Exocet missile in the falklands war indian defence forum. Guillot, then the technical director at nord aviation. It is the french word for flying fish from the latin name exocoetus, a transliteration of the greek name for flying fish. The untold story of special forces operations by ewen southbytailyour isbn. Jan 15, 2011 france sold exocet missiles to the argentine government prior to the falklands war. The frenchbuilt exocet missile was a low flying and lethal missile. Disturbing overconfidence by commanders at home was finely counterbalanced by stirring accounts of inspiring physical and moral courage across the south atlantic. Thankfully, none actually went ahead but the authors main. Falkland wars and deadly exocet missiles pakistan defence. The french made exocet am39 was sea skimming antiship missile which had been developed by aerospatiale. In 1982, during the falklands war, argentine navy dassault breguet super etendard. It can be launched from strike aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters. What happened to exocet sales after the falklands war. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
While the ships company were aware of the threat posed by exocet missiles, some appear to have thought the. The exocet is a family of french antiship missiles that can be launched from several platforms like aircrafts, helicopters, high or low tonnage warships and submarines. The untold story of special forces operations9781473872103. Hms sheffield was hit by an exocet missile fired by the argentinian air force on 4 may 1982 and sank while being towed. May 18, 1987 the frenchmade exocet missile is iraqs weapon of choice for airlaunched attacks on shipping in the persian gulf. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Exocet falklands by ewen southbytailyour 2017, paperback. Inskip wrote ordeal by exocet hms glamorgan and the falklands war 1982 2002, reissued 2012, one of the best books about war at sea in the age of the missile. Westinghouse antps43 long range 3d radar that the argentine air force deployed to guard the airspace surrounding the falklands.
Commencing in september of 1981, the present pope francis 1 acted as an agent for the argentine military junta to acquire exocet missiles which were used against the royal navy flotilla during the falklands war the following year. How france helped us win falklands war, by john nott. France sold exocet missiles to the argentine government prior to the falklands war. The exocet french for flying fish is a french antiship missile developed in the 1970s. Exocet am39 can be launched from strike aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters. The frenchmade exocet antiship missile played a major role in the falklands war. Most of the missile is made up by the single stage solid propellant rocket motor which powers the missile. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading exocet. Jul 20, 2016 inskip wrote ordeal by exocet hms glamorgan and the falklands war 1982 2002, reissued 2012, one of the best books about war at sea in the age of the missile. The brits were lucky in that war, some of the ordnance dropped by the argentinian super etrands hit the british ships but did not explode.
France was britains greatest ally during the falklands war, providing secret information to enable mi6 agents to sabotage exocet missiles which were desperately sought by. Hints that there has been an official coverup over failure of the frigate hms sheffield to take action against incoming argentine exocet missiles in the 1982 falklands conflict have been denied. She was struck by an exocet airlaunched antiship missile from an argentinian super etendard aircraft on 4 may 1982 and. She was lost as a result of a wellaimed exocet missile fired by the argentines during the conflict. The exocet weighed about 1,500 pounds and had an effective range of 35 to 40 miles. Thatcher urged to steal frenchmade exocet missiles during. Dec 27, 2012 thatcher urged to steal frenchmade exocet missiles during falklands war. True scale of disastrous sas mission to destroy argentinian exocet missiles is retold by servicemen on both sides of the falklands war. Exocet synonyms, exocet pronunciation, exocet translation, english dictionary definition of exocet. The british public became fascinated by the exocet missile after one sunk hms sheffield shortly after the outbreak of the falklands war in 1982. Falklands community volunteers launches program in support of those in self isolation. The secret disastrous sas attempt to invade argentina. Action could have been taken to minimize injury, including men being sent to action stations and turning the ship towards the exocet missiles to narrow its profile.
The guidance section is located in the front and is followed by the warhead. But it also exposes the weakness of the destroyers against air launched antiship missiles. On may 4, sheffield was detected by argentine super etendard which launched its exocet missile, hitting the ship above the waterline and causing a. The exocet is cheap, effective, and can be launched from submarines, ships, and aircraft. In the falklands war, crack troops go on a suicidal mission to storm galtieris exocet missile base. She was guarding the outer perimeter of the task force which made her vulnerable to attack. The original exocet missile, the sealaunched mm38, was developed in 1967 and entered into service in 1975. Ian sparks and matthew hickley, ill nuke argentina.
Frances exocet navykiller missile is getting an update. Maggie issued the ultimate threat to extract exocet secrets from mitterrand, daily mail, 5 january 2006, 5 july 2006. The exocet, which became famous for sinking several british ships during the 1982 falklands war, will be getting an upgraded guidance system, according to. Antiship the solidrocketpowered, active radarhoming french exocet, fired from both aircraft and ground launchers. The secret disastrous sas attempt to invade argentina revealed. The falklands war the untold story full documentary timeline duration. Exocet missile in the falklands war page 2 indian defence. These are some of the key weapons of the falklands war used by both sides.
This is a fascinating account of three sas missions to counter the exocet missile during the 1982 falklands war, ranging from illthought out ideas to near suicidal oneway trips onto enemy soil. It is a seaskimming weapon that achieved notoriety in the falkland war, when. The famous codes that were missing to activate them were neither codes nor to activate the missiles. Exocet missile that sank sheffield, for instance, would not have been able. Declassified files finally expose failures that allowed. The overall lessons of the falklands conflict are currently being studied in great detail by a study group formed by the secretary of defense. By the time of the armed conflict between argentina and the uk, it had only been tested in target practice in secret french facilities. However, there are reports that french officials attempted to contain the exocet threat by giving the british government inside information into the missiles and how to defend against them. Although argentina had only a small number of the airlaunched version their presence was a constant worry for the british task force and a significant influence on tactics. Oct 15, 2017 the british public became fascinated by the exocet missile after one sunk hms sheffield shortly after the outbreak of the falklands war in 1982. The peruvian exocet connection in the falklandsmalvinas war. The peruvian exocet connection in the falklandsmalvinas.
National interest and the falklands war springerlink. The exocet missile series of french shortrange antiship cruise missile. The purpose of this report is to present an unclassified summary of the. The exocet french for flying fish is a frenchbuilt antiship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixedwing aircraft. Pope francis linked to exocet acquisition in falklands war. This is a revelatory account of three untabulated special forces operations, plum duff, mikado and kettledrum, that were tasked to destroy argentinas exocet missiles during the 1982 falkland s campaign. The brits were lucky in that war, some of the ordnance dropped by the argentinian super etrands hit. Every page goes through several hundred of perfecting techniques. With a range of up to 70 km, depending on the altitude and speed of the aircraft, the exocet am39 enables the. Prince andrew used his helicopter to decoy deadly exocet. List of 6 british ships sunk during the falklands war. London prince andrew used his helicopter to decoy deadly exocet missiles fired from argentine war jets and was hailed a hero for rescuing british sailors from the sinking atlantic conveyor.
Apr 02, 2014 the frenchmade exocet antiship missile played a major role in the falklands war. The ship was hit on the starboard side, ripping a hole 15ft long and 4ft high. Operated by both sides the missile was used by the argentine navy either air launched from dassault super etendard jets and from an improvised land launcher. Centenas desses misseis foram lancados em combate durante os anos 1980. The sheffield was not the only ship to be attacked, however. Thankfully, none actually went ahead but the authors main argument is that action is no substitute for thought. How exactly were the exocet missiles disabled with codes. This is a revelatory account of three untabulated special forces operations, plum duff, mikado and kettledrum, that failed to destroy argentinas exocet missiles during the 1982 falkland s campaign.
Argentine exocets destroyed hms sheffield, the atlantic conveyor and damaged hms glamorgan. The frenchmade exocet missile is iraqs weapon of choice for airlaunched attacks on shipping in the persian gulf. The guided missile destroyer hms sheffield was the first major loss suffered by the british task force during the 1982 falklands war. Pdf in response to the argentine invasion of the falkland islands in 1982, a large naval task. The falklands war understanding the power of context in. In that context alone this book is of international military importance. France gave the uk a lot of help during the falklands war, but a technical team in argentina helped the country fire exocet missiles at british warships.
Hms sheffield was a type 42 guided missile destroyer and the second royal navy ship to be named after the city of sheffield in yorkshire. While lacking in warhead size and range, this battletested missile is still in production. In order for the missiles to work the targeted radar had to transmit up until the missiles impacted. Commissioned on 16 february 1975 the sheffield was part of the task force 317 sent to the falkland islands during the falklands war. Exocet am39 is the airborne version of the exocet antiship missile family. The block 3 missile accepts gps guidance system waypoint commands, which allow it to attack naval targets from different angles and to strike land targets, giving it a marginal role as a landattack missile. The french have a history of stabbing their allies in the back. Thatcher urged to steal frenchmade exocet missiles during falklands war one of britains most senior law officers at the time of the falklands conflict, the attorney general, sir michael havers, urged the prime minister to steal deadly french exocet missiles to stop them ending up in the hands of the enemy.
Falkland wars and deadly exocet missiles discussion in. The falklands war, british military, margaret thatcher, the sun, the. Bibliography on the 1982 falklands war rand corporation. Argentina missile chronology nuclear threat initiative. This thesis examines the historical effectiveness of antishipcruise missiles used in littoral warfare. Although this war is well known for the overwhelming victories of the. Fire between the two forces was first exchanged on april 25. The exocet is a frenchbuilt antiship missile whose various versions can be launched from. A type 42 guided missile destroyer became the first british ship to be sunk during the falklands war. British soldiers were operating under poor intelligence. Mar 10, 2009 on may 29 2006 two hellenic greek navy super vitatype facms, the hs rousen p67 and hs daniolos p68, each fired one mbda mm40 block 2 exocet surfacetosurface missile against hs.
Exocet falklands by ewen southbytailyour overdrive. How do you think they were going to introduce a code into a missile. Exocet definition and meaning collins english dictionary. I am sure there is an argentinian version of the above events. It is evident that fleet protection vessels did not have the ability to remotely disable argentine exocet missiles.
Hms sheffield is sunk by an argentinian exocet missile in the falklands war 1982. First launched in june of 1971, the ship was then commissioned for service in february of 1975. It is a seaskimming weapon that achieved notoriety in. In 1982, during the falklands war, argentine navy dassaultbreguet super etendard. There are six exocet variants, which differ by their launch platforms and levels of modernization. I head read somewhere on the internet that at the time of the war the argentina only had less than 10 exocet missiles and with such few missiles they had destroyed 3 british destroyers. Timeline world history documentaries recommended for you. Hms sheffield on fire after being hit by exocet missile. Missile leakage rates, probability of hit on a given target, and small combatant staying power with respect to exocet missile equivalents are derived from historical data. From japans point of view considered one of the most capable navies in all of latin america.
The block 3 exocet is lighter than the previous mm40 block 2 exocet. Mar 29, 2014 the secret disastrous sas attempt to invade argentina revealed. The falkland islands conflict included the first truly naval con frontation since. Detecting this, argentinas super etendard approached the group and launched exocet missiles. These are the mm38, mm40, mm40 block 2, and mm40 block 3 sea and groundlaunched models, the am39 airlaunched model, and the sm39 sublaunched variant. The sas mission to destroy argentinian exocet missiles. Exocet falklands is a groundbreaking work of investigative military history from which many salutary lessons can be learned. Commander ian inskip, attacked by an exocet missile in the. Seacat and tigercat surfacetoair missiles were obsolete by the falklands. The exocet is a conventional missile with a cylindrical body, pointed nose and cruciform wings in the middle and at the rear. The exocet is probably the most famous weapon of the war, sinking two british ships and damaging a third. Can exocet missiles be remotely disabled with secret codes.
And if argentina had more of them it would had been deadly for the british. How france helped both sides in the falklands war bbc news. Udviklingen begyndte i 1967, som et skibsaffyret missil navngivet mm. Work on the am39, the airlaunched variant, began in 1974 and entered service in 1979.
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