Type 4 Incendiary Rocket | |
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![]() A 28 tubes rocket launcher | |
Type | anti-aircraft rocket |
Place of origin | Japan |
Service history | |
In service | 1944-1945 |
Used by | Imperial Japanese Navy |
Wars | Second World War |
Production history | |
Designed | 1943 |
Produced | 1944-1945 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 24 kg (53 lb) |
Length | 73 cm (29 in) |
Diameter | 12 cm (4.7 in) |
Warhead | 24 incendiary charges |
Detonation mechanism | Time fuze |
Engine | 6 solid propellant rockets |
Propellant | "Spécial DT6" (solid powder) |
Operational range | 4,800 m (5,200 yd) |
Maximum speed | 720 km/h (450 mph) |
Launch platform | 12 cm, 28 tubes rocket launcher Aircraft carrier, battleship |
The Roketto Yon-shiki Shō-san-dan (ロケット四式焼霰弾, "type 4 incendiary rocket"), sometimes just RoSa-dan (ロサ弾, "incendiary rocket", abbreviation of the name) where anti-aircraft rockets used by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the World War II, combining incendiary shrapnel elements.
This rocket was deployed on the 12 Senchi 28 Rensō Funshinhō (十二糎二八連装噴進砲, "12 cm, 28 tubes rocket launcher"), a specially built rocket launcher, and equipped on certain Japanese aircraft carriers and battleships.
The rocket is designated with the English borrowing "rocketto", but stays more commonly classified as a "shell" (弾, "dan"), borrowing partially the technology used by the Type 3 anti-aircraft shell "San Shiki".
The rockets were intended to put up a barrage of flame, by being notably equipped on a 28 rack rocket-launcher, through which any aircraft attempting to attack would have to navigate. However, much like the sanshiki shells, these rockets were not very effective, lacking in effect radius among other things.
These rockets were 12 cm (4.7 in) in diameter for 73 cm (29 in) long, and weighed 47 kg (104 lb). Similar to the " San Shiki", these rockets were made: [3] [4]
These rockets were deployed on a 28 tubes capacity rocket launcher, each rack having a length of 1 m (3.3 ft), and linked to the ship's anti-aircraft fire control system. The rockets were fired in pairs, with the ability to fire all 14 salvos in just 10 s, the rockets reaching a speed of 200 m/s (450 mph).
The rockets had a maximum range of 4.8 km (16,000 ft), with a maximum altitude of 2.6 km (8,500 ft).