The UK government announced a £75billion investment into the defence budget – and we hope the money is used on better weapons than these disasters.
From the “world’s worst tank” to a recently announced laser which cannot be fired if dust gets on the lens, the UK’s military might has had its fair share of embarrassing gaffes.
While we may have won World War II with the help of Soviet forces and US involvement in the latter half, some of the weapons at our disposal were less than ideal. Early designs of the Covenanter tank were described as the “worst tank” at our disposal.
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(Image: Getty Images)
By the time the Covenanter was ready for use on the battlefield in 1941, other tank developments had outclassed it. Major engine problems for the Covenanter were never overcome and the 1,771 tanks never made it off the training ground.
Even the weapons on board the vehicle were dated when developments were complete. A 2-pdr gun and 30mm armour specifications were already behind the likes of reconnaissance tanks and infantry vehicles in use.
Anti-tank weapons suffered too as the Blacker Bombard provided a handful of problems when deployed in the battlefield.
(Image: Wikipedia)
Effectively a single-use rocket which could be launched at incoming enemy tanks, the infantry weapon was a pain to set up and relied on the target staying still. A total of 22,000 Blacker Bombards were made and by then concerns over its usefulness were already aired.
Some soldiers completely refused to use the anti-tank weapons as they were “highly unpopular” and even tried to trade the massive missile device for machine guns, Pillbox found.
Eventually a use for the Blackard Bomber was found and the Home Guard later retrofitted it into being used by unarmed personnel in the UK. Unlike the Covenanter, the anti-tank weapon did see action in the field but was limited in its effect due to the weight.
(Image: Getty Images)
Another war weapon made specifically for the Home Guard was just as unpopular as the Blackard Bomber. The Smith Gun was clunky, heavy and had to be tipped on its side to be fired.
Britain’s Home Guard were no stranger to outdated weaponry but this anti-tank gun was riddled with problems which left the development constantly fixing safety concerns, IWM reported.
(Image: MOD / SWNS)
While 4,000 guns were made they were rarely used and served as a propaganda tool more than anything of use. Modern weapons like the DragonFire laser were previously blasted by world science professor Anthony Glees who, when speaking to the Daily Star, said the device and Minister of Defence Grant Shapps, had a long way to go in proving themselves.
He urged Brits to not be “hoodwinked” by the “magic beams” of the UK’s weapon which Shapps alleges can shoot down drones at the speed of light. Professor Glees said: “Grant is pulling the wool over our eyes here, I’m afraid, egging the pudding as we’ve come to expect.”
(Image: MOD / SWNS)
Hypersonic missiles are the next project announced by Shapps, but professor Glees says the public should be “more than a little” angry with the MoD head.
“When Shapps tells us that by 2030 the UK will have our own hypersonic missile, able to fly at 3,800 MPH, (that’s five times the speed of sound) and capable of reaching Moscow in 24 minutes, we need treat this seemingly good news with raised eyebrows and more than a little anger. Not because we cannot do it, we can. But because – as so often – it is too little – and far too late.”
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