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Zuni (rocket)

January 01, 1970

The Zuni 5-inch Folding-Fin Aircraft Rocket (FFAR), or simply Zuni, is a 5.0 in (127 mm) unguided rocket developed by the Hunter-Douglas Division of Bridgeport Brass Company and deployed by the United States Armed Forces,[1][2] and the French Air Force.[3] The rocket was developed for both air-to-air and air-to-ground operations. It can be used to carry various types of warheads, including chaff for countermeasures. It is usually fired from the LAU-10 rocket pod holding four rockets.

Zuni
TypeAir-to-surface rocket
Place of originUnited States
Service history
Used byUnited States military
French Air Force
Ukrainian Air Force
Production history
Produced1957–present
Specifications
Mass79.5 pounds (36.1 kg) (motor only)
Length77 inches (2,000 mm)
Diameter5 inches (127 mm)
Warheadvarious
EngineSolid-fuel rocket
Operational
range
5 miles (8.0 km)
Maximum speed 1,615 miles per hour (2,599 km/h)
Guidance
system
None

Development edit

In the early 1950s, U.S. Navy engineers Naval Ordnance Test Station China Lake began to develop a new 12.7 cm unguided rocket to replace the High Velocity Aircraft Rocket.

 
A VA-113 A-4F launching Zunis during the Battle of Khe Sanh, 1968.

The Zuni was designed as a modular system, to allow the use of different types of warheads and fuzes. One type of warhead had a proximity fuze, as the rocket was originally intended to be used as an air-to-air rocket. This led to its selection as the basis for the AIM-9 Sidewinder airframe in the early 1950s.

The Zuni was approved for production in 1957. A number of different launchers were tested for the Zuni, e.g. the twin-tube launchers fitted to the Sidewinder launching rails of the Vought F-8 Crusader. However, four-tube LAU-10/A series pods became the most commonly used launcher.[4]

The Zuni was named after the Zuni Native American tribe in modern day New Mexico.[5]

Operational history edit

The 5 inch Zuni rockets were first used in combat by F-86F Sabres belonging to the Pakistan Air Force during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.[6]

 
Sailors aboard Forrestal battle a massive ordnance fire triggered by a Zuni rocket.

The Zuni was widely used in the ground-attack role during the Vietnam War.

On May 1, 1967, during a sortie against Kép Air Base, North Vietnam, Lieutenant Commander Theodore R. Swartz of Squadron VA-76, flying from USS Bon Homme Richard, shot down a MiG-17 with Zuni rockets. This was the only MiG aircraft to be downed by a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk during the Vietnam War.[7] Lieutenant Commander Swartz received the Silver Star for his action.[8]

Later that year, improper handling of a Mk 32 Zuni rocket and other munitions was responsible for a serious fire aboard USS Forrestal aircraft carrier, which killed 134 men. Two years later, in early 1969, a similar incident on the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier resulted in 27 dead, 314 injured and the loss of fifteen aircraft.[9][10][11]

In January 2023, the United States announced that it would be supplying 4,000 Zuni rockets to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for use in the Russo-Ukrainian War.[12]

Rocket motors and warheads edit

The Zuni family consists out of several different rocket motors and warheads:

Rocket motors[13][14][15]
Designation Weight Thrust Length
Mk.16 56.5 lbs (25.6 kg) 7500 lbs (33.3KN) for 1.04s 77 in (2m)
Mk.71 Mod.0 66.85 lbs (30.3 kg) 7780 lbs (34.6KN) for 1.17s 76.3 in (1.9m)
Mk.71 Mod.1 79.5 lbs (36 kg) 8100 lbs (36KN) for 1.8s 82.3 in (2.1m)
Warheads[13][16][17]
Warhead designation Type Weight Filler Additional information
Mk.24 HE 48 lbs (21.7 kg) 9.5 lbs (4.3 kg) Comp.B The head produces over 500 fragments that penetrate up to 3/8" (9.5mm) mild steel at 30 ft (9.1m) distance upon detonation.

When using the Mk.191 base detonating fuze this warhead can penetrate:

  • 2" (50.8mm) Class B armor,
  • 3 ft (914mm) reinforced concrete
  • 30 ft (9.1m) soft earth.
Mk.32 ATAP (Anti-Tank Anti Personnel)/ HEAT-FRAG 45.7 lbs (20,72 kg) 15 lbs (6.8 kg) Comp.B The head produces over 2000 1/4" (6.35mm) square fragments that are capable of damaging light vehicles in a radius of 70 ft (21.3m)

When issued with a point detonating fuze the HEAT warhead penetrates:

  • 18" (457mm) at 0° angle
  • 7" (178mm) at 65° angle
Mk.33 Illumination 46 lbs (20.8 kg) 7 lbs (3.17 kg) pyrotechnic material Flare burns 70 seconds at 1,750,000 cp
Mk.34 Smoke 51 lbs (23 kg) 19.3 lbs (8.7 kg) WP
Mk.63 HE-Frag 56.5 lbs (25.6 kg) 15 lbs (6.8 kg) Comp.B
Mk.84 Chaff 47 lbs (21.3 kg) 12 chaff cassetts
Practice Practice same as simulated warhead Mod. inert

Student use edit

The Australian Government has donated its Zuni rockets to the Australian Space Research Institute (ASRI) and they are used for student experiments which are launched from the Woomera launching range.

ASRI has also designed and constructed custom nosecones and payload recovery mechanisms for the Zuni. With a payload of 20 kg, the Zuni has an approximate range of 5.9 km, which it attains in about 40 seconds, experiencing 55 G and 491 m/s (Mach 1.4) during the flight.

Laser Guided Zuni Rocket edit

The 5-inch (127 mm) Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is a precision weapon and an upgrade to the unguided Zuni rocket. The North American division of MBDA is the only manufacturer of the Laser Guided Zuni Rocket,[18] which is similar to the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System upgrade to the Hydra 70 system.[19] The Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is composed of the new WGU-58/B Guidance and Control Section that is attached to the front end of an unguided Zuni rocket and warhead. The weapon requires semi-active laser energy to guide to a precise target.[20] The Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is on the U.S. Marine Corps Aviation Weapons Roadmap and Plan[19] and is compatible with any aircraft that is cleared to carry unguided Zunis in a four-place LAU-10 Launcher, including AV-8B Harriers, F/A-18 Hornets, AH-1 Cobra helicopters and P-3 Orion aircraft.[18] The precision weapon fits in the same launcher as unguided Zunis and requires only a 28V firing pulse and a semi-active laser designator. The weapon was developed under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Weapons Division of the U.S. Navy's Air Warfare Center in China Lake, California.[21]

In 2009, the Laser Guided Zuni Rocket was successfully tested against both a stationary[20] and moving targets.[21][22] The weapon successfully underwent a live fire warhead test flight in September 2010.[23][page needed]

References edit

Notes
  1. ^ . DoD 101. FAS. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  2. ^ . Air & space. SI. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  3. ^ . Boutique aero. Archived from the original (infographic) on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  4. ^ "Air-Launched 5-Inch Rockets". Designation systems. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  5. ^ "Zuni missile". National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved May 19, 2020 – via SI.
  6. ^ Husseini. "Wars in the Mach-2 era (1961–1970)". PAF Over the years (rev. ed.). directorate of Media Affairs, Pakistan Air Force. p. 45.
  7. ^ Grossnick and Armstrong 1997
  8. ^ Marolda, Edward J. (1 July 1996). By Sea, Air, and Land: An Illustrated History of the U. S. Navy and the War in Southeast Asia. Diane Publishing. p. 391 – via Internet Archive. Theodore Swartz 1 May 1967.
  9. ^ "The USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) fire and munition explosions". The History of Insensitive Munitions – via Insensitive munitions.
  10. ^ https://sma.nasa.gov/docs/default-source/safety-messages/safetymessage-2007-12-01-explosionsaboardussforrestal.pdf?sfvrsn=9fa91ef8_4
  11. ^ https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2022/august/dissecting-carrier-disaster
  12. ^ "More Than $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine" (Press release). United States Department of Defense. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  13. ^ a b NAVWEAPS OP2210 Aircraft Rockets June 1960
  14. ^ OV-10 bronco Tactical manual - Page 119
  15. ^ "Air-Launched 5-Inch Rockets". www.designation-systems.net. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  16. ^ OV-10 Bronco tactical manual - Page 114
  17. ^ 5 inch Folding Fin Aircraft Rockt Zuni [1]
  18. ^ a b WGU-58/B Laser Guided Zuni Rocket Data Sheet, MBDA April 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ a b (PDF). USMC. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2007.
  20. ^ a b . January 9, 2010. Archived from the original on 2019-09-28. Retrieved December 27, 2015 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ a b Laser Guided Zuni (TM) Moving Target Shot August, 2009. January 9, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2015 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ Jean Dupont10/6/2009, MBDA Incorporated Scores a Direct Hit in a Moving Target Demonstration of the Semi-Active Laser Guided Zuni Rocket, MBDA October 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ "MBDA Inc". Retrieved December 27, 2015.
Bibliography
  • Grossnick, R. and Armstrong W.J. (1997). United States Naval Aviation, 1910–1995. Naval Historical Center. ISBN 0-16-049124-X.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Zuni rockets at Wikimedia Commons

January 01, 1970
zuni, rocket, zuni, inch, folding, aircraft, rocket, ffar, simply, zuni, unguided, rocket, developed, hunter, douglas, division, bridgeport, brass, company, deployed, united, states, armed, forces, french, force, rocket, developed, both, ground, operations, us. The Zuni 5 inch Folding Fin Aircraft Rocket FFAR or simply Zuni is a 5 0 in 127 mm unguided rocket developed by the Hunter Douglas Division of Bridgeport Brass Company and deployed by the United States Armed Forces 1 2 and the French Air Force 3 The rocket was developed for both air to air and air to ground operations It can be used to carry various types of warheads including chaff for countermeasures It is usually fired from the LAU 10 rocket pod holding four rockets ZuniTypeAir to surface rocketPlace of originUnited StatesService historyUsed byUnited States militaryFrench Air ForceUkrainian Air ForceProduction historyProduced1957 presentSpecificationsMass79 5 pounds 36 1 kg motor only Length77 inches 2 000 mm Diameter5 inches 127 mm WarheadvariousEngineSolid fuel rocketOperationalrange5 miles 8 0 km Maximum speed1 615 miles per hour 2 599 km h GuidancesystemNone Contents 1 Development 2 Operational history 3 Rocket motors and warheads 4 Student use 5 Laser Guided Zuni Rocket 6 References 7 External linksDevelopment editIn the early 1950s U S Navy engineers Naval Ordnance Test Station China Lake began to develop a new 12 7 cm unguided rocket to replace the High Velocity Aircraft Rocket nbsp A VA 113 A 4F launching Zunis during the Battle of Khe Sanh 1968 The Zuni was designed as a modular system to allow the use of different types of warheads and fuzes One type of warhead had a proximity fuze as the rocket was originally intended to be used as an air to air rocket This led to its selection as the basis for the AIM 9 Sidewinder airframe in the early 1950s The Zuni was approved for production in 1957 A number of different launchers were tested for the Zuni e g the twin tube launchers fitted to the Sidewinder launching rails of the Vought F 8 Crusader However four tube LAU 10 A series pods became the most commonly used launcher 4 The Zuni was named after the Zuni Native American tribe in modern day New Mexico 5 Operational history editThe 5 inch Zuni rockets were first used in combat by F 86F Sabres belonging to the Pakistan Air Force during the Indo Pakistani War of 1965 6 nbsp Sailors aboard Forrestal battle a massive ordnance fire triggered by a Zuni rocket The Zuni was widely used in the ground attack role during the Vietnam War On May 1 1967 during a sortie against Kep Air Base North Vietnam Lieutenant Commander Theodore R Swartz of Squadron VA 76 flying from USS Bon Homme Richard shot down a MiG 17 with Zuni rockets This was the only MiG aircraft to be downed by a Douglas A 4 Skyhawk during the Vietnam War 7 Lieutenant Commander Swartz received the Silver Star for his action 8 Later that year improper handling of a Mk 32 Zuni rocket and other munitions was responsible for a serious fire aboard USS Forrestal aircraft carrier which killed 134 men Two years later in early 1969 a similar incident on the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier resulted in 27 dead 314 injured and the loss of fifteen aircraft 9 10 11 In January 2023 the United States announced that it would be supplying 4 000 Zuni rockets to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for use in the Russo Ukrainian War 12 Rocket motors and warheads editThe Zuni family consists out of several different rocket motors and warheads Rocket motors 13 14 15 Designation Weight Thrust Length Mk 16 56 5 lbs 25 6 kg 7500 lbs 33 3KN for 1 04s 77 in 2m Mk 71 Mod 0 66 85 lbs 30 3 kg 7780 lbs 34 6KN for 1 17s 76 3 in 1 9m Mk 71 Mod 1 79 5 lbs 36 kg 8100 lbs 36KN for 1 8s 82 3 in 2 1m Warheads 13 16 17 Warhead designation Type Weight Filler Additional information Mk 24 HE 48 lbs 21 7 kg 9 5 lbs 4 3 kg Comp B The head produces over 500 fragments that penetrate up to 3 8 9 5mm mild steel at 30 ft 9 1m distance upon detonation When using the Mk 191 base detonating fuze this warhead can penetrate 2 50 8mm Class B armor 3 ft 914mm reinforced concrete 30 ft 9 1m soft earth Mk 32 ATAP Anti Tank Anti Personnel HEAT FRAG 45 7 lbs 20 72 kg 15 lbs 6 8 kg Comp B The head produces over 2000 1 4 6 35mm square fragments that are capable of damaging light vehicles in a radius of 70 ft 21 3m When issued with a point detonating fuze the HEAT warhead penetrates 18 457mm at 0 angle 7 178mm at 65 angle Mk 33 Illumination 46 lbs 20 8 kg 7 lbs 3 17 kg pyrotechnic material Flare burns 70 seconds at 1 750 000 cp Mk 34 Smoke 51 lbs 23 kg 19 3 lbs 8 7 kg WP Mk 63 HE Frag 56 5 lbs 25 6 kg 15 lbs 6 8 kg Comp B Mk 84 Chaff 47 lbs 21 3 kg 12 chaff cassetts Practice Practice same as simulated warhead Mod inertStudent use editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed July 2020 Learn how and when to remove this message The Australian Government has donated its Zuni rockets to the Australian Space Research Institute ASRI and they are used for student experiments which are launched from the Woomera launching range ASRI has also designed and constructed custom nosecones and payload recovery mechanisms for the Zuni With a payload of 20 kg the Zuni has an approximate range of 5 9 km which it attains in about 40 seconds experiencing 55 G and 491 m s Mach 1 4 during the flight Laser Guided Zuni Rocket editThe 5 inch 127 mm Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is a precision weapon and an upgrade to the unguided Zuni rocket The North American division of MBDA is the only manufacturer of the Laser Guided Zuni Rocket 18 which is similar to the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System upgrade to the Hydra 70 system 19 The Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is composed of the new WGU 58 B Guidance and Control Section that is attached to the front end of an unguided Zuni rocket and warhead The weapon requires semi active laser energy to guide to a precise target 20 The Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is on the U S Marine Corps Aviation Weapons Roadmap and Plan 19 and is compatible with any aircraft that is cleared to carry unguided Zunis in a four place LAU 10 Launcher including AV 8B Harriers F A 18 Hornets AH 1 Cobra helicopters and P 3 Orion aircraft 18 The precision weapon fits in the same launcher as unguided Zunis and requires only a 28V firing pulse and a semi active laser designator The weapon was developed under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Weapons Division of the U S Navy s Air Warfare Center in China Lake California 21 In 2009 the Laser Guided Zuni Rocket was successfully tested against both a stationary 20 and moving targets 21 22 The weapon successfully underwent a live fire warhead test flight in September 2010 23 page needed References editNotes Zuni 5 0 Inch 130 mm Rocket DoD 101 FAS Archived from the original on May 8 2016 Retrieved December 27 2015 Zuni Missile Air amp space SI Archived from the original on July 22 2019 Retrieved September 14 2017 French Jaguar A armaments list Boutique aero Archived from the original infographic on 2022 12 12 Retrieved 2021 01 21 Air Launched 5 Inch Rockets Designation systems Retrieved December 27 2015 Zuni missile National Air and Space Museum Retrieved May 19 2020 via SI Husseini Wars in the Mach 2 era 1961 1970 PAF Over the years rev ed directorate of Media Affairs Pakistan Air Force p 45 Grossnick and Armstrong 1997 Marolda Edward J 1 July 1996 By Sea Air and Land An Illustrated History of the U S Navy and the War in Southeast Asia Diane Publishing p 391 via Internet Archive Theodore Swartz 1 May 1967 The USS Enterprise CVAN 65 fire and munition explosions The History of Insensitive Munitions via Insensitive munitions https sma nasa gov docs default source safety messages safetymessage 2007 12 01 explosionsaboardussforrestal pdf sfvrsn 9fa91ef8 4 https www usni org magazines naval history magazine 2022 august dissecting carrier disaster More Than 3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine Press release United States Department of Defense 6 January 2022 Retrieved 6 January 2023 a b NAVWEAPS OP2210 Aircraft Rockets June 1960 OV 10 bronco Tactical manual Page 119 Air Launched 5 Inch Rockets www designation systems net Retrieved 2019 02 09 OV 10 Bronco tactical manual Page 114 5 inch Folding Fin Aircraft Rockt Zuni 1 a b WGU 58 B Laser Guided Zuni Rocket Data Sheet MBDA Archived April 8 2011 at the Wayback Machine a b 2007 Marine Aviation Plan PDF USMC Archived from the original PDF on November 27 2007 a b Laser Guided Zuni TM Stationary Target Composite Video Public Release May 2009 January 9 2010 Archived from the original on 2019 09 28 Retrieved December 27 2015 via YouTube a b Laser Guided Zuni TM Moving Target Shot August 2009 January 9 2010 Retrieved December 27 2015 via YouTube Jean Dupont10 6 2009 MBDA Incorporated Scores a Direct Hit in a Moving Target Demonstration of the Semi Active Laser Guided Zuni Rocket MBDA Archived October 17 2010 at the Wayback Machine MBDA Inc Retrieved December 27 2015 Bibliography Grossnick R and Armstrong W J 1997 United States Naval Aviation 1910 1995 Naval Historical Center ISBN 0 16 049124 X External links edit nbsp Media related to Zuni rockets at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Zuni rocket amp oldid 1214296013, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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