OVERALL LENGTH

MAXIMUM DIAMETER

WEIGHT

HEIGHT OF EJECTION

BURNING TIME

CANDLEPOWER

GENERAL:

This rocket is currently used only by the Royal Observer Corps to indicate to patrol-ling fighters the presence of low-flying enemy aircraft. The rocket is fired from a Type B Rocket Projector, Mk IV, using a 60 grain percussion cartridge.

DESCRIPTION:

The rocket consists of a steel rocket tube, a tail, and a metal flare container hous-ing a parachute, flare candle, and burster charge. The rocket tube is filled with a pro-pellant composition, a conical cavity being left in the center. At one end of the rocket tube is a gunmetal choke crimped in position and closed with a paper disc. At the other end of the steel tube is a clay plug provided with a flash hole. The flare container is fastened with screws to a metal junction head, which houses the burster charge and a length of quickmatch. The burster charge is held in position by a wooden washer, co-vered with primed cambric. Attached to the flare container is a waterproof sleeve, which fits over the projector barrel, when the projector is loaded, to prevent rain from entering the barrel.

The flare candle consists of a rolled paper case, strengthened at one end by a tin-plate cap and held in place with felt packing. The strengthened end of the cap contains a fusible metal cup having a central hole. Housed in this cup is a quantity of gunpow-der, priming composition, and two igniter pellets, the gunpowder and priming composit-ion being held in place by a muslin disc. The main illuminating filling of the candle is pressed in position and held in place by a millboard disc. A wooden block, resting on the millboard disc, has a central hole to receive one end of a wire strop, which is looped around a metal rod passing through the wooden block. The block is riveted to the paper disc. The other end of the wire strop is attched to a 36 in. parachute packed in the flare container between a wooden washer, cardboard spacers, and a wooden disc. The top of the flare container is closed by a metal lid secured to the container with adhe-sive tape.

The rocket is stabilized in flight by a tail secured to the rocket tube. The tain con-sists of four fins attached to a bridle fitted to the rocket tube.

The flare container is painted aluminum overall, with filling and manufacturing infor-mation stencilled on the container in black letters.

OPERATION:

When the projector, loaded with rocket and cartridge, is fired, the flash from the cartridge beraks the paper sealing disc, passes through the choke, and ignites the roc-ket propellant composition, which then forces the rocket along its trajectory. When the rocket composition is almost burned through, the flame passes through the flash hole and ignites the length of quickmatch and the burster charge. The flash from the burster charge ignites the flare candle and force the lid from the flare container, ejecting the ignited candle and its attached parachute.