The 5-inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rocket or FFAR was an American
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
developed during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
for attack from airplanes against ground and ship targets.
Operational history
The first FFARs were developed by the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
and introduced in June 1943. They had a 3.5-inch diameter and a non-explosive warhead, since they were used as an aircraft-launched ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) rocket and worked by puncturing the hull. It was accurate enough for use against surface ships and land targets, but these missions required an explosive warhead.
[Parsch 2004] A 5-inch anti-aircraft shell was attached to the 3.5-inch rocket motor, creating the 5-Inch FFAR, which entered service in December 1943. Performance was limited because of the increased weight, limiting speed to 780 km/h (485 mph).
[Parsch 2006] The
High Velocity Aircraft Rocket, or HVAR, was developed to fix this flaw.
The FFAR was used by the
Douglas SBD Dauntless
The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/di ...
(dive bomber), the
Grumman TBF Avenger
The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval a ...
(torpedo bomber) and the
Vought F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contract ...
(carrier based fighter).
See also
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RP-3
The RP-3 (from Rocket Projectile 3 inch) was a British air to ground rocket projectile introduced during the Second World War. The "3 inch" designation referred to the nominal diameter of the rocket motor tube. The use of a warhead gave rise to ...
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3.5-Inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rocket
The 3.5-inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rocket, or 3.5-Inch FFAR, was an American rocket (weapon), rocket developed during World War II to allow aircraft to attack enemy submarines at range. The rocket proved an operational success, and spawned sev ...
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2.75 inch FFAR
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Zuni rocket
The Zuni 5-inch Folding-Fin Aircraft Rocket (FFAR), or simply Zuni, is a unguided rocket developed by the Hunter-Douglas Division of Bridgeport Brass Company and deployed by the United States armed forces, and the French Air Force. The rocket was ...
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List of rockets
There are several different types of rockets. The following articles contain lists of rockets by type:
* List of missiles
* List of orbital launch systems
* List of sounding rockets
* List of military rockets
* List of rocket stages
See also
* C ...
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
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External links
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
Air-to-ground rockets of the United States
World War II weapons of the United States
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1943
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