With the development of the times, various military weapons have emerged in an endless stream. And China's military has also developed from being poor and white, to being world-famous. Our military weapons have also allowed the world to see China's strength, and the famous military weapons are: Dongfeng series, J-20 and so on.
But today Xiaobian takes you into the most famous anti-tank missile in China in the last century - the Red Arrow 8. It is also known as the "tank butcher". Not only that, but it was also banned from exports by the United States at one time. What color has the Red Arrow 8 left for the world in history? How powerful is it?
The Red Arrow 8 is the second generation of anti-tank missiles studied by our country. But its research process can be described as difficult. We all know that the emergence of tanks in war can undoubtedly bring victory to the owner, but also make the owner suffer heavy losses.
After the tank was newly developed, the weapon could be said to be blind, and it could not suppress its opponents. But human beings are full of endless experiences with the challenge of the unknown. In World War I, grenades set the stage for victory against tanks.
At this time, it was found that although the tank was indestructible, it was still somewhat fragile in the face of some large-caliber artillery. So in world war II, Germany developed an anti-tank gun, but with it the tank developed better and better, not only lighter in weight, but also higher in performance, and the armor was getting thicker and thicker.
After the end of World War II, Germany's anti-tank guns were gradually retired due to their large size and poor mobility. It's just that anti-tank guns are still there without tanks, and they are getting better and better over time, and there is no doubt that if war breaks out again, tanks will bring more danger to many countries. Then in 1955, France developed anti-tank missiles, and the United States and the Soviet Union did not want to show weakness to introduce their own anti-tank missiles.
Not only that, anti-tank missiles played a huge role in the subsequent middle east war. So in 1969, China began to develop anti-tank missiles, and in 1978, it successfully developed anti-tank missiles - "Red Arrow-73". However, when China began to develop anti-tank missiles, the second-generation anti-tank missile "Tao" of the United States had been successfully test-fired.
This is a new type of anti-tank missile, not only fast but also very strong in armor breaking, and the blow to the tank is also very deadly. But to talk about the difference between the first generation and the second generation, it is equivalent to shifting from the artificial era to the intelligent era.
Because a generation of anti-tank missiles not only needs to be manually launched, but also needs to manually operate the missiles that have been launched, which makes the launcher not only see the target, but also pay attention to whether the direction of the missile is shifted. But the second-generation anti-tank missiles have taken a qualitative leap compared to the first generation. In terms of operation, as long as the launcher aims to launch at the target.
It was just that at that time, our country did not have reforms, and the country was in difficulty. However, in order to prevent the impact of the international situation from being turbulent on our country, china can only study the first generation of anti-tank missiles and the second generation of anti-tank missiles at the same time. Due to the lack of technology at that time, China thought of learning from foreign advanced technologies so that it could take fewer detours.
It's just that this kind of military secret is hidden by other countries, and how can it be revealed. However, China's determination to develop anti-tank missiles was unusually firm, so our scientific researchers decided to do it themselves behind closed doors. The development of anti-tank missiles began in June 1969, but some researchers received urgent relocation notices at the end of that year.
Due to the special situation, the superiors required them to relocate from the Great Northeast to the Great Northwest, which was the helplessness of that era, and also contained the hardships of scientific researchers. The new place was originally a school, with no research sites and equipment except dormitories, and was surrounded by unusual desolation in the countryside.
In the process also led to the study of Red Arrow 8 personnel, who underwent a major blood exchange. But fortunately, there is finally a safe place to wait for the birth of Red Arrow 8. The researchers persevered under these difficult conditions, but what surprised them was the news that followed.
At that time, China encountered a special three years, and the scientific researchers in the great northwest were naturally unclear. But they got the news that they had stopped studying. In this way, the development of the second-generation anti-tank missile was stopped. The older generation always said that the country at that time was difficult. Maybe we can't perceive the difficulties, but the researchers at that time can deeply appreciate the difficulties.
Although development was halted, the researchers were still there. They continued to design the missiles for three years after research was halted, and they believed that the development of second-generation anti-tank missiles would be restarted. At the end of 1972, many researchers received notice of the restart of the Red Arrow-8.
But at that time, the pressure on our researchers was even greater, and the three-year shelving caused us to be more and more distant from the world. They need to compete every minute for the country to catch up with the gap with the world. However, the harsh environment and insufficient equipment are all bothering them, the key technologies are not known, the overall plan is not clear, and there is no reference material.
It's the same as going to an exam and you haven't learned anything. It can be said that the development of "Red Arrow-8" was put together little by little by those researchers. At that time, the institute did not have dustproof and dust-removing equipment, but the optical instruments used in the institute needed to be carried out in a dust-free environment. In order to be able to ensure that the instrument meets the normal requirements of use.
Researchers take artificial alcohol every day for professional wiping and disinfection, often a small lens needs researchers to carry out a long-term disinfection trial, in the disinfection of the trial, until the standard use requirements are met. Moreover, the development of anti-tank missiles must have a range for testing.
But at that time, the institute, apart from the school, was desolate land. So the researchers built a target path of several hundred meters in the river beach near the institute, and then built a target block by themselves. Two years of time step by step, from scratch. Thus appeared the first design of the Red Arrow-8.
Some people may wonder if the generation at that time was not in the development process, and whether the components of the first generation could be used in the second generation. The answer is no, because going from the first generation to the second generation is no longer a one-step question, but a process directly from the walk to the fly. All parts of the first generation cannot be used on the second generation, as small as a battery.
The core of the second-generation anti-tank missile is the guidance system, which uses an infrared semi-automatic control mode. Simply put, the infrared bit marker is used to detect the infrared rays of the object and lock the target. At that time, the research on the second-generation anti-tank missile was the need for a very important instrument - the infrared goniometer.
If there is no infrared goniometer missile, it is like a blind man, so this instrument is very important and the accuracy is very high. The whole process of scientific researchers spent nearly four years, in order to make the instrument accurate, the researchers specially went to the high-temperature desert to do experiments, staying for a month.
At that time, researchers once said: When studying the "Red Arrow-8", there is no part that is not a problem, and all the parts I can say several cases of problems, which was desperate for us at that time. However, it was this group of desperate people who brought our country's "Red Arrow-8" to the world.
In 1984, the "Red Arrow-8" completed the first final test firing, and it also officially entered the eyes of the people at the military parade in the same year. The Red Arrow-8 is about 875 mm long and weighs 11.2 kg. The range is about 3000 meters. But the most eye-catching thing about the Red Arrow-8 is that it can be carried in multiple modes.
Whether it is vehicle-mounted, airborne or individual carry-on is very convenient, the operation is also very simple. After the "Red Arrow-8" became famous, it was considered to be on par with the world's advanced level. No less than the "Tao" missile of the same period.
So how powerful is the Red Arrow-8 missile? During the 2003 Iraq War, the Red Arrow-8 destroyed three American M1A1 tanks, and all three tanks burst into flames after being shot. The M1A1 tank is not an ordinary tank, it is the pride of the United States and one of the most advanced third-generation tanks in the world.
The United States once used the M1A1 tank on the battlefield very dashing, and the M1A1 tank cost up to $5 million. At that time, the United States learned that the M1A1 tank was destroyed by China's "Red Arrow-8", and it was infinitely saddened. Because this is not the first time, the United States has directly ordered a ban on exports.
Since the "Red Arrow-8" has been sold to the outside world, many countries have come to buy it. Pakistan Railroad has customized a large number of anti-tank missiles of the "Red Arrow-8" series, and has also signed a technology transfer with China. But Pakistan still used the "Red Arrow-8" to become famous on the battlefield.
At that time, India always used its arrogance to invade Pakistan's border areas. At that time, India was proud of their mountain army, and their mountain army had a lot of heavy firepower, and naturally there were many tanks.
But the mountain army they were proud of, when they invaded Pakistan, were bombarded by Pakistan with the "Red Arrow-8" and no longer dared to invade. Pakistan then placed 600 Red Arrows-8s at their borders. The 600 Red Arrows-8 look straight at India.
Wang Xingzhi, the chief designer of the "Red Arrow-8", once said: If there is no means to means, we just have a bunch of people. However, it is such a group of people who have resounded our country's "Red Arrow-8" all over the world. China's current scientific research is growing on the shoulders of giants, and giants will never fall, just like the spirit of "Red Arrow-8".
Although the current military strength is still rising, the "Red Arrow-8" is also constantly improving. As long as there are tanks in one day, the Red Arrow-8 will never sleep.
Reference: CCTV "Military Memory" (2015.11.30) "Red Arrow-8" anti-tank missile