Zuni
Type	Air-to-surface rocket
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Used by	United States military French Air Force Ukrainian Air Force
Production history
Produced	1957–present
Specifications
Mass	79.5 pounds (36.1 kg) (motor only)
Length	77 inches (2,000 mm)
Diameter	5 inches (127 mm)
Warhead	various
Engine	Solid-fuel rocket
Operational range	5 miles (8.0 km)
Maximum speed	1,615 miles per hour (2,599 km/h)
Guidance system	None

TheZuni 5-inch Folding-Fin Aircraft Rocket (FFAR), or simplyZuni, is a 5.0 in (127 mm)unguided rocket developed by theHunter Douglas Division ofBridgeport Brass Company and deployed by theUnited States Armed Forces,^[1][2] and theFrench Air Force.^[3] The rocket was developed for bothair-to-air andair-to-ground operations. It can be used to carry various types ofwarheads, includingchaff for countermeasures. It is usually fired from the LAU-10 rocket pod holding four rockets.

In the early 1950s,U.S. Navy engineers atNaval Ordnance Test Station China Lake began to develop a new 12.7 cm unguided rocket to replace theHigh Velocity Aircraft Rocket.

The Zuni was designed as a modular system, to allow the use of different types of warheads and fuzes. One type of warhead had a proximity fuze, as the rocket was originally intended to be used as an air-to-air rocket. This led to its selection as the basis for theAIM-9 Sidewinder airframe in the early 1950s.

The Zuni was approved for production in 1957. A number of different launchers were tested for the Zuni, e.g. the twin-tube launchers fitted to the Sidewinder launching rails of theVought F-8 Crusader. However, four-tube LAU-10/A series pods became the most commonly used launcher.^[4]

The Zuni was named after theZuni Native American tribe in modern day New Mexico.^[5]

The 5 inch Zuni rockets were first used incombat byF-86F Sabres belonging to thePakistan Air Force during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965.^[6]

The Zuni was widely used in the ground-attack role during theVietnam War.

On May 1, 1967, during a sortie againstKép Air Base,North Vietnam, Lieutenant Commander Theodore R. Swartz of SquadronVA-76, flying fromUSS Bon Homme Richard, shot down aMiG-17 with Zuni rockets. This was the only MiG aircraft to be downed by aDouglas A-4 Skyhawk during theVietnam War.^[7] Lieutenant Commander Swartz received theSilver Star for his action.^[8]

Later that year, improper handling of a Mk 32 Zuni rocket and other munitions was responsible for aserious fire aboard USSForrestal aircraft carrier, which killed 134 men. Two years later, in early 1969,a similar incident on the USSEnterprise aircraft carrier resulted in 27 dead, 314 injured and the loss of fifteen aircraft.^[9][10][11]

In January 2023, the United States announced that it would be supplying 4,000 Zuni rockets to theArmed Forces of Ukraine for use in theRusso-Ukrainian War.^[12] The US transferred its last supplies of Zuni rockets to Ukraine.^[13] In June 2024, it was reported that Ukraine had expended its supply of Zuni rockets, possibly indicating the extinction of the weapon system.^[14]

The Zuni family consists out of several different rocket motors and warheads:

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The Australian Government has donated its Zuni rockets to theAustralian Space Research Institute (ASRI) and they are used for student experiments which are launched from the Woomera launching range.

ASRI has also designed and constructed custom nosecones and payload recovery mechanisms for the Zuni. With a payload of 20 kg, the Zuni has an approximate range of 5.9 km, which it attains in about 40 seconds, experiencing 55 G and 491 m/s (Mach 1.4) during the flight.

The 5-inch (127 mm) Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is a precision weapon and an upgrade to the unguided Zuni rocket. The North American division ofMBDA is the only manufacturer of the Laser Guided Zuni Rocket,^[20] which is similar to theAdvanced Precision Kill Weapon System upgrade to theHydra 70 system.^[21] The Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is composed of the new WGU-58/B Guidance and Control Section that is attached to the front end of an unguided Zuni rocket and warhead. The weapon requires semi-active laser energy to guide to a precise target.^[22] The Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is on the U.S. Marine Corps Aviation Weapons Roadmap and Plan^[21] and is compatible with any aircraft that is cleared to carry unguided Zunis in a four-place LAU-10 Launcher, including AV-8B Harriers, F/A-18 Hornets, AH-1 Cobra helicopters and P-3 Orion aircraft.^[20] The precision weapon fits in the same launcher as unguided Zunis and requires only a 28V firing pulse and a semi-active laser designator. The weapon was developed under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Weapons Division of the U.S. Navy's Air Warfare Center in China Lake, California.^[23]

In 2009, the Laser Guided Zuni Rocket was successfully tested against both a stationary^[22] and moving targets.^[23][24] The weapon successfully underwent a live fire warhead test flight in September 2010.^{[25][page needed]}

Notes

Bibliography

• Media related toZuni rockets at Wikimedia Commons

• Air-to-air rockets of the United States
• Air-to-ground rockets of the United States
• Cold War rockets of the United States
• Military equipment introduced in the 1950s

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