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The RP-3 (from Rocket Projectile 3 inch) was a British rocket projectile used during and after the Second World War. Though primarily an air-to-ground weapon, it saw limited use in other roles. Its 60 lb (27 kg ) warhead gave rise to the alternative name of the "60 lb rocket"; the 25 lb (11.3 kg) solid-shot armour piercing variant was referred to as the "25 lb rocket". They were generally used by British fighter-bomber aircraft against targets such as tanks, trains, motor transport and buildings, and by Coastal Command and Royal Navy aircraft against U-boats and shipping. The "3 inch" designation referred to the diameter of the rocket motor tube. ==History== The first use of rockets fired from aircraft was during World War I. The "Unrotated Projectiles" were Le Prieur rockets which were mounted on the interplane struts of Nieuport fighters. These were used to attack observation balloons and were reasonably successful. Sopwith Baby and Pup and Home Defence B.E.2 fighters also carried rockets.〔Aeroplane Monthly June 1995〕 With the end of the war, the Royal Air Force, intent on retrenching, forgot about the potential uses for rockets fired from aircraft. The British Army, however, did see a use for rockets against low-flying aircraft; from late 1940 parts of Britain were defended by increasing numbers of "Z-Batteries" 2-inch (51 mm) rockets supplementing the conventional anti-aircraft guns.〔〔The Blitz Then and Now: Volume 3〕 When German forces under the command of Rommel intervened in the Western Desert from early 1941, it became clear that the Desert Air Force did not have the weapons capable of damaging or destroying the large numbers of armoured fighting vehicles, particularly the heavier Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks possessed by the Germans. Something needed to be done, and in April 1941 Henry Tizard, the Chief Scientist, called together a panel to study "Methods of Attacking Armoured Vehicles." 〔 The types of weapons investigated included the 40 mm Vickers S gun and related weapons manufactured by the Coventry Ordnance Works, as well as the 40mm Bofors and the US 37 mm T9 cannon fitted to the Bell P-39 Airacobra: however, it was already recognised that these weapons were only capable of dealing with light tanks and motor transport, and using larger weapons on fighter-bombers was ruled out because of weight and difficulties handling recoil. The chairman of the panel, Mr. Ivor Bowen (Assistant Director of Armament Research) turned to the idea of using rocket projectiles as a means of delivering a large warhead capable of destroying or disabling heavy tanks. Information was sought from the Soviets, who had just started using unguided RS-82 rockets against German ground forces in the opening phases of Operation Barbarossa.〔〔The possibility of the Soviets sending a team of engineers to help set up production of these weapons was a possibility in August 1941. However, the Soviet offer was withdrawn, in spite of British efforts at supplying a Wing of Hawker Hurricanes and training Soviet aircrew in their use.〕 By September 1941 it was decided that two models of UP (Unrotated Projectiles) would be developed: *A 23 lb plastic explosive on a standard 2-inch (51 mm) UP. *A 20 lb solid armour-piercing head on a 3-inch (76 mm) UP. When it was realised that the 2-inch version would be less effective than the Vickers S cannon, it was decided to concentrate on development of the 3-inch version, which could be developed from the 2-inch rocket used in the Z-Batteries.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「RP-3」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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