ROCKET BOMB

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 November 1943, Page 4

ROCKET BOMB

FORMIDABLE RUSSIAN DEVICE CAPABLE OF PIERCING ARMOUR. APPLICATION TO AIRCRAFT. A Russian rocket bomb-projectile which may foreshadow a revolution in aeroplane fireworks is described in a Swedish technical report as capable of piercing seven inches of armour plate, although it weighs only about 50 pounds. Details of the novel weapon, which was first heard of about a year ago, were given in a translation of a Swedish report on a Soviet Lagg-3 fighter released in London by the Ministry of Aircraft Production. The data was believed to have been obtained- from a plane which the Finns captured and allowed Swedish technicians to examine.

The report said that the projectiles were launched from a three-rail rack fitted under each wing of the Lagg monoplane. Drawings indicated that the missile is about two to three feet long and six or seven inches thick and looks like the conventional air bomb. The tail is fitted with four stabiliser vanes and a discharge nozzle. Siow-burning propellant charges are in the rear of the casing and are ignited electrically by a control in the cockpit. The forward part of the casing is the high explosive fragmentation type, set off on contact with the target. The propellant is said to increase penetration up to seven inches of armour plate. “A case is known where this weapon was used in aerial combat and it is stated that hits have been registered up to 60 metres range,” the _ report added,

These details, the fullest yet to be released-here, are of interest to those who see in rocket projectiles the answer to the search for a' means to mount heavier guns in planes. The big problem in this direction in the past has been the recoil and muzzle blast effect and so far the 40rnillimetre cannon mounted on tankbursting Hurricanes are the largest known to be in use.

If rockets which start slowly with a minimum of recoil and then gain speed could be adapted to planes, this problem might be largely overcome and enable planes to discharge missiles equal to the destructive power of heavy field guns. f The development of the so-called rocket in such weapons as the American “bazooka” gun opened the possibilities for guns of that type attached to planes and firing rocket-type projectiles through a simple barrel rather than off rails as the Russians have done.

Even though the “bazooka” is light enough to be held and fired by one man, it is known to have destructive power at least equal to a 75-millimetre field gun and presumably even a small aeroplane could mount a gun on similar lines, firing a much heavier projectile.