×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Infantry Arms Warships & Submarines Military Pay Chart (2023) Military Ranks
Advertisements
HOME
INFANTRY
MODERN ARMIES
SPECIAL FORCES
COUNTRIES
MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE
BY CONFLICT
BY TYPE
BY DECADE
COLD WAR
FALKLANDS WAR
Infantry Small Arms / The Warfighter

Thales Blowpipe


Man-Portable Surface-to-Air Missile System [ 1975 ]



Over its service life, the Thales Blowpipe showcased a rather underwhelming combat record.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/03/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Advertisements
Advances in aircraft prompted the machine gun to be pressed into action as an anti-aircraft measure followed by automatic cannons of various calibers. Once jet power allowed for aerial systems to fly higher and faster, the missile as an air defense weapon largely overtook previous types - rising in popularity throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Thales Air Defence Limited ultimately delivered their "Blowpipe" in 1975 to the British military and this weapon saw service into 1985 with production reaching 34,382 units. The line was offered to export customers and saw broader use globally which allowed it to be featured in several notable conflicts. Indeed, both belligerents of the Falklands War - Argentina and the United Kingdom - utilized the type though the weapon had an overall poor showing in the war.

Externally, the Blowpipe held a unique design shape when compared to contemporaries, primarily due to its oversized frontal section which also mounted the integral optics system at its rear. Emanating from the rear of this frontal section was the thinner, more manageable, rear tube section which made up the rest of the launch system. The completed system, with missile in place, weighed 22 kilograms and measured a length of 4.4 feet while the weapon's caliber was listed as 76mm. All told, the weapon could be transported and operated by a single person (launched from the right shoulder) to which the categorization of MANPADS ("MAN-Portable, Air Defense System") was assigned to such systems.

The Blowpipe missile operated with a shaped charge warhead of 2.2 kilogram weight and was propelled by a solid-fuel rocket motor to speeds of Mach 1.5 with an effective range out to 3.5 kilometers. Guidance was through a semi-automatic action while the missile cleared the launcher to which then an MCLOS ("Manual Command Line-Of-Sight") guidance system was activated. MCLOS allowed the operator to track the missile to the target via a small controller on the launch unit while utilizing the included optics for aiming/tracking. Detonation of the missile could be through either a contact fuse or proximity fuse method with the intent to cause enough damage to a speeding aircraft so as to bring it down.

In practice, the Blowpipe design did not fare well as showcased during the Falklands War of 1982. The Argentines procured a stock of Blowpipes prior to the war while the weapon was already in issue to British forces. Official results revealed a weapon that managed a low kill rate and one whose missile could be outrun by faster aircraft and had trouble engaging an air target passing "across" the missile's firing cone. Based on sources, it appears that only two aircraft were credited to Blowpipe launches during the war - a war that ultimately ended with a British victory. Aged stocks of the weapon were secretly sent by the British government to Afghanistan where they were used by Mujahedeen guerillas against Soviet occupiers and the Afghan national army. Again, these weapons proved poor air defense systems though any weapon was better than none for the guerillas and Blowpipes were continually used when available until American "Stingers" arrived in useful numbers.

Some of the last notable combat actions involving Blowpipes occurred during the 1991 Gulf War by Canadian forces and by Ecuador during the 1995 Cenepa War with Peru.

The Blowpipe was eventually succeeded by the Javelin which appeared in the mid-1980s. The Javelin was an improvement over the Blowpipe in that it brought about use of SACLOS ("Semi-Automatic Command Line-Of-Sight") which improved accuracy. This method allowed the operator to direct the weapon to the target "semi-automatically" by keeping the target within the crosshairs of his optics device. The Javelin was then, itself, replaced by the more advanced Starburst of 1989 and this succeeded by the Starstreak of 1997.

Despite their age and battlefield showing, the Blowpipe still appears on the battlefields of today from time to time - though no longer in service with any of the leading military powers of the world.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
Advertisements

Specifications



Service Year
1975

Origin
United Kingdom national flag graphic
United Kingdom

Classification


Man-Portable Surface-to-Air Missile System


Thales Air Defence Ltd - UK
(View other Arms-Related Manufacturers)
National flag of Afghanistan National flag of Argentina National flag of Canada National flag of Chile National flag of Ecuador National flag of Israel National flag of Malaysia National flag of Nigeria National flag of Oman National flag of Portugal National flag of Qatar National flag of Thailand National flag of the United Arab Emirates National flag of the United Kingdom Afghanistan; Argentina; Canada; Chile; Ecuador; Guatemala; Israel; Malawi; Malaysia; Nigeria; Oman; Portugal; Qatar; Thailand; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Anti-Aircraft
Ability to engage low-flying aerial threats.


Overall Length
1,350 mm
53.15 in
Barrel Length
1,350 mm
53.15 in
Empty Wgt
48.50 lb
22.00 kg
Sights


Integrated Optics.


Action


MCLOS; Reusable Launcher

(Material presented above is for historical and entertainment value and should not be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation - always consult official manufacturer sources for such information)


Caliber(s)*


76mm

Rounds / Feed


Single-Shot, Reusable Launcher
Cartridge relative size chart
*May not represent an exhuastive list; calibers are model-specific dependent, always consult official manufacturer sources.
**Graphics not to actual size; not all cartridges may be represented visually; graphics intended for general reference only.
Max Eff.Range
11,500 ft
(3,505 m | 3,833 yd)
Muzzle Velocity
1,674 ft/sec
(510 m/sec)


Blowpipe - Base Series Designation


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.

Images Gallery



1 / 2
Image of the Thales Blowpipe
Image courtesy of the US Department of Defense.
2 / 2
Image of the Thales Blowpipe
Image courtesy of the US Department of Defense.


Advertisements




Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies


2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons.

View day-by-day actions of the American Civil War with CivilWarTimeline.net. View day-by-day actions of World War II with SecondWorldWarHistory.com.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)