air missile Malkara was unusual among anti tank missiles in that it had a High explosive squash head HESH also known as High Explosive Plastic HEP warhead instead of the more usual shaped charge HEAT High Explosive Anti Tank warhead The United Kingdom always showed interest for HESH the main explosive based anti tank ammunition in British use including contemporary tanks like the Centurion A 26 27 kg anti tank warhead was well above the average but Malkara had a calibre of 203 mm 8 0 in Operators edit nbsp United Kingdom British ArmySpecifications edit nbsp Length 1 9 m 6 2 ft Diameter 200 mm 7 9 in Wingspan 800 mm 2 6 ft Range 4 000 m 4 400 yd Propulsion Dual thrust solid rocket Speed 146 19 m s 327 mph low subsonic 28 sec to 4 km max range Overall weight 93 5 kg 206 lb Warhead 26 kg 57 lb HESH Guidance Wire guided MCLOS using a thumb joystick and visual observation of two flares on the wings Number built 1 000See also editHumber Hornet United Kingdom Australia Ruhrstahl X 4 Nazi Germany References editSources edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Malkara missiles War Machine encyclopedia Aerospace Publishing Ltd pag 253 in Italian version printed by De Agostini 1984 Rockets and Missiles John W R Taylor Hippo Books No 8 Hamlyn 1971 ISBN 0 600 37528 5 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Malkara missile amp oldid 1221202281, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
