Wikipedia

Type 4 40 cm rocket launcher

The Type 4 40 cm rocket (四式四〇糎噴進, Yonshiki yonjū-senchi funshinhō) was a 400 mm (16 in) rocket used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the final stages of World War II.

Type 4 40 cm rocket launcher
Type 4 40 cm rocket
TypeRocket artillery
Place of origin Empire of Japan
Service history
In service1943–1945
Used byImperial Japanese Army
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Designed1944[1]
Produced1945[2]
No. built1,700 wooden launchers during 1945, less than 200 rockets starting May 1945 [3]
Specifications
Mass220 kilograms (490 lb)
Barrel length3.22 metres (10 ft 7 in)
Shell508 kilograms (1,120 lb)
Caliber400 mm (16 in)
Elevation40° to +65°
Muzzle velocity220 m/s (720 ft/s)
Maximum firing range3,700 metres (4,000 yd)

Development and design

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The Type 4 40cm rocket was developed in the final stages of World War II by the Imperial Japanese Army Technical Bureau, as a relatively low-cost, easy to produce weapon, which had an advantage of greater accuracy over conventional mortars in that it fired a spin-stabilized projectile. Due to its ease of construction, it was produced in limited numbers and distributed to hidden arsenals for use as last-ditch weapons during the projected Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands. Unlike the Japanese Type 4 20cm rocket mortar, the Type 4 40cm rocket did not see action and stocks were confined to the mainland. [4]

The Type 4 40cm rocket was restricted to launch via standardized fixed wooden troughs which were largely constructed by Japanese Army garrison toops, and not steel tubes like the Type 4 20cm rocket mortar. During 1945 construction of the fixed wooden launchers outpaced actual production of the Type 4 40cm rocket. Range of the Type 4 40cm rocket was controlled via variable bleeding of the propellant gases. [5] [6] [7]

References

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  • Bishop, Chris (eds) The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Barnes & Nobel. 1998. ISBN 0-7607-1022-8
  • Chamberlain, Peter and Gander, Terry. Heavy Field Artillery. Macdonald and Jane's (1975). ISBN 0-356-08215-6
  • McLean, Donald B. Japanese Artillery; Weapons and Tactics. Wickenburg, Ariz.: Normount Technical Publications 1973. ISBN 0-87947-157-3.
  • US Department of War, TM 30-480, Handbook on Japanese Military Forces, Louisiana State University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-8071-2013-8
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Notes

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  1. ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 135). Helion and Company.
  2. ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 135). Helion and Company.
  3. ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 135). Helion and Company.
  4. ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 135). Helion and Company.
  5. ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 135). Helion and Company.
  6. ^ [1] Taki's Imperial Japanese Army home page
  7. ^ [2] Taki's Imperial Japanese Army home page
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