Infantry weapons / Anti-tank missiles / Dragon

Dragon

General Facts

  • TYPE
    Anti-tank guided weapon

  • ORIGIN
    United States

  • NICKNAMES
    M47 (US military designation)
    FGM-77 (development designation)
    Saeghe (Iranian production)

  • DESIGNED
    Late 1960's

  • DESIGNER
    McDonnell Douglas

  • PRODUCTION
    1973 - 1981 (McDonnell Douglas)

  • PRODUCERS
    Iran - DIO
    United States - General Dynamics
    United States - McDonnell Douglas

  • QUANTITY
    Unknown

  • UNIT COST
    Unknown

  • CHARACTERISTICS
    Limited size and weight
    Reusable sight unit
    Limited range
    Loud firing signature

Introduction

The Dragon is an anti-tank missile of US origin. It was developed by McDonnell Douglas in the late 1960's as a man portable short range guided anti-tank weapon. The Dragon remains in production, even though it is considered obsolete by todays standards.

Design

The Dragon is a man portable, wire guided anti-tank missile. The Dragon missile is fin stabilized and encased in a fiberglass tube that doubles as launch tube. A large styrofoam cover at each end protects the launch tube and missile. A simple bipod is attached to the launch tube or an adaptor for a tripod can be used. An optical day or night sight is used that doubles as a command unit for the SACLOS guidance. The sight unit is removed for future use when the missile is fired. The launch tube is discarded.

Firepower

All versions of the Dragon feature a HEAT warhead. The early version only penetrated 330mm RHA. The improved models will penetrate over 600mm RHA. The Dragon has a maximum range of 1 km and an effective range against moving vehicles of 100 m. The Superdragon has a maximum range of 2 km and much higher velocity.

Users

The first and main user of the Dragon has been us the US army and marine corps. Additionally it was exported to various nations, mostly in Europe. Several nations replaced the Dragon by newer designs such as Spike and Javelin. Unlicenced copies are produced in Iran.

Variants

Dragon launcher

The Dragon is a short range wire guided anti-tank weapon. The improved Dragon II is fitted with a much improved warhead. The latest model is the Superdragon, which was known as the Dragon II+ at first. The Superdragon has twice the range as the earlier versions and features a standoff probe with small charge to defeat ERA. In Iran a reverse engineered Dragon is produced under the names Saeghe 1 and 2. The Saeghe 1 looks similar to the Dragon and Saeghe 2 like the Superdragon.

TypeAnti-tank missile
Crew?
Caliber140 mm
Length1.154 mm tube
Width292 mm
Height?
Weight14 kg with day sight, 20.7 kg with night sight
SightsOptical, 6x scope
AmmunitionDragon missile with HEAT warhead
GuidanceSACLOS, wire guided
Velocity?
Range
Penetration330 mm RHA, 1.2 m concrete, 2.4 m earth
Remarks-
TypeAnti-tank missile
Crew?
Caliber140 mm
Length1.154 mm tube
Width292 mm
Height?
Weight15.4 kg with day sight, 22.1 kg with night sight
SightsOptical, 6x scope
AmmunitionDragon II missile with HEAT warhead
GuidanceSACLOS, wire guided
Velocity?
Range
Penetration610 mm RHA
Remarks-
TypeAnti-tank missile
Crew?
Caliber140 mm
Length1.154 mm tube
Width292 mm
Height?
Weight17.9 kg with day sight, 24.6 kg with night sight
SightsOptical, 6x scope
AmmunitionSuperdragon missile with HEAT warhead
GuidanceSACLOS, wire guided
Velocity?
Range
Penetration650 mm RHA behind ERA
Remarks-

Dragon missile

The Dragon launch canisters are loaded with a missile with the same name. The Dragon is also known as the M222 with the US Army and the Mk 1 MOD 0 with the US marine corps. The M223 is the inert training round. The Dragon II warhead has been refitted to USMC Dragons. The Superdragon was never adopted by the US military and therefore has no US military designation.

TypeAnti-tank missile
Diameter127 mm body
Length744 mm
Weight11.47 kg
GuidanceSACLOS, wire guided
WarheadHEAT, penetration 330 mm RHA
PropulsionSingle-stage solid propellant rocket motor
Speed89 m/s
Range65 m to 1 km
Altitude-
Engagement envelope-
Remarks-
TypeAnti-tank missile
Diameter127 mm body
Length846 mm
Weight12.34 kg
GuidanceSACLOS, wire guided
WarheadHEAT, penetration 610 mm RHA
PropulsionSingle-stage solid propellant rocket motor
Speed89 m/s
Range65 m to 1 km
Altitude-
Engagement envelope-
Remarks-
TypeTraining missile
Diameter127 mm body
Length846 mm
Weight4.70 kg
GuidanceSACLOS, wire guided
WarheadInert, no warhead
PropulsionSingle-stage solid propellant rocket motor
Speed89 m/s
Range1 km
Altitude-
Engagement envelope-
Remarks-

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