FV 432 missile carrying vehicle

[uk 75]

Despite occasional references to an FV432 version
carrying Blue Water or PT428 (and even in once case,
Mauler) I have not been able to find any drawings or
artwork for such a vehicle.

There was a cargo version of 432 called 431, but there
does not seem enough room on this for a missile system.
All the in-service versions seem to have to use the 432
superstructure with something plonked on top (Swingfire
and Wombat) or a slight cut out at the back (Green
Archer radar). I cannot see how a 432 could carry Blue
Water or PT428

UK 75

 

[JohnR]

All the information I have ever seen for surface launched Blue Water has had it carried on a Bedford Truck, and according to Tony Buttlers Secret Projects book the same for PT428 - although he does mention both tracked carrier and a hovercraft mounted variant were proposed but provides no further details.

I can't see any reason why a chassis could not be developed using the components of the FV432 to carry the system much in the same way as the M113 was evolved into the M548 and the MLRS chassis being used for other equipment.

Fitting Mauler to the FV432 chassis seems quite natural as the US variant was designed to be carried on an M113.

Although standard FV432 did have Wombat Recoilless Rifles "plonked" on top - much as the US did with early installation of TOW, Swingfire was carried by a specifically redesigned variant the FV438 which had two Swingfires in a ready to launch position which could be reloaded from within the vehicle - a feature which I believe made them superior to the Striker - which to me makes their withdrawl difficult to understand and I would be glad for anyones imput. I believe after their withdrawl the chassis were used for communication systems either Wavell or Ptargamin.

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/7413/FV434_9.html

 

[Rickshaw]

I think you'll find that FV438 was withdrawn because of its age and the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty limitations. Swingfire while an excellent 1960-70s missile system was getting rather long in the tooth by the turn of the 21st century.

 

[Sea Skimmer]

I can't see any reason why a chassis could not be developed using the components of the FV432 to carry the system much in the same way as the M113 was evolved into the M548 and the MLRS chassis being used for other equipment.

MLRS uses a stretched version of the Bradley hull with an extra road wheel. It does have a similar cab as it was hoped the hull would replace M548 in a wide range of roles. The US Army had hard plans for additional versions besides MLRS, but the M4 command post and XM5 jammer were killed after only low rate production. The others with SAM and alternative SSM launchers never got past paper. End of the cold war made putting systems on tracked, armored platforms unattractive. Now everything has to go on a hummve or else it is 'too heavy, not transformational!'