Tank Chats  

Hey tank nuts! Did you enjoy David Fletcher's thoughts on the Striker? Let us know your thoughts below.

The first vehicle i learnt to drive at the age of 17. Ended up as a commander Best time of my life. Great vehicle, great job.

The idea of dismounting the gunner and firing from cover was the smartest thing about this vehicle

THE MAN IS A BLOOMING LEGEND !!! Describes the flotation of the system as TOTALLY 👍🏻 USELESS AND IT JUST FLOATED ALONG WITH THE CURRENT OF THE WATER 💦. LOL ….. EXCELLENT

“The Royal Artillery who see things rather differently” - would that be from 10 miles away and behind a hill if possible? 😂

I wonder how many miles of swing fire wire is still on the Canadian landscape after all these years. I loved Medman.

These chats by David Fletcher are pure gold.

This is why I love tank chats. Seeing the links to other projects (like the Ferret in this case) really lends additional perspective.

I remember the Dinky version with ‘working’ missiles.

Lost the stash? At least you kept the eyebrows. You are the best sir Fletcher

I once spoke to an ex Army guy and his experience of Swingfire was when they were old stock used for training. They had an annoying habit of not responding to commands and looping back to return to the firer, causing some consternation.

The first set of wargames rules I learned was Challenger. Death by table. The sporting table distinguished several levels of difficulty for spotting. If you were looking at a Challenger tank side on you had to roll rather less than if you were trying to spot an individual spotter. Striker played into that beautifully. The spotter could be as far away (in scale) as 160m from the vehicle which could be in full defilade. You could still try to spot where the missile had emerged from but the odds remained poor. Hitting a target was difficult but swingfire had a good range and quite a good warhead.

Highlights on the drawings is a nice touch, think about advancing this concept

Watched plenty of these while getting ready for the short trip to the sandy place 1990 .

My uncle Danny "Dapper"Jones 16/5th Queens Royal Lancers commanded one of these about 1990

Thanks again.

This vehicle has always struck me as being kind of terrifying. Even with all crew in the vehicle, from the right hull down position (pretty much any ridge or hill will do), this thing can fire five missiles while presenting a truly tiny profile. And even if what's visible is hit, I think it's pretty unlikely that it'll actually knock the vehicle out - unless perhaps someone manages to land a high explosive round right onto the launcher. And on top of that, they're pretty quick vehicles

An updated version of this type of vehicle but carrying the Brimstone missile would be a great idea. sit out the way somewhere and let the missile find the target.

Great information. I just wish they’d take the time to dust the vehicles before the shoot.

A striking resemblance with the Spartan

not as weird as early Bradleys every time I see one of those setting up it's TOW all I can think of is Johnny Five Alive

Your content is educational and entertaining sir. 👍

Amazing tanks

Good morning Bovington!

my friends (chris and john) are coming to visit all of your tanks next month they are so excited

Woot!

Pretty awesome the wire-line guidance system. Simple idea. Mr Fletcher mentioned you could use it to trace back to the launcher, yes I guess eventually yes. Doubt it was painted safety yellow though.

We really do need a new series of vehicles to replace the CVRT series

I think the Wire-Guided concept is still relevant because it cannot be jammed. And in this age of electronics I think we will see more of them, not less.

Sounds like quite a capabal vehicle. I would expect that something like this would be very useful in Ukraine round about now. I would have thought that a modernised version based on something like a Javelin missile would be a good idea. In fact I would expect that with the man-portable nature of the Javelin missiles you would be able to carry upscaled version in a vehicle like this making it more of a threat for heavier armed threats or being capable of holding more rounds in tubes at once allowing the crew to take on more targets in an engagement.

Similar to the now obsolete naval surface to air seacat missile that was also guided by a crew member with a joystick.

Please do a video on that vehicle behind Mr FLetcher, I'm very curious!

Brimstoner more like. I hear they are sticking them on anything and everything. Martlet too. Cheers David and co.

A striking chat by Mr. Fletcher. Is this vehicle the UK's Weasel from Germany?

is this the version with the special "dusty terrain" camo?

David Fletcher setting up the RU-vid comments section for an argument about the merits of wire guided ATGMs.

For eagle-eyed viewers, the Vehicle at 3m35s is actually an FV432 swingfire vehicle and not a striker

Pretty effective in WARNO

Wonder if we won't see a "modern" equivalent of this with Javelin type missiles or even controlling loitering drones in the near future.

I've posted this before but there is footage somewhere on one of these knocking out an Iraqi T55. Anyone have a link ?

Feels like a larger, british ozelot

The Ukrainians seem to like the stormer, scimitar, and spartan version. Maybe this would be a good fit as well

Always get rid oldest ammo first for training makes sense 🤔ex operational goes to training

i want my dinky one back yup!. lost the missiles the day i got it ,and i think they should have took them to the falklands war .

Those Swingfire missiles would make a mockery of the T-55 or the T-60. *Looks at Ukraine*

Oooo, first! I wonder if such a vehicle, fitted with modern non-wire guided missiles, could fulfill a similar role on the modern battlefield? It could certainly reduce the requirements on the missile operator, but would it be any better than investing in some drones carrying the same missiles?

I think this is the 5th vehicle I’ve seen today with a jaguar engine haha

Alright you're to charge those MBTs. Sorry were on strike.

Vehicle needed far better 'Fletching' for visual protection, a four foot, bright orange moustache clamped in the now redundant 'skirt' mount would alert the enemy to being totally on the wrong side & they'd all stick their hands up fairly pronto.

Fabulous vehicle! Jaguar engine? Could that have anything to do with it leaking oil? I can say that having owned 3 myself and loving them to death! 🙂

The problem with wire guided ATGMs is that they fly a lot slower than shells, which means if the bad guys are on their toes, the return fire can be arriving before the missile gets there, and that is likely to cause some distraction to the poor schmuck trying to guide it.

Very useful against fixed fortified positions because unlike a tank they can't run away! 👍 (would be handy in Ukraine 🇺🇦)......

Not seen one of these before. Still seems a good idea for modern warfare. Could they be used against aircraft ?

Was the remote firing achieved via a cable or wirelessly?

This is the last tank chat with David Fletcher. :(

The Ukrainians appear to have had some success with the the wire guided Stugna.

The same vehicle with a modern missiles system would have been the ultimate tank killer Just imagine it firing NLAWS or javelins from a prepared position

Wonder who the 16/5th queens royal lancer is at 6.53 mins?

I know the scorpion and scimitar were amphibious but I did not think the spartan was amphibious

Closest thing the US Army had was the M901 Improved TOW Vehicle - a modified M113. As the M2 IFV/M# CFV has a TOW missile launcher, there was no need for a specialized vehicle, they were withdrawn as the M2/M3 came into service. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8PCV5Ghcnqk.html, As an old AT Platoon Leader, Ilurve the BGM71. This what a TOW 2b does to a combat loaded (fuel, ammo,, etc) T-72. It takes all the fun out of being a Russian tanker. BTW, the whining sound you hear in the video is the spinning gyroscope in the guidance system. "TOW - On the WAY!""

32 Guided Weapons...before it went to the RAC.

Also big lack of soviet tank hordes now so kind of superfluous to requirements.

:)

I must apologize I listened to the whole video but I spent more time trying to figure out what that one is with the stripes painted on it to his back right but as always I love his commentary and excellent video 👍🤘

Makes me laugh when people giggle and say"ha ha, look at the stormer, its like a lickle babies toy"!!!!,well you try spotting one when your 500 to 1000ft up in a helo or jet going gods knows how many miles an hour!!!!!!...

I'm first viewer & commenter. Do I win a prize?

Cable TV vrs satellite

I don't know about wire gilded missiles being not used anymore. i know the US was using the TOW missiles in Afghanistan in the mid teens. the "finger of god" wasting terrorist fighters at range still .now for AT work I'm certain there done/.

Tank shat

Hey tank museum :) when russian tanks ???

i bet you have a lot of vehicles that Ukraine could use and perhaps needs.

What am I seeing here? Is that David Fletcher or is it an old man with short hair pretending to be David?