M47 Dragon

M47 Dragon
An M47 Dragon, shown here with its daytime tracker attached.
TypeAnti-tank missile
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service
  • 1975–1990s (US Army)
  • 1975–2001 (US Marine Corps)
  • 1979–present (other countries)
Used bySee Operators
Wars
Production history
DesignerRaytheon
Designed3 March 1966[citation needed]
ManufacturerMcDonnell Douglas, Raytheon
Produced1975
No. built
  • 7,000 launchers, 33,000 missiles (U.S. Army)[4]
  • 17,000 missiles (U.S. Marine Corps)[4]
  • 250,000 missiles (total)[5]
VariantsDragon II, Dragon III, Saeghe 1, 2, 3 and 4[6]
Specifications (FGM-77)
Mass32.1 lb (14.57 kg) (w/ day sight)[7]
46.9 lb (21.29 kg) (w/ night sight)
Length1,154 mm (45.4 in)
Diameter140 mm
Crew1
Effective firing range65–1,000 meters
Maximum firing range
  • 1,000 meters
  • 1,500 meters (Dragon III)
WarheadHollow charge
Warhead weight3.5 lb (1.6 kg) Octol[8]
Maximum speed
  • Dragon/Dragon II: 100 m/s (330 ft/s)
  • Dragon II: 200 m/s (660 ft/s)
Guidance
system
SACLOS

The M47 Dragon, known as the FGM-77 during development, is an American shoulder-fired, man-portable anti-tank guided missile system. It was phased out of U.S. military service in 2001, in favor of the newer FGM-148 Javelin system.[9]

The M47 Dragon uses a wire-guidance system in concert with a high explosive anti-tank warhead and was capable of defeating armored vehicles, fortified bunkers, main battle tanks, and other hardened targets. While it was primarily created to defeat the Soviet Union's T-55, T-62, and T-72 tanks, it saw use well into the 1990s, seeing action in the Persian Gulf War. The U.S. military officially retired the weapon in 2001. The United States destroyed the last of its stocks of the missile in 2009.[10] The weapon system remains in active service with other militaries around the world.

  1. ^ Katz, Sam; Russell, Lee E. (25 July 1985). Armies in Lebanon 1982–84. Men-at-Arms 165. Osprey Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 9780850456028.
  2. ^ "Le Front Polisario revendique une nouvelle attaque contre les troupes marocaines". Le Monde (in French). 16 July 1987.
  3. ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
  4. ^ a b "M-47 Dragon Anti-Tank Guided Missile". Federation of American Scientists. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2009.
  5. ^ "McDonnell Douglas/Raytheon FGM-77A (M-47) Dragon" (PDF). www.flightglobal.com. Flight International. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2018.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Saeghe was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ M47 Dragon Medium Anti-tank Weapon System. Inetres.com.
  8. ^ "USMC Introduction the M-47 Dragon".
  9. ^ Figueroa, Jose (21 November 2000). "School of Infantry students shoot the works, herald new antitank era". Marines. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  10. ^ "ADMC destroys Army's last DRAGON missiles | Article | The United States Army". 16 September 2009.