Type 4 20 cm Rocket Launcher

Type 4 20 cm Rocket launcher

Type 4 20 cm Rocket Mortar at the Yasukuni Shrine
Type Rocket artillery
Place of origin  Empire of Japan
Service history
In service 1943-1945
Used by Imperial Japanese Army
Wars World War II
Specifications
Weight 227.6 kg (502 lb)
Barrel length 1.923 m (6 ft 4 in)

Shell 83.7 kg (185 lb)
Caliber 203 mm (8 in)
Elevation 40° to +65°
Traverse 300°
Muzzle velocity 175 m/s (570 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 2,400 m (2,600 yd)

The Type 4 20 cm Rocket Mortar (四式二十糎噴進砲 Yonshiki nijyū-senchi funshinhō) was a 203 mm rocket mortar used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the final stages of World War II.

Development and design

The Type 4 rocket mortar was developed in the final stages of World War II by the Japanese Army Technical Bureau, as a low-cost, easy to produce weapon, which had an advantage of greater accuracy over conventional mortars in that it fired spin-stabilized projectiles. The first units were deployed in 1943, and were used successfully in combat during the Battle of Iwo Jima and Battle of Okinawa. Due to its ease of construction and portability, the Type 4 was produced in large numbers and distributed to hidden arsenals for use as last-ditch weapons during the projected Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands.

Although the weapon came with a standard mortar tube with tripod mounting, if necessary, the rocket-propelled round could be launched from an ordinary pipe or culvert with sufficient diameter, wooden rails, or even directly from a slope in the ground. [1]

References

External links

Notes

  1. Taki's Imperial Japanese Army home page
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.