High Velocity Aircraft Rocket

High Velocity Aircraft Rocket
TypeAir-to-surface rocket
Place of originUnited States
Service history
Used byUnited States military
Production history
Produced1944-1955
Specifications
Mass134 pounds (61 kg)
Length68 inches (173 cm)[1]
Diameter5 inches (127 mm)
Wingspan15.625 inches (39.7 cm)
Warhead7.5 pounds (3.4 kg) of TNT or Composition B
Warhead weight45.5 pounds (20.6 kg)

Engine52 inches (132 cm) long x 5 inches (12.7 cm) diameter solid propellant rocket motor
PropellantBallistite, extruded
Maximum speed 1,375 feet per second (419 m/s) plus speed of launching aircraft
Guidance
system
None
Launch
platform
Ground attack or multirole aircraft

The High Velocity Aircraft Rocket, or HVAR, also known by the nickname Holy Moses,[2] was an American unguided rocket developed during World War II to attack targets on the ground from aircraft. It saw extensive use during both World War II and the Korean War.

  1. ^ National Air & Space Museum HVAR exhibit and specifications display, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
  2. ^ Parsch 2006