Redeye
US soldier aiming Redeye
Type	Manportable surface-to-air missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1968 - 1995
Used by	Afghan Mujahideen, Denmark, United States
Wars	Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Production history
Designer	Convair
Designed	July 1959
Manufacturer	General Dynamics
Produced	1968 - September 1969
Number built	85,000
Variants	See Variants
Specifications (FIM-43 Redeye)
Weight	8. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A Mujahid (Arabic ar مجاهد, literally "struggler" is a Muslim involved in a Jihad, id est fighting in a war or The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Soviet war in Afghanistan, also known as the Soviet-Afghan War or just the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, was a nine-year conflict involving The Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, commonly known as Convair, was a US aerospace development and manufacturing complex of the 1940s and later General Dynamics Corporation ( is a defense conglomerate formed by Mergers and Divestitures and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest Defense contractor 3 kg (18. 3 lb)
Length	1. 20 m (3 ft 11. 5 in)
Diameter	70 mm (2. 75 in)
Crew	1
Effective range	4,500 m (14,800 ft)
Warhead	M222 Blast-fragmentation
Warhead weight	1. 06 kg (2. 35 lb)
Detonation mechanism	Impact Fuse
Engine	First stage - Booster (Ejector): 3. 3 kN (750 lbf) for 0. 048 s Second stage - Sustainer: 1. 1 kN (250 lbf) for 5. 8 s
Speed	Mach 1. 7 (580 m/s)
Guidance system	Infrared homing

The General Dynamics FIM-43 Redeye was a man-portable surface-to-air missile system. Infrared homing refers to a passive missile guidance system which uses the emission from a target of Electromagnetic radiation in the Infrared General Dynamics Corporation ( is a defense conglomerate formed by Mergers and Divestitures and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest Defense contractor Man-portable air-defense systems ( MANPADS) are shoulder-launched Surface-to-air missiles (SAMs A surface to air missile ( SAM) or ground-to-air missile ( GTAM) is a Missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy Aircraft It used infrared homing to track its target. Production was terminated in September 1969 after about 85,000 rounds had been built - in anticipation of the Redeye II, that would later become the FIM-92 Stinger. The FIM-92 Stinger is a personal portable Infrared homing Surface-to-air missile developed in the United States and used by all the U The Redeye was withdrawn gradually between 1982 and 1995 as the Stinger was deployed.

Development

In 1948 the United States Army began looking for new infantry air-defense weapons, as machine guns were proving ineffective against new fast jets. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Several gun/rocket systems were investigated but none showed enough promise to pursue. In the mid 1950s Convair began studies of a man portable infrared guided missile. The Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, commonly known as Convair, was a US aerospace development and manufacturing complex of the 1940s and later In November 1956 the results of these studies were shown to the US Army and USMC. In 1957 official requirements were formulated, and in 1958 Convair was awarded a contract to start development of the system.

In July 1959 the development project began, in March 1960, the first test rounds were fired. Launches from a launch tube followed in May 1961, with a shoulder launch occurring in 1961. Technical problems prevented the missile entering full production: the missile did not live up to its specifications - being slower, less manoeuverable and less accurate. During the testing, substantial use was made of the Atlantic Research MQR-16 Gunrunner expendable target missile.

Limited production began as XM41 Redeye Block I. The missile was designated XMIM-43A in June 1963. Block I systems were then evaluated between 1965 and 1966.

The block I/II launcher above, the block III launcher below.

Block II systems designated XM41E1 began development in 1964, the missile being designated XMIM-43B. The missiles were delivered in April 1966, and included a new gas-cooled detector cell, a slightly redesigned launcher and an improved warhead.

In 1965 to 1966 General Dynamics developed the final Redeye Block III configuration, designated at first XM41E2 with XFIM-43C missiles. The missiles retained the seeker from the Block II missile, but included a new rocket motor, warhead and fuse. A rocket engine is a Jet engine that uses only Propellant mass for forming its high speed propulsive jet. The launcher also now had an XM-62 open sight and upgraded electronics. The new missile could turn at up to 3g. The missile achieved a kill probability against F9F tactical drones travelling at 430 knots at an altitude of 100 meters of 0. 51. From this it was calculated that the kill probability versus a MiG-21 at similar altitude would be 0. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 403, and 0. 53 against helicopters ^[1]. Kill probability against larger propeller driven aircraft like the AN-12 was estimated at 0. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 43 ^[2]. Production of the Block III systems began in May 1967. In 1968 Block III was finally declared operational.

History

Redeye missiles were delivered to the Mujahideen by the US during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1984, where they were used to shoot down a number of aircraft including several Su-25 jets as well as Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters [1]. A Mujahid (Arabic ar مجاهد, literally "struggler" is a Muslim involved in a Jihad, id est fighting in a war or The Soviet war in Afghanistan, also known as the Soviet-Afghan War or just the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, was a nine-year conflict involving WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout By November 1985 it had largely been replaced by the dramatically more successful FIM-92 Stinger missiles. The FIM-92 Stinger is a personal portable Infrared homing Surface-to-air missile developed in the United States and used by all the U

The Redeye was known as Hamlet in Danish service. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe

Description

The missile is fired from the M171 missile launcher. First the seeker is cooled to operating temperature, the operator then begins visually tracking the target - using the sight unit on the launcher. Once the target is locked onto by the missile a buzzer in the launcher hand grip begins vibrating, alerting the operator. The operator then presses the trigger, which fires the initial booster stage and launches the missile out of the tube at a speed of around 80 feet per second (25 m/s). As the missile leaves the tube spring-loaded fins pop out, 4 stabilizing tail fins at the back of the missile, and two control surfaces at the front of the missile. Once the missile has traveled six meters, the sustainer motor ignites. The sustainer motor takes the missile to its peak velocity of Mach 1. 7 in 5. 8 seconds. 1. 25 seconds after the sustainer is ignited, the warhead is armed. ^[2]

The missile's seeker is only capable of tracking the hot exhausts of aircraft, which limits the engagements to tail-chase only. The missile's blast fragmentation warhead is triggered by an impact fuze requiring a direct hit. In an Explosive, Pyrotechnic device or military Munition, a fuse (or fuze) is the part of the device that initiates function As a first generation missile it is susceptible to a variety of countermeasures including flares and hot brick jammers. A countermeasure is a system (usually for a Military application designed to prevent Sensor -based Weapons from acquiring and/or destroying a target A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of Pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an Explosion. In addition, its inability to manoeuver at a rate greater than 3 G means that it can be simply out turned if it is spotted.

Variants

A FIM-43C Redeye missile just after launch before the sustainer motor ignites.

• Block I FIM-43/XFIM-43A/XMIM-43A -
• Block II FIM-43B/XFIM-43B/XMIM-43B - Fitted with a gas cooled seeker and improved warhead and fuse and modified launcher.
  • XFEM-43B Experimental test missile, with data logging capability
• Block III FIM-43C/XFIM-43C Production version - Improved warhead and fuse section, and a new launcher.
  • XFEM-43C Experimental test missile, with data logging capability
• FIM-43D Upgraded missile, with unknown capabilities.

Comparison chart

References

External links

• General Dynamics FIM-43 Redeye - Designation Systems