M-47
Dragon
Unofficial
names/slang: n/a
Function:
Anti-armor weapon system
Date
deployed: unavailable
Contractor:
McDonnell Douglas Aerospace and Missile Systems and
Raytheon
Unit cost:
$13,000 (standard), $51,000 (w/ night tracker
system)
Length
(Launcher): 45.4"
Length
(Missile): 33.3"
Wingspan:
unavailable
Diameter:
unavailable
Speed:
unavailable
Weight at
launch: 33.9 lbs (standard), 48.7 lbs (w/ night
tracker system)
Guidance:
Visual or thermal (night)
Range:
approx. 3280 ft. (1000m)
Engine:
Solid fuel
rocket
Warhead:
25.29 lb HEAT (High Explosive Anti Tank) |
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Mission:
Primary: To engage and destroy armor and light
armored vehicles. Secondary: defeat hard targets
such as bunkers and field fortifications.
Features: The warhead power of Dragon
makes it possible for a single Marine or soldier to
defeat armored vehicles, fortified bunkers, concrete
gun emplacements, or other hard targets. The
launcher consists of a smoothbore fiberglass tube,
breech/gas generator, tracker and support, bipod,
battery, sling, and forward and aft shock absorbers.
Non-integral day and night sights are required to
utilize the Dragon. The complete system consists of
the launcher, the tracker and the missile, which is
installed in the launcher during final assembly and
received by the military in a ready to fire
condition. The launch tube serves as the storage and
carrying case for the missile. The night tracker
operates in the thermal energy range.
Background: The first-generation
Dragon, a 1000-meter system requiring 11.2 seconds
flight-to-target time, was developed for the US Army
and fielded in 1970. A product improvement program
(PIP) was initiated by the Marine Corps in 1985 and
managed by NSWC Dahlgren. The PIP, designated Dragon
II, was designed to increase warhead penetration
effectiveness by 85%. The Dragon II missile is
actually a retrofit of warheads to the first
generation missiles already in the Marine Corps
inventory.
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