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A wire-guided missile is a missile
Missile

A guided missile is a self-propelled projectile used as a weapon. Missiles are typically propelled by rockets or jet engines. Missiles generally have one or more explosive warheads, although other weapon types may also be used....
 that is guided by signals sent to it via thin wires connected to both 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. This guidance system is most commonly used in anti-tank missiles, where its ability to be used in areas of limited line-of-sight make it useful, while the range limit imposed by the length of the wire is not a serious concern.

The longest range wire-guided missiles in current use are limited to about 2.5 miles.






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Encyclopedia


A wire-guided missile is a missile
Missile

A guided missile is a self-propelled projectile used as a weapon. Missiles are typically propelled by rockets or jet engines. Missiles generally have one or more explosive warheads, although other weapon types may also be used....
 that is guided by signals sent to it via thin wires connected to both 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. This guidance system is most commonly used in anti-tank missiles, where its ability to be used in areas of limited line-of-sight make it useful, while the range limit imposed by the length of the wire is not a serious concern.

The longest range wire-guided missiles in current use are limited to about 2.5 miles. The Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided Missile System (TOW), with a range of 3750 m and the British Swingfire
Swingfire

Swingfire is a United Kingdom wire-guided missile anti-tank guided missile....
 missile, when vehicle launched, with a range of 4000 meters but it would be unlikely to be used at extreme range.

History


Initial concepts of guided projectiles were used by the soldiers of The Ming Emperor Xuande (1425–1435). These were more akin to rope controlled fireworks, but they were used to devastating effect against the low technology weapons of the opposing forces at the time.

Electrical Wire guidance was first employed by the Germans
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. Most German guided missile projects used radio control
Radio control

Radio control is the use of radio signals to remote control a device. The term is used frequently to refer to the control of Radio-controlled model from a hand-held radio transmitter....
, but as the British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 proved to be able to jam anything they used, rushed projects were started in 1944 in order to develop alternatives. The first system to be modified in this fashion was the Henschel
Henschel & Son

Henschel & Son is a Germany company, situated in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons....
 Hs 293B
Henschel Hs 293

The Henschel Hs 293 was a World War II Nazi Germany anti-shipping guided missile: a radio-controlled glide bomb with a rocket engine slung underneath it....
 anti-shipping missile. Other examples included the X-4 anti-aircraft missile, and the X-7 anti-tank version of the X-4.

In the post-war era it was the X-7 that had the most effect on other military thinkers. By the early 1950s a number of experimental systems had been developed (see, e.g. Malkara missile
Malkara missile

The Malkara missile was one of the earliest anti-tank guided missiles . 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 Swingfire missile in the late 1960s....
), leading to their widespread deployment in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Large numbers of Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
i tanks were destroyed using wire guided AT-3 Sagger
AT-3 Sagger

The 9K11 Malyutka is the is an MCLOS Wire-guided missile anti-tank guided missile developed in the Soviet Union. It was the first man-portable anti-tank guided missile of the Soviet Union and is probably the most widely produced ATGM of all time—with Soviet production peaking at 25,000 missiles a year during the 1960s and 1970s....
 missiles during the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War

The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to October 26, 1973 by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel....
 of 1973. Wire guidance has remained the main system for most smaller weapons, although newer systems such as laser
Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process called stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation....
 beam riding
Beam riding

Beam-riding, also known as beam guidance, is a technique of directing a missile to its target by means of radar or a laser beam. It is one of the simplest forms of guidance using radar or lasers....
 have come into use in anti-aircraft and some anti-tank use roles (e.g. the US
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 Hellfire missile and the Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
n AT-14 Kornet).

Some torpedoes can also be wire guided, such as U.S. Mk 48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP)
Mark 48 torpedo

The Mark 48 and its improved ADCAP variant are heavyweight submarine-launched torpedoes. They were designed to sink fast, deep-diving nuclear propulsion submarines and high-performance surface ships....
 torpedo, or the Swedish Torpedo MK2000, which is guided by a thin copper wire encased in a high-resistance plastic polymer.

Timeline


This is a timeline of notable early wire-guided missiles.

  • 1945 X-4 missile in production in Germany.
  • 1955 SS.10
    SS.10

    SS.10 is the designation of the Nord Aviation MCLOS Wire-guided missile Anti-tank missile. In United States service the missile was called the MGM-21A....
     enters service with the French army.
  • 1956 Vickers Vigilant
    Vickers Vigilant

    The Vickers Vigilant was a British MCLOS wire guided anti-tank missile used by the British Army. It was licence-built for the US Marine Corps as Clevite in the USA....
  • 1957 ENTAC
    ENTAC

    Entac or MGM-32A was a France MCLOS Wire-guided missile Anti-tank missile. Developed in the early 1950s, the missile entered service with the French army in 1957....
     enters service with the French army.
  • 1958 Malkara missile
    Malkara missile

    The Malkara missile was one of the earliest anti-tank guided missiles . 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 Swingfire missile in the late 1960s....
     enters service with the British and Australian armies.
  • 1960 AT-1 Snapper / 3M6 Shmel
    AT-1 Snapper

    The 3M6 Shmel is the MCLOS Wire-guided missile Anti-tank missile of the Soviet Union. "3M6" is its GRAU designation. Its NATO reporting name is AT-1 Snapper....
     enters service in the Soviet Union.
  • 1960 Swingfire
    Swingfire

    Swingfire is a United Kingdom wire-guided missile anti-tank guided missile....
  • 1963 AT-3 Sagger / 9M14 Malyutka
    AT-3 Sagger

    The 9K11 Malyutka is the is an MCLOS Wire-guided missile anti-tank guided missile developed in the Soviet Union. It was the first man-portable anti-tank guided missile of the Soviet Union and is probably the most widely produced ATGM of all time—with Soviet production peaking at 25,000 missiles a year during the 1960s and 1970s....
     enters service in the Soviet Union.
  • 1968 Blowpipe surface to air missile
    Blowpipe missile

    The Short Brothers Blowpipe is a man-portable surface-to-air missile which was in use with the British Army and Royal Marines from 1975. It was superseded by an interim design, Javelin surface-to-air missile, and later the greatly improved Starstreak missile....
     enters service.
  • 1970 BGM-71 TOW
    BGM-71 TOW

    The BGM-71 TOW is an anti-tank guided missile. "TOW" stands for "Tube-launched Optically-tracked Wire-to-command-Link" guided Missile Set. The TOW was first produced in 1970 and is the most widely used anti-tank guided missile in the world....
     enters service with the US Army.
  • 1972 MILAN
    Milan

    Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy....
     is accepted for service with the French Army.
  • 1976 AT-6 Spiral / 9K113 Shturm is accepted for service in the Soviet Union.


See also


  • Guided missile
    Guided Missile

    Guided Missile is a London based independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994 in music.Guided Missile has always focused on 'the underground', preferring to put out a steady flow of considered and quality releases and developing the numerous and now essential GM...
  • Missile guidance
    Missile guidance

    Missile guidance refers to a variety of methods of guiding a missile or a guided bomb to its intended target. The missile's target accuracy is a critical factor for its effectiveness....
  • Semi automatic command line of sight
    SACLOS

    SACLOS is 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....
  • Manual command line of sight
    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....