Anti-Tank Guided Missile System M47 Dragon
M47 Dragon (NATO FGM-77 Dragon), the US Army‘s anti-tank guided missile system introduced in 1975 to engage armoured vehicles, helicopters, and bunkers in direct fire. M47 Dragon is a SACLOS (semi-automatic command to line of sight) guided missile, which is connected to the tracker assembly by a fine wire and is guided to the target semi-automatically along the gunner‘s line of sight. Given the missile‘s low air speed, 100 m/s for Dragon and 200 m/s for Dragon II, there is plenty of time for an enemy tank to engage the anti-tank gunner‘s exposed firing position with automatic weapons or drive out of the gunner‘s line of sight and into a turret down position. In addition, the guidance wire may be damaged by brush, fences, and other terrain.
Available Models
- M47 Dragon Team, 28 mm Under Fire Miniatures Cold War US Army 5
- Infantry Extras, 28 mm Under Fire Miniatures Cold War US Army 6
- M47 Dragon-Trupp, 1982 ‘Peace in Galilee’, 28 mm Under Fire Israelis 4
- US Infantry, 1983–2001, 1:72 ESCI P-239
- Modern US Infantry, 1:72 Preiser 72519
- US Infantry, 1989–2001, 1:72 Revell 02520
- ATGM M47 Dragon and Crew, 1:72 Zvezda 7415
- Israeli Mech Infantry Platoon, 1:100 Battle Front Miniatures TIS702
The US Army replaced M47 Dragon with FGM-148 Javelin in 1996.