The
Malkara missile (from an
Aboriginal word for "
shield") was one of the earliest
anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). 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. It was intended to be light enough to deploy with
airborne forces, yet powerful enough to knock out any
tank then in service.
Development and operations
The concept of the Malkara was probably inspired by the WWII
German X-7 anti-tank missile. Design was principally undertaken at the Australian Government
Aeronautical Research Laboratory, and this phase was also one of the first examples of
computer simulation in engineering design. Development testing was carried out at
Woomera Prohibited Area, and approval testing at the tank training range at
Lulworth Cove,
Dorset. Although testing at Dorset apparently achieved an impressive 90% P<sub>kill</sub>, in service the missiles were not considered a great success, due to three principal failures:
- They were considered too heavy. As they were too heavy for manpacking, they could only be operated from their specialist vehicles, reducing flexibility; and
- Accuracy achieved in practice was poor. This may have been because the awkward control system required a lot of practice, and there was neither a simulation system nor sufficient missiles for practice firing. In their memoirs, some operators state that they only......
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