Humber Hornet
Humber Hornet at Bovington Tank Museum
TypeAnti-tank missile carrier
Place of originAustralia / United Kingdom
Service history
Used byAustralia, United Kingdom
WarsCold War
Production history
ManufacturerHumber (Rootes Limited)/Wharton Engineering
Produced1958-1961
Specifications
Mass5.70 tonnes
Length5.05 m (16 ft 7 in)
Width2.22 m (7 ft 3 in)
Height2.43 m (8 ft 0 in)
Crew3; commander, driver, gunner
Armor8–16 mm (0.31–0.63 in)
Main
armament
2x Malkara anti-tank missile
EngineRolls-Royce B60 Mk 5A six cylinder petrol engine.
120 hp (89 kW)
SuspensionWheels 4x4
Operational
range
402 km (250 mi)
Maximum speed 64 km/h (40 mph) on-road.

The FV1620 Humber Hornet (FV1620, truck 1-ton, air portable, armoured launcher, Hornet launcher) was a specialised air-deployable armoured fighting vehicle designed to carry the Malkara, an anti-tank guided missile developed by Australia and the United Kingdom.

History

The Hornet was developed in the 1950s to provide British and Australian airborne units with an air-dropped long-range anti-tank capability.[1] Based on the British Army's FV1611 Humber "Pig" one-ton four-wheel drive armoured truck, it carried two Malkara, missiles on a retractable boom at the rear, as well as two reloads. It could be transported by air in a Blackburn Beverley and air-dropped on a cluster of 6 special parachutes.

Operation

Hornet with the boom lowered

The gunner fired the missiles from inside the cab and controlled them by means of a joystick attached to a wire which unreeled from the rear of the missile and connected to the sights.[1] Electronic signals controlling the missile's flight were transmitted through the wire.

With a 27 kg warhead, the Malkara missiles carried the largest warhead ever fitted to an anti-tank weapon and could destroy any tank in service at the time.

The vehicle remained in service with British units until being replaced in the 1970s by the Ferret armoured car Mk 5 equipped with Swingfire missiles. It was also operated by a squadron of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.

See also

Comparable vehicles

References

  1. 1 2 Jackson, Robert (2012). Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles : Visual Encyclopedia. New York, N.Y.: Chartwell Books. p. 286. ISBN 9780785829263. OCLC 785874088.

Bibliography

  • Trewhitt, Philip (1999). Armored Fighting Vehicles. New York, NY: Amber Books. p. 147. ISBN 0-7607-1260-3.
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