R4M rocket

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The R4M rocket, nicknamed the Orkan (German, meaning "Hurricane") due to its distinctive smoke trail when fired, was the first practical anti-aircraft rocket. It was developed by the Luftwaffe during World War II, and used operationally for a very brief time just prior to the end of the war. In the post-war period the R4M served as the pattern for a number of similar systems, used by almost all interceptor aircraft during the 1940s and '50s.

The R4M was developed in order to deal with the increasing weight of anti-bomber weapons being deployed by the Luftwaffe fighters. Their designs had started out with the 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, but it was found that it took an average of 23 rounds from one of these guns in order to down a B-17 Flying Fortress, a number that was difficult to achieve. The 20 mm cannons were then replaced, or supplanted, with the 30 mm MK 108 cannon, which could bring down a bomber with only three hits. However the MK108 was much heavier, and the larger ammunition made it difficult to carry more than one or two "passes" worth of ammunition. Worse, the low muzzle velocity of these guns meant that the fighter had to come quite close to the bombers, and therefore place themselves within the range of the defensive guns. The more powerful MK 103 cannon had higher muzzle velocity and increased the standoff range, but only at the cost of greatly increased weight and size.

The solution was to replace the gun with a small solid-fuel rocket engine, mounting a warhead similar to that of the cannon shells. The R4M in fact used a much larger warhead of 55 mm utilizing a Hexogen explosive charge, one that was selected to guarantee a kill with a single hit. Each R4M weighed 3.2 kg, and was provided with enough fuel to be fired effectively from 1000 m, outside the range of the bomber's defensive guns. A battery typically consisted of two groups of 12 rockets, and when all 24 were fired at once they would fill an area about 15 by 30 m at 1000 m, dense enough that one was almost certain to hit its target. The R4Ms were usually fired in four salvos of six missiles each at intervals of 0.07 seconds from a range of 600 meters. The main body of the rocket consisted of a simple steel tube with flip-out fins on the tail for stabilization. Two warheads were available for the R4M, the common PB-3 with a 0.4 kg charge for anti-aircraft use, and the larger shaped charge, similar in construction to the Panzerschreck PB-2 for use in the anti-tank role.

Only a small number of aircraft were ever fitted with the R4M, mostly Messerschmitt Me 262s and the ground attack version of the Fw 190s, which mounted them on small wooden racks under the wings in both aircraft.

In service, the weapon proved at times effective and at other times almost futile. French ace Pierre Clostermann notes in his book The Big Show that in March 1945, six R4M-armed Me 262s flying out of the Oberammergau flight test center and led by Luftwaffe General Gordon Gollob claimed to have shot down 14 B-17s in a single mission. In another instance in April 1945, R4M-equipped Me 262s claimed to have shot down 30 B-17s for the loss of only three aircraft, but records from the Allied forces show only 5 B-17s lost during the timeframe claimed. Overall however the Luftwaffe pilots found the R4M missiles to be highly unpredictable in flight, due to their unguided nature and the use of Revi gunsites for aiming. In early use the missiles often fell short of target due to the claim that the missile was effective at 1000 meters. In combat, the missile was found to be most effective at 600 meters.

After the war the R4M served as the pattern for both the US 2.75 in (70 mm) FFAR (Fin-Folding Aerial Rocket) and the larger 5 in (127 mm) Zuni.