Date: ca. 1944-1955
Country of Origin: United States of America
Dimensions:
Overall: 5ft 8in. x 5in. (172.72 x 12.7cm)
Materials:
Steel, paint
The 5-inch caliber HVAR (High Velocity Aircraft Rocket), also called the Holy Moses, was a very effective U.S. Navy air-to-surface rocket. It began service in World War II and continued in use until 1955. The HVAR was largely fired by Navy airplanes, such as the F4U Corsair, but the HVAR was first used by the Army Air Forces against German targets near Lo, France, in July 1944. About a million HVARs were manufactured and they were launched against both sea and land targets.
The loaded weight of the rocket was 61 kg (134 lb) including 11 kg (24 lb) of propellant and a 20 kg (45 lb) payload with 3.5 kg (7.8 lb) of high explosive. The velocity was 1530 km/h (950 mph), and the range was about 5 km (3 mi). This particular artifact was found in the Smithsonian collections.
Donor Unknown
