FGM-77 Dragon

Country of origin : USA
Introduced into the armament of the : 1975
Weight : 14.57 kg with a daily sight, 21.29 kg with night sight
Length : 1,154 mm
Diameter : 292 mm (meant in the widest point)
Caliber : 127 mm
The minimum length of firing : 65 m
The maximum length of firing : 1,000 m flight time 11.2 s (the average speed of 90m/s)
The daily sight of the SU-36/P
Weight : 3.10 kg
Length : 196 mm
Field of view : 6°
Magnification : 6x
Night sight AN/TAS-5
Weight : at 9.82 kg
Length : 368 mm
Field of view : 3.4° - 6.8°
Magnification : 4 x
Lafeta M175
Weight : 37.6 kg.
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Description
This is an armoured rifle designed to fight resistant targets such as armoured vehicles, concrete bunkers or hardened wood shelters. It is a one-man carried weapon, with the ability to be shoulder fired or fired from a launcher (either standing on the ground or mounted on a vehicle). In the case of firing from a baton, it is carried by a second member of the team. The armoured rifle is supplied with day and night sights and includes a loaded round. The day sight is used when visibility is good, and the night sight is used in case of fog, smoke or otherwise reduced visibility.
The weapon replaced the Javelin anti-tank missile.
The weapon is loaded and secured at the factory, the launch tube also serves as a storage and transport case. The launcher is made of fiberglass with a smooth "bore", it includes, in addition to the missile, a battery for the sight and the wire that controls the missile. It also includes a recoil damper (divided into front and rear).


Ammunition :
M222 HEAT MK 1, MOD 0 HEAT M223 training
Length 744 mm 846 mm 846 mm
weight 11.47 kg 12.34 kg 4.70 kg
minimum firing range 65 m not (missile does not arm)
effective fire rate
fixed target 1,000 m
moving target 100 m


Obstacle penetration :
Stuffy dirt : 2.4 m
Reinforced concrete : 1.2 m
Steel armour : 330 mm
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In 1974, Mc Douglas began production of a lightweight FGM system, the 77A DRAGON, which, unlike the PTRK TOW, could be operated and carried by only one soldier. The missile is guided to the target using the principle of semi-automatic pointing on purpose (PNPZ). It belongs to the "second generation" of PTRS.
The soldier launches it from the shoulder after the shot disconnects the small block with the control unit for further use and the empty, launching launcher (container) is discarded.
Unusual is the propulsion and control of the missile. Sixty small rocket motors are located around the perimeter of the central fuselage, which are sequentially ignited, creating both the thrust needed for flight and the moment of force to change the flight path.
As the development progressed, the penetration of the cumulative charge was improved, and an infrared sight was introduced for firing at night. Production of the PTRK DRAGON was discontinued. The previous missile, designated FGM - 77B DRAGON 2, was still upgraded.
For export, CMS, which purchased the production rights from Mc Douglas, offers the latest version of the FGM - 77C DRAGON 3. This version has the range extended from 1000 to 1500 m and the missile is equipped with a telescopic retractable mandrel at the front of the warhead with a small imaginary charge, for initiating dynamic armour protection. Outside the US, this PTRK is also in the armaments of Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Also with this set it is possible to conduct fire from buildings whose ceiling is 2 m high, the smallest dimensions of the room are 4.5 by 3.6 m and the smallest distance of the muzzle from the opening for conducting fire is 16 cm.
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M-47 Dragon /FGM - 77/

In 1964 he was the Mc Donel Douglas Astronautic company specified the development of anti-tank weapons, medium range ( MAW ), in order to replace in this task used 90mm bezzákluzový cannon M67. The development of weapons was terminated after 8 years - in 1972.

Addressing the role of the actual time, as well as the MILAN, TOW and Bassoon was used a laminate rocket pods/container with the rak engine, semi-automatic guidance (SACLOS), which saw a deviation of tracers from the axis and were passed on to management after the cable odvíjeném from the coil in the rocket rotating around the longitudinal axis 5 rev/s. Groundbreaking was the use of 60 pcs impulse of rocket motors with a thrust of 1200 N for a period of 18 ms používajícich a two-component TPH Nc/Ng HEN-12 in the form of 1 mm nascent tape. It is interesting that this solved the impulse of the RM on the TPH with success used in dozens of applications the teacher "missile department" VAAZ in Brno. Rocket bikes have been fired in opposite pairs, each two turns - after approximately 400 ms, the required thrust vector is docilovalo precise timing of firing events depending on the deviation of the rocket, data about the angular position of the gyroscope and the position of the rocket motors, which are in line for use. The bikes are inclined in the backward direction, in result the rocket gradually accelerating from 80 m/s at výmetu of the rocket pods on the end of about 110 m/s.
Due to the used concept, it was possible to carry out modification and changes in each other výrobná series of missiles, so the data of different series differs and the length of the rocket and its mass are increasing.

Tech data - prototype and the first series
The length of the rocket pods - 1154mm,
The total weight of the ensemble - 14,6 kg
Rocket - the length of 744mm,
- diameter of 127 mm,
- weight 6,13 kg
Warhead - Cumulative M222 HEAT M223 Inert (training)
Starting speed 80 m/s, the final up to 110 m/s

Electro-optical homing device Kollsman SU-36/P /"tracker"/ excel the simplicity and compact construction. In the aluminum shell zastříklé to the polyurethane foam located optical sight, an infrared tracker tracers the rockets and the electronics board. Sight 6x50 with the Abbot prism has a magnification of 6x and the field of view of 6°. The design of the infrared goniometer "tracker" is as a model of simplicity and wit presented in many textbooks of infrared techniques, make do with a single concave mirror claimed in nutačního movement elektromotorkem and čtyřkvadrantovou photodiode through which the image of the tracers orbits.
The homing device has a weight of 3.1 kg and is battery-powered rocket pods or trainer.

Night sight Phillips AN/TAS-5 with cooled imaging (field of view of 3.4 x 6.8°) is an additional device to the SU-36/P, but its equivalent, must therefore contain the same tracker, for the operation needs its own battery and pressure bottle. The weight of the device is 9.8 kg, with one battery and pressure. bottles.

With advancing motorization units of the army resigned on the weight of the ensemble of 14.6 kg and the portability of one soldier, the new rockets have lifted the weight about 2 kg, night scope for the next 10 kg, therefore, was introduced by the installation of the RPM M113 or lafetu M3 machine gun .50 BMG M2 with the name of M 175 Mounting Assembly ( weight of 37.6 kg ! ). With its use to facilitate and guidance of an ensemble on target, and his operation grew closer with ensembles TOW and others.

Sources :
National Defense, 1-2/ 1974, pp.. 348 - 351
FM 23-24, DRAGON MEDIUM ANTI/ASSAULT WEAPON SYSTEM M47
TM 9-1425-484-10 Operator with manual for Dragon ...the M47, 1979
photo - private archives.
FGM-77 Dragon - Kompozice rakety.

Kompozice rakety.
FGM-77 Dragon - Detai konstrukce IRM.

Detai konstrukce IRM.
FGM-77 Dragon - Realita

Realita
FGM-77 Dragon - Raketa obsahuje 30 párů proti sobě umístněných RM rozmístněných po plášti ve 12 řadách po 5. ... Motorová sekce sestává ze tří segmentů po 20 motorech. Teď už je manuál úplně jasný.

Raketa obsahuje 30 párů proti sobě umístněných RM rozmístněných po plášti ve 12 řadách po 5. ... Motorová sekce sestává ze tří segmentů po 20 motorech. Teď už je manuál úplně jasný.
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Pictures of additional components of the system.

Night sight AN/TAS-5
To the front is a removable battery, in the middle of the bottle with the gas for cooling the sensors, both for 2 hours running. On the right side in line with the daily sight is the same infrared goniometer, which is activated only during launch and powered from the pyrotechnicky activated battery on raketnici.

Mounting set M175
substantially simplified guide spotters against the original state, when the shooter making the gun moves to the shoulder, and has only a telescopic dvounožkou.

Sources :
FM 23-24, DRAGON MEDIUM ANTI/ASSAULT WEAPON SYSTEM M47
TM 9-1425-484-10 Operator with manual for Dragon ...the M47, 1979.
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M-47 Dragon /FGM - 77/ part 2 / 2

Training and control equipment.

The efficiency of the Dragon system is dependent on the level of training of the shooters, because part of the system was well thought-out set of training aids, /Fig. DragTr / which consisted of :

- M57 Field Handling Trainer - teaching model for practicing marching, getting on the vehicles and other "kvérgrify"

- M54 - Launch Efect Trainer (YEARS ago), a mock-up container of the rocket, to which was attached the actual guidance elektroptické device SU-36/P or night, AN/TAS-5. In the YEARS were the circuits simulating the delay in the start of the batteries and the gyro rockets and using blind bullets M64 /for rifle grenade/ was imitated the noise and move the fuel in a rocket launch

- AN-TSQ-1 Monitoring set, suitcase with electronic and display elements, which connect on the day or night tracker, feed him out of your battery. The instructor was showing with the error is the scorer of the observed IR transmitter M89 and whether he hit the target on the specified dimensions.

- M89 IR Transmitter, the transmitter infračerverveného radiation corresponding to the stopovce missiles on the target, including upevńovacího the frame and battery, it can be mounted on any vehicle or other object.

So it was possible to relatively cheaply, in the real terrain and in actual climatic conditions tréhovat launch and guide missiles to the target. The system was criticised, that the FLIGHT does not generate a sufficiently realistic conditions - swing of the rocket pods and the dust formation during the shot, because it was designed LES Launch Environment Simulator. Into the FOREST into the bath was a mixture of gases MAPP/ oxygen, which after firing clean two plastic caps (of course, biodegradable), burned mixture in addition to the noise conducted and the required dust formation and oblique attachment at the end of the rocket pods and jerk downward. / Fig. DragLES /


With the introduction of the assembly kit M175 and the advent of personnel computers originated trainer DGT - Dragon Gunnery Trainer designed exclusively for the classroom. The model proposed is placed a projector driven by a PC, whose image follows the shooter in the mirror, the instructor has a monitor on which he sees the success of the guide, choose a variety of computer-generated terrains, the numbers of targets and the like. On floppy disks, was shipped 30 "standard situations", videos and the like. When training is not opotřebováván the actual sight as in the original training set.


Elements developed by DFTT (Dragon Field Tactical Trainer ) currently used in the laser system of MILES, which allows the confrontation with the other stations (soldiers, weapons systems) and signal their elimination or, on the contrary, that the Dragon system was eliminated earlier than fulfilled his task.


Control equipment.

In the picture /DragK1/ is field control station AN/TSM-114 with IR collimator, which appeared already with the prototype in 1972.
From the year 1977 comes and Dragon Maitenance Set AN/TSM-128, which consists of parts of the DMS-D DMS-G. That the control equipment operates an incomplete impression will not be a coincidence - the control equipment is located in one of the air-conditioned pikapu with a control device for the TOW, and it can be assumed that part of the equipment such as oscilloscopes, bottles with nitrogen, and the like are common. Whereas, in 1977 there was a merger of design agencies for projects of TOW and Dragon at fy. Raytheon, it would be advantageous for the manufacturer and the army.



Sources :
National Defense, 1-2/ 1974, pp.. 348 - 351
FM 3-23.24, DRAGON MEDIUM ANTI/ASSAULT WEAPON SYSTEM M47, 2001
TM 9-4935-481-14-1, ... Dragon Maitenance Set manual, 1977
TM 9-1265-368-10-1 Op.manual .... for MILES, 62F,
TM 9 - 1425-484-24, Organizational DS and GS support ... ,1984

..
FGM-77 Dragon - Soubor výcvikových prostředků

Soubor výcvikových prostředků
FGM-77 Dragon - Trenažer LES

Trenažer LES
FGM-77 Dragon - Počítačový trenažer DGT

Počítačový trenažer DGT
FGM-77 Dragon - OQ-28/TSM-114  ?

OQ-28/TSM-114 ?
FGM-77 Dragon - DMS-D, příslušenství ma pravé straně je uloženo ve víku krabice.

DMS-D, příslušenství ma pravé straně je uloženo ve víku krabice.
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