High Velocity Aircraft Rocket - Operational Service

Operational Service

Two different versions of the HVAR were built during World War II. The warheads were either 1) Mk 4 general purpose warheads with 7.5 lb of TNT and both nose and base fuses or 2) Mk 25 shaped-charge semi-armor-piercing warheads (having an internal copper cone) with 7.5 lb of Composition B and a base fuze only. HVAR testing was complete by D-Day, 6 June 1944, and air-lifted Navy HVAR rockets were soon being loaded on Ninth Air Force P-47Ds to support the break-out at Normandy. Other single-engine delivery aircraft included F4U Corsair, F6F Hellcat, TBF/TBM Avenger, and the SB2C Helldiver. Among twin engine aircraft sometimes armed with HVARs were the P-38 Lightning, PBJ-J1 Mitchell bomber and the PV-2 Harpoon bomber. HVAR could penetrate 4 ft of reinforced concrete and was used to sink transports, knock out pillboxes and AA gun emplacements, blow up ammo and oil-storage dumps, and destroy tanks, locomotives and bunkers.

Navy F4U Corsairs and TBF/TBM Avengers made the most extensive use of the rockets in the Pacific theater after the victory in Europe. Over a million HVARs were made during World War II, and production continued until 1955. HVARs remained in the inventory of the Navy's fleets until the mid-1960s. After World War II, newer versions included a new general purpose type with a proximity fuse, and a new shaped-charge warhead for use against tanks.

HVAR was an effective weapon in the hands of skilled, experienced pilots. It was less effective in the hands of average or inexperienced pilots who were accustomed to taking less careful aim and then “walking in” their gunfire to finally engage a target. HVARs could be fired in pairs or a single rapid-fire salvo but required accurate initial alignment and careful attention to range, or at least a good instinctive sense for the range to the target. HVARs were widely used in Korea. AD-1 Skyraiders often carried a dozen HVARs and sometimes a pair of larger but less accurate Tiny Tim rockets as well. Targets included ships, bunkers, pillboxes, coastal defense guns, ammunition dumps, and occasionally even destroyers and major bridges. Numerous F-51D Mustang “6 shooters” (six 50 cal machine guns plus six HVARs) and carrier-based Panther jets flew close air support in Korea. Panther carried 6 HVARs and four 20 mm cannons, while both planes could carry an additional pair of 500 lb bombs, napalm, or fuel tanks. Neil Armstrong and John Glenn were among the Panther pilots. It was in Korea where HVARs and Tiny Tims bridged the gap between prop planes and the jets: F-80C, F-84E, F9F Panther and F-86 Sabre. Jets gave the fighter pilots improved forward visibility. F-84E Thunderjets proved to be the most capable load-lifting fighter/bombers in Korea, demonstrating an ability to loft up to 24 HVARs and 2 Tiny Tims with a combined rocket weight of 5800 pounds.