French RAC 50 rockets

[Petrus]

In some description of the French VG 90 jet fighter (a 'secret project' in itself) there are mentions of rockets under "RAC 50" designation, which were to arm the aircraft.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/france/arsenal_vg-90.php

Have you ever heard of such rocket? If so, please let us know what.

Piotr

 

[Jemiba]

In Jean Cunys "Les Avions De Combat Francais 1944-60, Tome I" for the VG 90 an armament with rockets is
mentioned, too, although without giving a designation. It is said, that , with the number of guns reduced to two,
it should have carried 100 rockets of about just 4 kg each.

 

[Petrus]

In an article on the Grognard ground-attack fighter in the Flight magazine

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953%20-%201382.html

an armament option of '200 air-to-ground 9 lb anti-personnel rockets' is being mentioned.
9 pounds is equal (more or less) to 4 kilograms, so perhaps in both sources the same type of rockets is referred to.
Personally I suspect that "RAC 50" designation might have meant a 50 mm calibre rocket, which corresponds to the weight of around 4 kilograms.

Piotr

 

[cardonet]

Personally I suspect that "RAC 50" designation might have meant a 50 mm calibre rocket, which corresponds to the weight of around 4 kilograms.

RAC possibly stands for "Roquette Anti-Char". The problem is that there was no anti-tank rocket of 50 mm diameter. But there was a RAC 73 mm Modele 1950

 

[Jemiba]

But a calibre of 73 mm probably wouldn't match the very low weight of 4kg, I think, whereas the
calibre/weight relations of 50mm/4kg, seems to be quite right, compared to the US Mk.4 "Mighty Mouse",
with 73 mm/8,4 kg.

 

[Grzesio]

But a calibre of 73 mm probably wouldn't match the very low weight of 4kg, I think, whereas the
calibre/weight relations of 50mm/4kg, seems to be quite right, compared to the US Mk.4 "Mighty Mouse",
with 73 mm/8,4 kg.

Indeed - we have a good example of German Panzerblitz 3 AT rocket - 55 mm calibre and just under 4 kg heavy.

Regards

Grzesio

 

[cardonet]

But a calibre of 73 mm probably wouldn't match the very low weight of 4kg, I think, whereas the
calibre/weight relations of 50mm/4kg, seems to be quite right, compared to the US Mk.4 "Mighty Mouse",
with 73 mm/8,4 kg.

This page confirms the diameter of 50 mm
http://jpspanzers.yuku.com/topic/9650#.T47O9-D6Zto
The source being a CD-ROM entitled "Wings - Korea to Vietnam". Does anyone know this CD-ROM?

 

[cardonet]

While doing research on another obscure missile of the 1950s at French Center for Armament Archives (Chatellerault), I found an interesting information on this topic.
RAC 50 was an early name for what will become the SNEB 68 unguided rocket. RAC stands for "Roquette Avion de Chasse" (and not "Roquette Anti-Char"). RAC 50 was renamed RAC 4 approximately in 1950 and later SNEB 68 mm. RAC 50/RAC 4 used rod and tube grains and the definitive SNEB 68 used a star-shaped cross section grain.