klem
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The 70 mm Rapid Deployment Multiple Rocket Weapon System or RD-MRWS was a joint development undertaken during the 1980s by the US Army and BEI Defense Systems of Euless, Texas, to provide rapid deployment forces with a lightweight land-based ground support rocket system. Overall the intention was to deploy in-service 70 mm HYDRA 70 aircraft launch pods installed on ground launchers Typical launch platforms proposed include converted 105 mm howitzer carriages, obsolete chemical rocket launch traiers. converted quadruple machine gun mountings, or purpose-built pedestal installations to be camed on light vehicles. Also developed was a tripod-mounted man-portable launcher for up to four rockets.
The basis of the RD-MRWS is a reloadable seven-round or 19-round launch pod originally intended for use with aircraft or helicopters. Up to eight of these pods can be mounted on a single towed mounting or vehicle installation with a control unit selecting how many rockets and/or podis could be fired at one time. Atypical installation would be a six-pod launcher on a towed trailer, with a four-man crew taking about 10 minutes to load the pods. Rockets could then be fired either individually or in two or four-round salvos - if required all six pods could be emptied in less than seven seconds.
The choice of HYDRA 70 rocket types is wide Starting with a standard HE warhead weighing 4.5 kg, other rocket types available include a cargo warhead carrying various types of multi-purpose sub-munition an anti-armour shaped charge warhead, anti-personnel warhead containing fechettes, screening smoke, illuminating, radar- jamming chaff dispensers Fuze options vary as widely as the warheads, Ranges vary from 700 metres to over 15000 metres. (Artillery: Guns and Rocket Systems / TJ. O'Malley-Greenhill military manuals 1994).(https://www.combatreform.org/groundrockets.htm)
The basis of the RD-MRWS is a reloadable seven-round or 19-round launch pod originally intended for use with aircraft or helicopters. Up to eight of these pods can be mounted on a single towed mounting or vehicle installation with a control unit selecting how many rockets and/or podis could be fired at one time. Atypical installation would be a six-pod launcher on a towed trailer, with a four-man crew taking about 10 minutes to load the pods. Rockets could then be fired either individually or in two or four-round salvos - if required all six pods could be emptied in less than seven seconds.
The choice of HYDRA 70 rocket types is wide Starting with a standard HE warhead weighing 4.5 kg, other rocket types available include a cargo warhead carrying various types of multi-purpose sub-munition an anti-armour shaped charge warhead, anti-personnel warhead containing fechettes, screening smoke, illuminating, radar- jamming chaff dispensers Fuze options vary as widely as the warheads, Ranges vary from 700 metres to over 15000 metres. (Artillery: Guns and Rocket Systems / TJ. O'Malley-Greenhill military manuals 1994).(https://www.combatreform.org/groundrockets.htm)
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