&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Question_book-new.svg){kind=small} | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2009) |
| Malkara | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Malkara_missiles_on_a_Hmber_Hornet_01.JPG) Malkara on display at the Tank Museum, Bovington. | |
| Type | Anti-tank guided missile |
| Place of origin | Australia, United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1958 to 1960s |
| Used by | United Kingdom |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Royal Aircraft Establishment/Aeronautical Research Laboratory |
| Designed | 1954 |
| Manufacturer | Government Aircraft Factories/Fairey Engineering Ltd |
| Produced | 1958-1964 |
| No. built | 1,000 |
| Variants | none |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 93.5 kg (206 lb) |
| Length | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Diameter | 203 mm (8.0 in) |
| Wingspan | 80 cm (2 ft 7 in) |
| Warhead | 26 kg (57 lb) HESH |
Detonation mechanism | impact |
| Engine | solid rocket |
Operational range | 4,000 metres (2.5 mi) |
Guidance system | wire guided line of sight |
Steering system | control surfaces |
Launch platform | Vehicle |
The Malkara (from an Aboriginal word for "shield") was one of the earliest guided anti-tank 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 Vickers Vigilant 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. The basic form was later adapted for the short-range surface-to-air role as the Seacat and influenced the development of the Ikara.