Projector, Rocket 3-inch, No 8 Mk 1 (Land Mattress)

Towed Multiple Rocket Projector

United Kingdom | 1944

"The British Land Mattress multiple launch rocket projector of World War 2 could fire its destructive payload in around seven seconds."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one land system design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Projector, Rocket 3-inch, No 8 Mk 1 (Land Mattress) Towed Multiple Rocket Projector.

None, this is a towed artillery piece.
Installed Power

Structure
The physical qualities of the Projector, Rocket 3-inch, No 8 Mk 1 (Land Mattress) Towed Multiple Rocket Projector.

3
(MANNED)
Crew

2,469 lb
1,120 kg | 1.2 tons
Weight

Armament & Ammunition
Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Projector, Rocket 3-inch, No 8 Mk 1 (Land Mattress) Towed Multiple Rocket Projector.

16 OR 30 x 76.2mm rockets in individual launch tubes atop wheeled carriage.

AMMUNITION:
16 OR 30 x 76.2mm rockets (ammunition resupply needed thereafter)

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Projector, Rocket 3-inch, No 8 Mk 1 (Land Mattress) family line.

Projector, Rocket 3-inch, No 8 Mk 1 ("Land Mattress") - Formal Long Form Designation of the Land Mattress rocket projector.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/02/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Compared to the Germans and the Soviets, the British (along with the Americans) were late in developing useful portable rocket projectors as additional artillery support systems. Such weapons proved their value along the East Front where they were used with extreme lethality to soften concentrations of enemy forces at range. While largely inaccurate per individual rocket fired, a collection of rockets landed in an area offered excellent saturation and offered the secondary benefit of being psychologically detrimental to enemy forces finding themselves on the receiving end of such instruments. The British eventually introduced their famous "Land Mattress" rocket projector during the latter half of 1944. Its long form name was "Projector, Rocket 3-inch, No. 8 Mk 1".

The Land Mattress was named as such due to it following the naval-based version which was known as the "Sea Mattress". The land-based version incorporated either sixteen or thirty launch tubes arranged neatly within block shape. The block then sat atop a mounting device as part of a two-wheeled carriage. The carriage utilized two rubber-tired road wheels for travel with a folding tow arm at the front. This allowed the Land Mattress unit to be transported behind a mover vehicle to wherever it was needed.

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Its rocket payload revolved around the RP-3 ("Rocket Projectile 3-inch") rocket, an air-to-surface High-Explosive (HE) rocket already in use with British warplanes and known by its 60lb warhead as the "60lb". Each rocket held a diameter of 76.2mm and mounted a 5" TNT/TN/RDX-filled naval shell as its warhead. Propulsion came from a solid fuel rocket with cordite as its propellant. Muzzle velocity of each exiting rocket was rated at 1,160 feet per second, the entire salvo able to be launched in around seven seconds. The unit held a maximum engagement range of 7,900 yards which provided plenty of "reach".

Land Mattress weapons were tested under combat action during mid-1944 and saw service through to the end of the war in 1945 and for a time thereafter until retired from formal service. It was operated by both British and Canadian forces.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Projector, Rocket 3-inch, No 8 Mk 1 (Land Mattress). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.

Total Production: 400 Units
Contractor(s): State Arsenals - UK

[ Canada; United Kingdom ]

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Image of the Projector, Rocket 3-inch, No 8 Mk 1 (Land Mattress)

Image courtesy of the Public Domain.

Going Further...
The Projector, Rocket 3-inch, No 8 Mk 1 (Land Mattress) Towed Multiple Rocket Projector appears in the following collections:

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