Orange William
1954 British anti-tank missile project / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Orange William was a British project to develop a long-range anti-tank missile as a possible alternative to the Malkara being developed in Australia. The project was drawn up in 1954 and the resulting contract won by Fairey Engineering in 1956. It was very similar to Malkara in form and layout, including the Malkara's distinctive square fuselage.[citation needed] It differed primarily in its guidance system (semi-automatic command to line of sight) and the use of an infrared command link replacing the Malkara's manual wire guidance. The name is a randomly selected "rainbow code".
Orange William | |
---|---|
Type | Anti-tank guided missile |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | did not enter service |
Production history | |
Designed | 1956–1960 |
Manufacturer | Fairey Engineering |
Specifications | |
Mass | 223 lb (101 kg)[1] |
Length | 86.5 in (2.2 m)[1] |
Wingspan | 34 in (0.86 m)[1] |
Warhead | HESH |
Warhead weight | 37 lb (17 kg) plastic explosive |
Detonation mechanism | impact |
Propellant | 2-stage solid fuel rocket |
Operational range | up to 6,000 m (20,000 ft) |
Guidance system | SACLOS |
Steering system | control surfaces |
Launch platform | vehicle |
The initial contract called for testing in 1960 with a 1962 in-service date[citation needed]. Problems with the command link proved difficult to solve and later appeared to require outright replacement. The project was cancelled in September 1959 as it would not enter service before the Chieftain tank which was considered able to deal with any Soviet tank available. Malkara was purchased for its original intended use to give airborne infantry forces the ability to deal with heavy tanks.
As a new heavy anti-tank missile was still desirable, new projects started as the Quickfire and Swingfire weapons. The latter would go on to be the British Army's primary heavy anti-tank weapon into the 1990s.