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[bmacd]

Top Gun! I went to school down at Ft. Benning for Javelin Anti-tank Missile school and I was the Honor Graduate out of the ~40 students that were in the class (including the Active Duty Ft. Benning students who had already been through the class and the three Navy Seals).

The program has been around since 1995 and they've never had a real live missile to shoot. They've always used the computer simulators. This was the very first class that they've had a live missile, and I was the first and only one to shoot it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N745X2eUsQ

Enjoy,

-Mac

 

[imported_Mike]

:beer:

Were you shooting at a target? Camera wasn't stable at all.

 

[bmacd]

I thought my buddy was a bit more savvy using the zoom on the camera, but I guess I was wrong. I was on a UAV range and there were 7 tanks in the field. I hit my target dead on from the top attack mode.

 

[f4phantom2500]

O_O that must have been the coolest thing ever. What did you hit?

 

[amish]

that was great. the background commentary was hilarious too with the perfect kelly's hero's line.

 

[Wapp]

Way to go! Do you get a specialty badge for being a bad-ass tank killer?

 

[bmacd]

Originally posted by: Wapp
Way to go! Do you get a specialty badge for being a bad-ass tank killer?

No, just a new MOS identifier...11B-2C (2-charlie is a javelin gunner).

 

[TallBill]

But you're still wearing a marine hat in your avatar

 

[biggestmuff]

Cool. Ive used that in AA.

 

[gerwen]

How is that thing targeted? Doesn't look like it needs LoS, as it was indirectly fired.
My guess, someone paints the target with a laser, and the missile is fired into the air and comes down on top of the target.

 

[bctbct]

Camera is a little shaky but it looks like you....missed.

 

[Netopia]

Nice work, nice shot.

I graduated Basic/AIT at Benning in 1981. We were still in WWII barracks at the time in Harmony Church area. Does that area still exist, or is it all Sand Hill?

Joe
Proud to have been an 11B30

 

[jlbenedict]

Originally posted by: gerwen
How is that thing targeted? Doesn't look like it needs LoS, as it was indirectly fired.
My guess, someone paints the target with a laser, and the missile is fired into the air and comes down on top of the target.

"The range of the missile is 2,500m. Javelin is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance."

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/javelin/

I believe this Javelin missile system replaced the Dragon missile system, which was a "wire-guided" missile system.

The positive note about the Javelin is:
"Although the CLU's thermal imaging may hinder aiming, its thermal targeting allows the Javelin to be a fire-and-forget system. This gives the firer an opportunity to be out of sight and possibly moving to a new angle to fire from, or out of the area by the time the enemy realizes they are under attack. This is much safer than using a wire-guided system because the firer must stay at the same location the missile was fired from and ?fly? the missile into the target."

Back in my military days from 94-02, I worked on the Dragons and TOWS. The Dragon is one slow missile. You can literally watch it fly down range. I wouldn't want to be the firer having to stay back and guide the missile until it reaches its target.

 

[destrekor]

i love the Javelin system. they are so damned badass and you don't really get that impression from them until you witness them.

 

[SirStev0]

blowing ****** up is always cool.

 

[chusteczka]

Originally posted by: jlbenedict
"The range of the missile is 2,500m. Javelin is a fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance."

The missile system is carried most often by a two man team. The team consists of a gunner and an ammo bearer. During the firing of the missile the gunner aims the system while the ammo bearer pulls security, watching for threats. The ammo bearer helps to spot enemy vehicles, troops, and positions to target while the gunner is scanning another area.
...
The training ends with a 12 mile march while wearing all combat gear and carrying the Launch Tube Assembly and CLU. The soldier must finish the march within 3 hours.
...
The main drawback of the system is its 49.5 lb total weight. This does not account for the additional batteries (BA5590 lithium battery) which weigh around 5 lbs each. Each battery is estimated to last 4 hours by the Javelin's manufacturer. A normal load for batteries (not counting the "just in case" extras that most teams carry) is 5-10.

That 12 mile "march" allows 15 minutes/mile with an extra 50 pounds to carry for each of the two people in the team. That is a fast pace.

 

[Ackmed]

Originally posted by: TallBill
But you're still wearing a marine hat in your avatar

And a soldier is NOT a Marine.

Actually, we have digital cammies now.

 

[FoBoT]

:thumbsup:

 

[b0mbrman]

Well, I'm not really looking at you, am I?

Just kidding. Congrats