M8 (rocket)
| M8 | |
|---|---|
M8 rockets being launched from a "Calliope" multiple launcher mounted on a Sherman tank. | |
| Type | Air-to-surface and surface-to-surface rocket |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States Army, United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Picatinny Arsenal |
| Designed | 1941 |
| Manufacturer | Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park Plant (328,327); Hercules Powder Company Radford Ordnance Works and Sunflower Ordnance Works (solvent powder) |
| Produced | 1941-1944 |
| No. built | 2,537,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 38 lb (17 kg) |
| Length | 33 in (840 mm) |
| Diameter | 4.5 in (114 mm) |
| Warhead weight | 4.3 lb (2.0 kg) |
| Engine | Solid-fuel rocket 4.75 lb (2.15 kg) fuel |
Operational range | 4,600 yd (4.2 km) |
| Maximum speed | 600 mph (970 km/h) 880 ft/s (270 m/s) |
Guidance system | None |
Launch platform | Republic P-47, Lockheed P-38G Lightning, M4 Sherman, LST |
The M8 was a 4.5-inch (114 mm) rocket developed and used by the United States military during World War II. Produced in the millions, it was fired from both air- and ground-based launchers; it was replaced by the M16 rocket in 1945.