Why Zuni?

From the China Lake website:

"China Lake's 5-inch Zuni rocket was heavily used over the years. China Lake
was the lead laboratory for the 2.75 and Zuni developments. The Zuni, as
well as some other early unguided rockets, was originally conceived as an
air-to-air weapon, but the rocket's role evolved into that of an
air-to-ground weapon. Interestingly, the Zuni shot down a MiG-15 early in
the Vietnam War when the MiG let itself get ahead of an A1 Skyraider that
was trying to evade it. The Skyraider fired a Zuni and scored a hit. (circa
1956) "

So in response to the original poster's question...I don't know why they
called it Zuni, but someone who worked at China Lake in the 1950s would
probably know the answer. Or perhaps a current day China Laker who is
familiar with the history.

JD

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 01:48:57 GMT, "Joe Delphi"
wrote:

From the China Lake website:

"China Lake's 5-inch Zuni rocket was heavily used over the years. China Lake
was the lead laboratory for the 2.75 and Zuni developments. The Zuni, as
well as some other early unguided rockets, was originally conceived as an
air-to-air weapon, but the rocket's role evolved into that of an
air-to-ground weapon. Interestingly, the Zuni shot down a MiG-15 early in
the Vietnam War when the MiG let itself get ahead of an A1 Skyraider that
was trying to evade it. The Skyraider fired a Zuni and scored a hit. (circa
1956) "

Hope the China Lake folks aren't contending that MiG-15s were flying
in the Vietnam War, or that the US was involved in combat in the air
in 1956. That's the way urban legends get started.

Should be a MiG-17, and much more likely "circa 1965".



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

"Joe Delphi" wrote in message

From the China Lake website:

"China Lake's 5-inch Zuni rocket was heavily used over the years. China
Lake
was the lead laboratory for the 2.75 and Zuni developments. The Zuni, as
well as some other early unguided rockets, was originally conceived as an
air-to-air weapon, but the rocket's role evolved into that of an
air-to-ground weapon."

It was also used as an ASW weapon on the S2, as a replacement for the HVAR.
I don't know if it was also carried by P2 and P3.

For semi-annual quals we usually carried 2.75s in pods (7 or 9, IIRC).
ROCKEXs were always interesting, as LANTFLT Stoofs were not generally seen
as air-ground weapons platforms and support for that part of the aircraft's
weapons system (material and personnel training) was often not a high
priority. There seemed to be an about equal probablity of firing one, more
then one, the whole pod, or just seeing the pod separate from the aircraft
when the "R" button was pushed (becoming "White Death From Above" for
whatever marine life was below).

Interestingly, the Zuni shot down a MiG-15 early in
the Vietnam War when the MiG let itself get ahead of an A1 Skyraider that
was trying to evade it. The Skyraider fired a Zuni and scored a hit.
(circa
1956) "

As noted below they are about a decade off, here!g

Bill Kambic

If, by any act, error, or omission, I have, intentionally or
unintentionally, displayed any breedist, disciplinist, sexist, racist,
culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, localist, ageist, lookist, ableist,
sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist,
phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other violation of the rules of
political correctness, known or unknown, I am not sorry and I encourage you
to get over it.