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The Rapier system provides
area, Low-Level Air- Defence (LLAD) over the area around the airbase
to be defended. It consists
of an Optical Tracker, a Fire Unit, a Radar and a Generator.
The into-action time of the system is thought to be about 15
minutes and the radar is believed to scan out to 12 km.
Each fire unit can therefore cover an Air Defence Area (ADA) of about
100 km². Having discharged the four missiles on a Fire Unit, two
men are thought to be able to carry out a reload in about three minutes.
During the Falklands Campaign, Rapier was credited with 14 kills and
six probables from a total of 24 missiles fired.
Rapier in service with the
RAF Regiment has been upgraded from Field Standard B1(M) to Field Standard
C (Rapier 2000).Rapier FSC
offers significant enhancements to performance. The towed system launcher
mounts eight missiles (able to fire two simultaneously at two separate
targets) and is manufactured in two warhead versions.
One of these warheads is armour piercing and able to deal with fixed-wing
targets, while the other is a fragmentation warhead for the engagement of
cruise missiles and RPVs. Rapier 2000 has the Darkfire tracker and a
tailor-made 3three-dimensional radar system for target acquisition. A Joint
Service Rapier FSC OCU was formed at RAF Honington to oversee both the
RAF's and Army's conversion to the new system.
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Possible Organisation of a Rapier Squadron
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Rapier has now been sold to
the armed forces of at least 14 nations. We believe that sales have
amounted to over 25,000 missiles, 600 launchers and 350 Blindfire radars.
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RAPIER
Specifications
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Guidance
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Semi-Automatic to Command Line of Sight
(SACLOS)
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Missile Diameter
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13.3
cm
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Missile Length
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2.24m
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Rocket
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Solid
Fuelled
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Warhead
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High
Explosive
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Launch Weight
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42kg
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Speed
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Mach 2+
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Ceiling
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3,000m
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Maximum Range
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6,800m
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Fire Unit Height
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2.13m
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Fire Unit Weight
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1,227kg
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Radar Height (in action)
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3.37m
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Radar
Weight
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1,186kg
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Optical Tracker Height
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1.54m
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Optical Tracker Weight
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119kg
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Generator Weight
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243kg
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Generator Height
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0.91m
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