Air-to-air Rocket Website Links For
Rocket
 

Information About

Air-to-air Rocket




An air-to-air rocket or '''air interception rocket''' is an unguided projectile used in and after World War II to engage enemy bombers. Fighters are too maneuvrable to be effectively engaged with rockets.


HISTORY


The rise

Air-to-air rockets were invented in World War II to engage Bomber s because cannon fire proved ineffective at high closing speeds. On top of that, getting in the range to fire one's guns also meant getting in the range of the bomber's Tail Gun . The German R4M Rocket was the first practical rocket. It was highly succesful, but came to late to win the war for Germany. After experiencing the effectivity of the German rockets, both the Soviet Union and the United States started developing their own.


And fall

The invention of the Air-to-air Missile spelled the end for their unguided counterparts in the 1950s. The capability of steering during the flight trajectory significally increased the hit percentage over rockets. The United States built one last air-to-air rocket, the AIR-2 Genie . It used a Nuclear Warhead with a blast radius of 300m to compensate for it's inaccuracy.


LIST OF AIR-TO-AIR ROCKETS BY COUNTRY

Germany