Aerial Rockets

[Tigrii]

Is it just me, or are rocket-firing aircraft totally ineffective. It looks really cool, but I've never seen a tank destroyed by rocket attack.

[Lumbergh]

That's because rockets almost never killed tanks.

I am sure someone will be along here in a few moments with statistics about how they had a 9% kill rate in Normandy or somefink. But suffice to say that this is yet another facet of real life that is well represented in CMBB.

[Grisha]

The Soviets had hollow charge rockets, both for 82mm and 132mm. Still, it does require that one of them hit, so it would be difficult.

[Michael Emrys]

Originally posted by Lumbergh:

That's because rockets almost never killed tanks.

Got that right.

...they had a 9% kill rate in Normandy or somefink.

Less than that. Much less than that actually if you are counting number of rockets fired against number of tanks killed.

Michael

[Guest Mike]

I thought the Soviet RS-82 and -132 rockets were actually fragmentation warheads? the RS-82 was designed for air-air use originally, and there were several "kills" recorded to it during the GPW and at Khalkin Gol in 1939.

Also of course air-ground rockets were not used primarily against tanks anyway - trucks, trains, ships and AA guns were all at least as important on the Western Front. And they were much easier to find than pesky camoflaged tanks hiding close to the front lines too - they tended to be in predictable places, like roads, rail lines, harbours, etc!!

Edit: I just looked them up on the web - indeed the RS-82 and -132 were fragmentation warheads, but the RBS (or BRS)-82 and -132 were "anti-armour".

You (or in this case I) learn something new every day

[ November 17, 2002, 08:11 PM: Message edited by: Mike ]

[Grisha]

Originally posted by Mike:

Edit: I just looked them up on the web - indeed the RS-82 and -132 were fragmentation warheads, but the RBS (or BRS)-82 and -132 were "anti-armour".

You (or in this case I) learn something new every day

"BRS" is the correct transliteration Yup, there were both HE and HEAT versions for each rocket caliber. But, of course you had to hit the thing first. Still, I believe there were a few Il-2 pilots who became quite good with those things as AT weapons, but on the whole I would think it a specialty thing much like Rudel with his cannons.