Type 63 (107mm MLR)
The Type 63 is a lightweight multiple rocket launcher made in the People's Republic of China from the 1950s that fires 107 mm caliber rockets.
development
Although the People's Republic of China imported many Soviet rocket launchers after World War II , the Chinese leadership pushed for their own launchers to be developed. The Type 63 107mm (MLR) developed by NORINCO is a replica of the Soviet BM-12 launcher and was introduced to the Chinese armed forces in the late 1950s. In the 1970s, North Korea , South Africa , Iran , Turkey and other countries developed their own versions of the Type 63 rocket launcher , partly by means of reverse engineering .
There is also a type 63 rocket launcher , which fires 130 mm rockets.
variants
- Type 63 - standard version on trailer with twelve turret tubes.
- Type 63 mod - version for mountain and airborne troops; The turret can be broken down into four payloads.
- Type 81 - version with twelve turret tubes; mounted on a truck NJ-230 .
- Type 85 - version for guerrilla and commando units; consists of a single tube and a tripod.
- Type 90 - version with eight launcher tubes for mountain and airborne troops; mounted on a quad -type M-Gator
- Type 75 (VTT-323) - version from North Korea; Trailer with 4, 8, 12 or 16 gun tubes.
- RO-107 - version from South Africa; twelve launch tubes on a trailer or mounted on a Mamba type vehicle .
- T-107 - version from Turkey; twelve launch tubes on a trailer or mounted on an Otokar Cobra vehicle .
- AB19 - version from Jordan; twelve launch tubes installed on an HMMWV .
- H12 - version from Vietnam; Trailer with twelve launcher tubes.
- M91 - version from Croatia; Trailer with twelve launcher tubes.
- SP MLRS 107mm - version from Serbia with 2x24 launcher tubes, installed on a 4 × 4 truck.
- PRL81 - version from Egypt; consists of a single tube and a tripod.
- RL812 / TLC - version from Egypt; twelve launch tubes installed on vehicles.
- Fadgr-1 - version from Iran; twelve launch tubes installed on jeeps or trailers.
- TAKA - version from Sudan; Trailer with twelve launcher tubes.
technology
The weapon is twelve-tube, with four tubes arranged side by side in three layers one above the other. The weapon is placed on a simple single-axis carriage for transport. To fire, the wheels are removed and the base plate is placed on two support legs. This only has a disadvantageous effect when changing positions more quickly, for example when there is a possible counterfire. A missile launcher is able to fire all twelve missiles in 7–9 seconds. The missiles hit a target area of approximately 150 × 200 m (30,000 m²). Reloading a fired launcher takes around three minutes. The turret is operated from a safe distance using a simple wired control console.
Missiles
The 107 mm caliber missiles are spin stabilized and have no stabilizing wings . The swirl of the rocket is created by six inclined nozzles arranged around the main drive nozzle. These generate a twist of 366 revolutions per minute. The propulsion nozzle develops a thrust of 6000 N and accelerates the rocket to 375–385 m / s. The standard Type 63-I missile is 0.76 m long and weighs 18.6 kg. The fragmentation warhead weighs 8.33 kg, of which 1.26 kg is accounted for by the explosives. The warhead splits into 1,214 fragments with an effective radius of 12 m. Injuries can occur up to a distance of 400 m. The improved Type 75 I missile has a warhead with 1,600 embedded steel balls and operates in a radius of 18 m. The Type 61 I missile has a warhead with 1,600 incendiary pellets. The incendiary charge has an effective area of around 20 m and burns for around 40 seconds.
The following types of missiles are known:
Missiles from China:
- Type 63 - with a 8.3 kg incendiary head; Range 8.5 km.
- Type 63-I - with 8.3 kg fragment warhead; Range 8.5 km.
- Type 75 - with a 8.3 kg incendiary head filled with phosphorus ; Range 8 km.
- Type 75-I - with 8.3 kg fragment warhead; Range 10 km.
- Type 81 - with improved fragmentation warhead; Range 7.8 km.
- Type 81-I - with 16 pieces of Type 81 bomblets with a combined splinter and armor penetrating effect.
- Type 81-II - missile with a jammer that drops to the ground on a parachute and is active for 15 minutes; Range 7.8 km.
Missiles from Serbia:
- 107-AND - with fragmentation warhead; Range 8.2 km
- 107-M06 - with fragmentation warhead; Range 11.5 km
Missiles from South Africa:
- RO-107-AP - with fragmentation warhead with proximity fuse; the warhead contains 5200 steel balls embedded in epoxy resin . Range 8.5 km.
- RO-107-HE-I - with an incendiary warhead; Range 8.5 km.
Missiles from Turkey:
- TR-107 - with 8.5 kg fragmentation warhead that releases 500 fragments; Range 11 km
- TRB-107 - with 8.48 kg fragmentation warhead with 2800 embedded steel balls, effective radius of 14 m; Range 10 km.
Missiles from Iran:
- Haseb-1 - with 6.4 kg fragmentation warhead; Range 8.5 km.
distribution
In addition to the official user states, a large number of the Type 63 are in use with guerrilla and separatist units.
Afghanistan Egypt Albania Algeria Angola Azerbaijan Ethiopia Benin Bangladesh Bosnia and Herzegovina Burkina Faso China Djibouti Eritrea Cambodia Cameroon Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of Cuba , Iran Yemen Jordan Laos North Korea Lebanon Libya Morocco Myanmar Nicaragua Pakistan Sierra Leone Zimbabwe Somalia Sudan South Africa Syria Tanzania Chad Turkey Uganda Vietnam
commitment
The Type 63 and its variants came in various armed conflicts used: Lebanon War , First Afghan War , the first Gulf War , the civil war in Libya . Civil war in Syria and in other conflicts on the African continent . The Turkish armed forces also used the rocket launcher in operations against the Kurdish independence fighters in the border area with Iraq. The Type 63 has proven to be very reliable and robust in all battles.
literature
- Ian Hogg : 20th Century Artillery. 1st edition, Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1878-6 . (German translation)
- TJ O'Malley: Modern Artillery Systems. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-613-01758-X .