The Anti-Aircraft Target Rocket M2 was a

rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

developed and used by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It was designed to serve as a training target for

anti-aircraft guns Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

, capable of simulating attacks by low-flying aircraft.Ordway and Wakeford 1960, p.167Hogg 2001, p.373 The nosecone of the rocket was

ogival An ogive ( ) is the roundly tapered end of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional object. Ogive curves and surfaces are used in engineering, architecture and woodworking. Etymology The earliest use of the word ''ogive'' is found in the 13th c ...

, and it was fitted with oversized fins to aid in tracking of the rocket by trainees.Parsch 2004 Shipped with two to three rockets in a package, the Target Rocket Projector M1 was used for the rocket's launching platform. It consisted of a set of launching rails on a two-wheeled trailer and weighed ;Hogg 2001, p.380 capable of being elevated to 60 degrees, it allowed the rocket to be launched at random angles and directions to increase the effectiveness of the training exercises, and could fire up to two rounds per minute. A modification of the basic rocket, designated as the Anti-Aircraft Training Rocket M2A1, replaced the basic M2 in service; it added a

flare A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...

that ignited on launch to aid in visual tracking of the target that burned for approximately 30 seconds after launch.Hogg 2001, p.374

References

Bibliography

* * * {{USA missiles Rocket weapons of the United States World War II weapons of the United States Military equipment introduced in the 1940s