Zuni (rocket)

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title: "Zuni (rocket)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["air-to-air-rockets-of-the-united-states", "air-to-ground-rockets-of-the-united-states", "cold-war-rockets-of-the-united-states", "military-equipment-introduced-in-the-1950s"] topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuni_(rocket)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox weapon"]

FieldValue
nameZuni
imageZuni unguided rocket.jpg
image_size300
originUnited States
typeAir-to-surface rocket
is_missile
used_byUnited States military
French Air Force
Ukrainian Air Force
production_date1957–present
number
weight79.5 lb (motor only)
length77 in
diameter5 in
filling
yield
engineSolid-fuel rocket
vehicle_range5 mi
speed1615 mph
guidanceNone
steering
::

| name = Zuni | image = Zuni unguided rocket.jpg | image_size = 300 | caption = | origin = United States | type = Air-to-surface rocket | is_missile = yes | service = | used_by = United States military French Air Force Ukrainian Air Force | designer = | design_date = | production_date = 1957–present | manufacturer = | number = | spec_label = | weight = 79.5 lb (motor only) | length = 77 in | width = | diameter = 5 in | filling = various | detonation = | yield = | engine = Solid-fuel rocket | engine_power = | pw_ratio = | payload_capacity = | fuel_capacity = | vehicle_range = 5 mi | speed = 1615 mph | guidance = None | steering = | propellant = | ceiling = | altitude = | accuracy = | launch_platform = | transport =

The Zuni 5-inch Folding-Fin Aircraft Rocket (FFAR), or simply Zuni, is a 5.0 in 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 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.

Development

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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/A-4F_VA-113_launching_Zuni_rockets_1968.jpg" caption="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.

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

Operational history

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. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/USS_Forrestal_explosion_29_July_1967.jpg" caption="''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 , 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. Lieutenant Commander Swartz received the Silver Star for his action.

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.

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. The US transferred its last supplies of Zuni rockets to Ukraine. In June 2024, it was reported that Ukraine had expended its supply of Zuni rockets, possibly indicating the extinction of the weapon system.

Rocket motors and warheads

The Zuni family consists out of several different rocket motors and warheads: ::data[format=table title="Rocket motors{{Cite web|url=https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ago_AU-axFSTaDn6eASrbnx73i0|title=Microsoft OneDrive}}OV-10 bronco Tactical manual - [https://i.imgur.com/yYWiVaa.png Page 119]{{Cite web|url=http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/5in-rockets.html|title=Air-Launched 5-Inch Rockets|website=www.designation-systems.net|access-date=2019-02-09}}"]

DesignationWeightThrustLength
Mk.1656.5 lbs (25.6 kg)7500 lbs (33.3KN) for 1.04s77 in (2m)
Mk.71 Mod.066.85 lbs (30.3 kg)7780 lbs (34.6KN) for 1.17s76.3 in (1.9m)
Mk.71 Mod.179.5 lbs (36 kg)8100 lbs (36KN) for 1.8s82.3 in (2.1m)
::

::data[format=table title="WarheadsOV-10 Bronco tactical manual - [https://i.imgur.com/8T9PTT1.png Page 114]{{Cite web |date=1960-12-15 |title=5.0-Inch high-performance folding-fin aircraft rocket Zuni |url=https://www.bulletpicker.com/pdf/OP%202626,%20Zuni.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822062416/https://www.bulletpicker.com/pdf/OP%202626%2C%20Zuni.pdf |archive-date=2021-08-22 |website=www.bulletpicker.com}}"]

Warhead designationTypeWeightFillerAdditional information
Mk.24HE48 lbs (21.7 kg)9.5 lbs (4.3 kg) Comp.BThe head produces over 500 fragments that penetrate up to 3/8" (9.5mm) mild steel at 30 ft (9.1m) distance upon detonation.
Mk.32ATAP (Anti-Tank Anti Personnel)/ HEAT-FRAG45.7 lbs (20,72 kg)15 lbs (6.8 kg) Comp.BThe 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)
Mk.33Illumination46 lbs (20.8 kg)7 lbs (3.17 kg) pyrotechnic materialFlare burns 70 seconds at 1,750,000 cp
Mk.34Smoke51 lbs (23 kg)19.3 lbs (8.7 kg) WP
Mk.63HE-Frag56.5 lbs (25.6 kg)15 lbs (6.8 kg) Comp.B
Mk.84Chaff47 lbs (21.3 kg)12 chaff cassetts
PracticePracticesame as simulated warhead Mod.inert
::

Student use

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

ASRI has 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

The 5 in 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, which is similar to the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System upgrade to the Hydra 70 system.

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. The Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is on the U.S. Marine Corps Aviation Weapons Roadmap and Plan 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.

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.

In 2009, the Laser Guided Zuni Rocket was successfully tested against both a stationary In September 2010, the weapon successfully underwent a live fire warhead test flight.

References

; Notes

; Bibliography

References

  1. "Zuni 5.0-Inch [130 mm] Rocket". FAS.
  2. "Zuni Missile". SI.
  3. "French Jaguar A armaments list". Boutique aero.
  4. "Air-Launched 5-Inch Rockets". Designation systems.
  5. "Zuni missile". National Air and Space Museum.
  6. Husseini. "PAF Over the years". directorate of Media Affairs, Pakistan Air Force.
  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.
  9. "The USS ''Enterprise'' (CVAN-65) fire and munition explosions". The History of Insensitive Munitions.
  10. "Forrestal in Flames". [[NASA]].
  11. "Dissecting a Carrier Disaster | Naval History Magazine - August 2022, Volume 36, Number 4".
  12. (6 January 2022). "More Than $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine". [[United States Department of Defense]].
  13. (2024-07-22). "The Last of America’s 66-Year Old Zuni Rockets Have Been Deployed".
  14. (July 22, 2024). "The Last of America’s 66-Year Old Zuni Rockets Have Been Deployed".
  15. "Microsoft OneDrive".
  16. OV-10 bronco Tactical manual - [https://i.imgur.com/yYWiVaa.png Page 119]
  17. "Air-Launched 5-Inch Rockets".
  18. OV-10 Bronco tactical manual - [https://i.imgur.com/8T9PTT1.png Page 114]
  19. (1960-12-15). "5.0-Inch high-performance folding-fin aircraft rocket Zuni".
  20. [http://www.mbdainc.com/downloads/zuni-data.pdf WGU-58/B Laser Guided Zuni Rocket Data Sheet], MBDA {{webarchive. link. (April 8, 2011)
  21. "2007 Marine Aviation Plan". USMC.
  22. (January 9, 2010). "Laser Guided Zuni (TM) Stationary Target Composite Video Public Release May, 2009".
  23. (January 9, 2010). "Laser Guided Zuni (TM) Moving Target Shot August, 2009".
  24. link. (October 17, 2010)
  25. "MBDA Inc.".

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air-to-air-rockets-of-the-united-statesair-to-ground-rockets-of-the-united-statescold-war-rockets-of-the-united-statesmilitary-equipment-introduced-in-the-1950s