Humber Hornet
Encyclopedia
The FV1620 Humber Hornet (FV1620, Truck 1 ton, air portable, launcher, Hornet) 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
.
one-tonne (0.98 tons) 4X4 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 parachute
s.
With a 27kg 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
.
Comparable 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....
designed to carry the Malkara
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...
, an anti-tank guided missile
Anti-tank guided missile
An anti-tank missile , anti-tank guided missile , anti-tank guided weapon or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily-armored military vehicles....
developed by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
The Hornet was developed in the 1950s to provide British and Australian airborne units with an air-dropped long-range anti-tank capability. Based on the British Army's FV1611 Humber PigHumber Pig
The Humber Pig was a lightly-armoured truck used by the British Army from the 1950s until the 1990s. The Pig was also used by the Royal Ulster Constabulary for a short period during the late 1960s and early 1970s, who painted their Pigs in Admiralty Grey, rather than the standard Army Deep Bronze...
one-tonne (0.98 tons) 4X4 armoured truck, it carried two Malkara
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...
, missiles on a retractable boom at the rear, as well as two reloads. It could be transported by air in a Blackburn Beverley
Blackburn Beverley
The Blackburn B-101 Beverley was a 1950s British heavy transport aircraft built by Blackburn and General Aircraft and flown by squadrons of Royal Air Force Transport Command from 1957 until 1967.-Design and development:...
and air-dropped on a cluster of 6 special parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
s.
Operation
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 missile sights. Electronic signals controlling the missile's flight were transmitted through the wire.With a 27kg warhead, the Malkara
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...
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
Ferret armoured car
The Ferret armoured car, also commonly called the Ferret Scout car, is a British armoured fighting vehicle designed and built for reconnaissance purposes. The Ferret was produced between 1952 and 1971 by the UK company, Daimler...
Mk 5 equipped with Swingfire
Swingfire
Swingfire was a British wire-guided anti-tank missile developed in the 1960s and produced from 1966 until 1993.-Development:Swingfire was developed by Fairey Engineering Ltd and the British Aircraft Corporation. It replaced the Vickers Vigilant missile in British service...
missiles. It was also operated by a squadron of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
2nd Royal Tank Regiment
The 2nd Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
.
See also
- List of armoured fighting vehicles
- Malkara anti-tank missileMalkara missileThe 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...
Comparable vehicles
- M551 SheridanM551 SheridanThe M551 Sheridan was a light tank developed by the United States and named after Civil War General Philip Sheridan. It was designed to be landed by parachute and to swim across rivers. It was armed with the technically advanced but troublesome M81/M81E1 152mm gun/launcher which fired conventional...