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Air-to-Ground Weapons 105
Unguided Rockets
Despite the existence of high-accuracy weapons, unguided rockets remain a
powerful and flexible air-to-ground weapon, combining high combat efficiency and
simplicity of use with low cost. An unguided rocket has a relatively simple design
and consists of a fuse and a warhead in the nose part followed by the rocket body
with a solid-propellant motor and stabilizer. Unguided rockets are usually placed in
special rocket pods.
The rocket motor begins to operate at the moment of launch. Due to thrust
provided by the motor, which usually operates from 0.7 to 1.1 seconds depending
on the rocket type, the rocket accelerates to 2100–2800 km/h. After the motor
burns out, the rocket coasts, gradually slowing down because of air resistance.
Like a projectile, the unguided rocket follows a ballistic trajectory. To provide steady
flight, a rocket has a stabilizer located in its tail part. It serves to align the
longitudinal axis of the rocket with its velocity vector. As unguided rockets are
usually carried in launching pods, the stabilizer fins are kept folded inside the
launch tubes of the pod. When the pilot launches the rocket, the stabilizer fins flip
out into a fixed position.
Some types of unguided rockets stabilize by spinning themselves about the
longitudinal axis. To spin, a rocket can utilize specially shaped stabilizer fins (for
small caliber rockets), or rifled nozzles in the launch tubes. Angular velocity of
rotation ranges between 450 rpm and 1500 rpm and develops within a short
interval after the launch.
Depending on combat tasks, the pilot can employ unguided rockets of different
caliber (from 57mm up to 370mm in diameter), fitted with fuses and warheads of
appropriate types. A fuse can detonate on hitting the target, as, for example, in
the case of an armor-piercing warhead, or at a certain distance from the launching
platform, as in the case of a flare warhead.
Hit accuracy is characterized by an effective range, which depends on the type of
unguided rocket. Since a rocket flies without any guidance, its accuracy decreases
as the distance to the target increases.
Each type of unguided rocket has a specific possible launch zone limited by
effective launch range and by safety range. The safety range depends on the
warhead type and weight and should prevent the launching aircraft from being
damaged by the debris after the warhead explosion.
The pilot mostly employs unguided rockets at airspeeds of 600-1000 km/h while
diving 10–30°. By maneuvering the aircraft, the pilot should line up on the target.
Before the aircraft enters the rocket launch envelope, the pilot should place the
aiming reticle on the target and, on entering the launch envelope, pull the trigger
to launch.
S-8 Rocket
The S-8 is a medium-caliber, unguided rocket (80mm in diameter) placed into the
twenty-canister B-8 rocket pod. The S-8 has an effective range of 2000 m. The
margin of error is roughly 0.3% of launch range; rockets fired at a range of
2000 m hit within a circle of 6 m in diameter. The S-8 is normally deployed with a
shaped-charge fragmentation warhead effective against soft targets. Armorpiercing
(capable of penetrating 0.8m of reinforced concrete) and fragmentation
warheads are also available.