NVA 122mm Rocket

By Crusader1307

One of the most used ground based Rocket (and System), The 122mm Rocket was used by both North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) Armies. They were fielded in 1966 and would remain dominant until the end of The War in 1975. The 122mm Rocket was 75-inches in length and weighted 102-pounds. Fin stabilization was used (4 on the tail of the rocket). The 122mm had an amazing range of between 3,000 and 7,000-meters, which a ''kill range'' (blast radius of 163-meters). Later ''modified versions'' claimed distances of 11,000-meters. A variety of ''homemade'' launching systems were developed, with the most common being a simple set of steerage wheels (metal), attached to a low elevation mechanism. Tubes ranged from 8 to 10-feet in length. Overall weight of the weapon launch system was around 120-pounds (making it quite easy for several soldiers to move and use). Several activation systems (primers) were also used. The simplest and most primitive – was a lanyard ''pull'', attached to a simple firing pin ring. Other versions used a more safer method of closed block (firing pin). Many 122mm Rockets were deployed against US Air Bases as well as US Army Base Camps throughout their history. As stated the speed in which a Crew could fire and move to another position (''Shoot and Scoot''), was very effective.