HB-11 series: Difference between revisions

Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
{{infobox weapon
{{infobox weapon
| name              = HB-11/12
| name              = HB-11/12
| image              = [[File:PRB_11-12.png|300px]]
| image              = H12_Type_63_multiple_rocket_launcher.JPG
| caption            = An HB-11/12 rocket launcher, towed by a [[Chŏnsŏ G544]] light utility truck
| caption            = A towed HB-11/12 multiple rocket launcher at the Son Tay Military Museum.
| origin            = {{flag|Menghe}}
| origin            = [[Menghe]]
| type              = {{wp|Multiple_rocket_launcher|Multiple Rocket Launcher}}
| type              = {{wp|Multiple_rocket_launcher|Multiple rocket launcher}}
<!-- Type selection -->
<!-- Type selection -->
| is_ranged          =  
| is_ranged          =  
Line 14: Line 14:
| is_UK              =  
| is_UK              =  
<!-- Service history -->
<!-- Service history -->
| service            = 1962-present
| service            = 1963-present
| used_by            = {{flag|Menghe}}
| used_by            = See "Operators"
| wars              = Menghean War of Liberation<br/>[[Ummayan Civil War]]
| wars              = [[Menghean War of Liberation]]<br>Dzhungestani Civil War<br/>[[Polvokian Civil War]]<br>[[Ummayan Civil War]]
<!-- Production history -->
<!-- Production history -->
| designer          =  
| designer          =  
Line 22: Line 22:
| manufacturer      =  
| manufacturer      =  
| unit_cost          =  
| unit_cost          =  
| production_date    = 1966-2003
| production_date    = 1963-2003
| number            =  
| number            =  
| variants          = RB-11/1, RB-11/12, GJRB-11/12, GJRB-11/12 Sinsedae, JJRB-11/80
| variants          =  
<!-- General specifications -->
<!-- General specifications -->
| spec_label        =  
| spec_label        =  
| weight            = 645 kg (RB-11/12)
| weight            = 645 kg
| length            =  
| length            =  
| part_length        =  
| part_length        =  
Line 33: Line 33:
| height            =  
| height            =  
| diameter          =  
| diameter          =  
| crew              = 4-5
| crew              = 5
| passengers        =
| passengers        =
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->  
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->  
Line 92: Line 92:
}}
}}


The '''HB-11 '''([[Menghean language|Menghean]]: 화전 발사기, ''Hwajŏn Balsagi'', "Rocket Launcher") is a root designation applied to a family of {{wp|Multiple_rocket_launcher|multiple rocket launchers}} developed in [[Menghe]]. These include the '''HB-11/12''', the '''JHB-11/12''' (Sinsedae), and the '''JHB-11/80'''. While the number of tubes differs greatly across variants, all fire the same 110mm rocket ammunition, and thus share the HB-11 (''Hwajŏn-Balsagi''/Rocket Launcher, 11 centimeter) root designation. Once widely used in the military of the [[Democratic People's Republic of Menghe]], they have now been relegated mostly to small special-purpose or reserve units.
The '''HB-11 '''([[Menghean language|Menghean]]: 화전 발사기, ''Hwajŏn Balsagi'', "Rocket Launcher") is a root designation applied to a family of {{wp|Multiple_rocket_launcher|multiple rocket launchers}} developed in [[Menghe]]. These include man-portable, towed, and self-propelled launchers, all of them compatible with the same family of H-11 110mm rockets. Once widely used in the military of the [[Democratic People's Republic of Menghe]], they have now been relegated mostly to small special-purpose or reserve units.


==H-11 Rockets==
All launchers in the HB-11 family share the same '''H-11 rocket''' family, which has a caliber of 11 centimeters (110mm) and is light enough to be easily handled and loaded by a single person. The first rockets used by the system were simply designated H-11GT and had a simple high-explosive charge. This served as the main ammunition type for the RB-11 for most of its service life.


In 1983 a new ammunition type was introduced, bearing the designation H-11Yŏ. It replaced the high-explosive fragmentation warhead with a more powerful {{wp|Thermobaric_weapon|thermobaric charge}}. By removing oxidizer from the mix and fitting narrower warhead walls, this greatly improved the rocket’s effectiveness against personnel in fortified positions, but made it less effective against even lightly armored vehicles. 1985 brought the more complex H-11J, which carried 28 {{wp|Dual-Purpose_Improved_Conventional_Munition|anti-tank submunitions}} with a diameter of 30 millimeters. Today the H-11FH and H-11ChSh make up most of Menghe's R-11 stockpiles. Along with the earlier but now less common H-11GT, they share a maximum effective range of about 8,000 meters. These three variants are also designed with controlled weights and share the same flight profile, allowing them to be fired with the same aiming settings or even mixed within a single volley.
==H-11 Rocket family==
All launchers in the HB-11 family share the same '''H-11 rocket''' family, which has a caliber of 11 centimeters (110mm) and is light enough to be easily handled and loaded by a single person. The first rockets used by the system were simply designated H-11GP and had a simple high-explosive charge. This served as the main ammunition type for the HB-11 for most of its service life.


===Mine Rockets===
In 1983 a new ammunition type was introduced, bearing the designation H-11Yŏ. It replaced the high-explosive fragmentation warhead with a more powerful {{wp|Thermobaric_weapon|thermobaric charge}}. By removing oxidizer from the mix and fitting narrower warhead walls, this greatly improved the rocket’s effectiveness against personnel in fortified positions, but made it less effective against even lightly armored vehicles. The 1990s brought the more complex H-11J, which carried 28 {{wp|Dual-Purpose_Improved_Conventional_Munition|anti-tank submunitions}} with a diameter of 30 millimeters.
To further increase the system’s versatility, designers developed minelaying cartridges compatible with the HB-11 launcher. The first of this type was the H-11/1, a modification of the R-11JM which substituted small anti-personnel mines for the anti-tank submunitions and retained the full range of 8 kilometers. Later in the 2000s this was supplemented by the HB-11G and HB-11DCh, mine-dispensing canisters with a heavier payload. The former contains 56 anti-personnel mines, the latter 5 anti-tank mines using the {{wp|Misznay–Schardin_effect|Misznay-Schardin effect}} to punch through the thin undersides of enemy armored vehicles. Because their propellant is greatly reduced in comparison with the heavier warhead, these rockets have a range of less than 100 meters, and would be used to rapidly set up minefields in front of prepared defenses.
 
To further increase the system’s versatility, designers developed minelaying cartridges compatible with the HB-11 launcher. The first of this type was the H-11/1, a modification of the H-11JM which substituted small anti-personnel mines for the anti-tank submunitions and retained the full range of 8 kilometers. Later in the 2000s this was supplemented by the HB-11G and HB-11DCh, mine-dispensing canisters with a heavier payload. The former contains 56 anti-personnel mines, the latter 5 anti-tank mines using the {{wp|Misznay–Schardin_effect|Misznay-Schardin effect}} to punch through the thin undersides of enemy armored vehicles. Because their propellant is greatly reduced in comparison with the heavier warhead, these rockets have a range of less than 100 meters, and would be used to rapidly set up minefields in front of prepared defenses.
 
==Launch platforms==
===HB-11/1===
The HB-11/1 is a special-purpose launcher consisting of a single 110mm launch tube. The entire mount, including its tripod and telescopic sight, weighs 27 kilograms and can be broken down into three pieces. It is similar in performance to a 120mm mortar like the [[SB-120 Type 84]], but is less accurate and has a longer minimum range and a lower rate of fire, while firing bulkier ammunition. Its main advantage over the SB-120 is its reduced weight, which makes it more portable. It was primarily issued to airmobile and special forces units, where its portability delivered larger benefits.


==Mount Variants==
===HB-11/12===
===HB-11/12===
A lightweight and simple design, the HB-11/12 is the most common member of the HB-11 family, and was widespread in the 1970s and 1980s. It consists of twelve 110mm tubes in a rectangular block with three rows of four each, mounted on top of a wheeled platform with two supporting legs. Once emplaced, the rocket array can elevate from -4 to +55 degrees, though it can only traverse 20 degrees left and right. It is usually towed by a light vehicle such as the [[Chŏnsŏ G288]] seen in the image above, with a total crew of 5 men. The entire mount weighs under 700 kilograms excluding ammunition.
The HB-11/12 was the first multiple rocket launcher in the HB-11 series to enter service. It has twelve launch tubes in a 3×4 grid, and is towed on two wheels with a simple A-frame carriage. The empty launcher weighs only 602 kilograms, allowing even light utility vehicles to tow it, and the five-person crew can also move the launcher around by hand over intermediate distances.
 
During the 1960s and 1970s, the HB-11/12 was the main divisional rocket artillery system in the Menghean People's Army, with each motorized or mechanized division containing a single battalion with 18 towed launchers. From 1977 onward, these launchers were replaced by [[H12G2B40 Ubak]] multiple rocket launchers, which have greater range, greater mobility, and a larger number of rocket tubes. Only a small number of Homeland Defense reserve units still operate the HB-11/12.
 
===H11G1B12===
This was the first self-propelled launch system for the H-11 rocket family, consisting of an HB-11/12 launcher on the back of a [[Chŏnsŏ G586]] 4×4 light utility lorry. The vehicle crew manually aim the launcher with hand crank controls and manually fire it with a hand crank at the end of a 40-meter cable. The crew of the vehicle was reduced to four, with an additional four crew members riding in a rocket transport vehicle to assist with reloading. The H11G1B12 was introduced in 1985 and is no longer in active service in Menghe.


===JHB-11/12===
===H11G2B80 Byŏkdol===
Introduced to improve the mobility and reaction time of rocket artillery units, the JRB-11/12 ("Self-Propelled Rocket Launcher") consists of a 12-tube launcher in the cargo bed of a Chŏnsŏ 112 utility truck. In this initial iteration, the launcher itself was manually operated, requiring two crew members to stand in the cargo bed and aim the launcher according to the commander's orders. As the Chŏnsŏ 112's cabin only had space for one driver and one passenger, this meant that two of the four crew members had to either ride in the flatbed area or follow behind in the ammunition truck.
Nicknamed Byŏkdol, or "Brick," this unusual vehicle consists of an 80-rocket launch array mounted on the hull of a [[JCh-2]] medium tank. It has a crew of three: one driver in the hull, and a gunner and commander who sit in the flattened turret-like structure under the launcher. The launcher has double the rate of fire of the standard HB-11/12, and achieves this higher firing rate by alternating rocket launches from the left and right side of the rocket array.


====JHB-11/12 Sinsedae====
The H11G2JS battery command post is also based on the JCh-2 chassis. It contains rudimentary fire control equipment for indirect fire missions, but for the most part the launch vehicles in the battery would conduct direct-fire missions using their onboard telescopic sights.
[[File:RB_11_12_G588.png|300px|thumb|right|The JHB-11/12 Sinsedae in its transport (1) and firing (2,3) positions.
]]Today, the JHB-11/12 has been almost entirely replaced by the JHB-11/12 ''Sinsegye'' ("New Generation"). This system is mounted on the more reliable G598 truck, a modification of the [[Chŏnsŏ G588]]. The larger cabin is able to accommodate all four crew members, and has an electro-optical sighting and rangefinding system on top of the roof as well as a fully automated traverse and aiming system for the launcher. Consequently, it can execute firing missions with all crew members inside the cabin, decreasing reaction time and reducing exposure to the elements.


Even so, the two loaders must still leave the vehicle to reload the launcher from the vehicle’s ammunition store, which is also located in the cargo bed. The cabin is entirely unprotected, leaving the crew vulnerable to shrapnel and small-arms fire and poorly protected against {{wp|CBRN_defense|CBRN threats}}. During the 2000s, it was rumored hat a JHB-11/12 variant was under development to address these problems, but in the end the Menghean Army decided to cease work on the HB-11/12 family.
The H11G2 system, made up of the H11G2B80 launcher and the H11G2JS battery command post, was used as a corps-level asset, grouped into an Assault Vehicle Battalion in the corps's Engineer Regiment. In this respect, it served as a 1:1 replacement for the [[JCh-2]]HB flamethrower tank, and fulfilled a similar role: the battalion or its composite batteries would be sent forward to support a breakthrough effort on the front lines, delivering heavy direct fire against enemy fortifications. While it had a considerably greater range than the JCh-2HB, allowing it to deliver fire from a safe distance, the "Byŏkdol" also had a long minimum range stemming from the rockets' flatter trajectory, leaving it vulnerable to infantry at close range.


===JHB-11/80===
===H11G3B12===
[[File:ChRB_11-75.png|300px|thumb|right|A JHB-11/80, showing the impressive launch array traversed to the side]]Affectionately nicknamed the "Byŏgdol" or brick, the JHB-11/80 is an intimidating weapon consisting of a 4x20 80-tube launcher on the hull of a converted [[MinChong-4]] medium tank. It is designed to fire at a faster rate than other HB-11 mounts, alternating rockets from either side of the array to reduce the risk of collisions and interference in flight. Due to space constraints within the tank, the crew is reduced to three (driver, commander, layer) and reloading is typically carried out with the aid of soldiers from a support truck. It is estimated that fewer than a hundred JHB-11/80s are in service with the [[Menghean Army]], mostly in Corps-level Combat Engineer units. Due to the system's size and weight compared to its poor range and explosive payload, the Menghean Army has not invested heavily in its production or modernization.
An updated successor to the H11G1B12, this vehicle uses the Chŏnsŏ G596 chassis, an airborne-capable variant with a folding cab. It also has an integrated and automated fire-control system which allows the three-person crew to aim the launcher at an assigned set of coordinates from inside the cab. It is mainly used by Menghean heavy airborne brigades, as it offers a shorter minimum range than the [[H12G2B40_Ubak#H12G3B12|H12G3B12]] system but delivers a similar mass of high explosive per volley.


==Service==
===H11G4B16 Ŏbu===
During mass production, the HB-11/12 was standard-issue at the Regimental level, with one Battery of six launchers in each Regimental Artillery Battalion from the 1969 TO&E through the [[Decembrist Revolution]] in 1989. Initially a praised weapon, it steadily fell under criticism for its short 8-kilometer range, which limited its usefulness on an increasingly fast-paced battlefield. Its accuracy was also poor, even by Multiple Rocket Launcher standards, which made it unsuitable for use in situations where friendly and enemy forces were in close proximity. During the 1990s some Home Defense units had their HB-11/12s or JHB-11/12s grouped into a single Battalion within the Divisional Artillery Regiment, to be assigned to important areas of the Division's frontage, but in time this arrangement was criticized as well and the decision was made to steadily withdraw the weapon from regular service.
The aptly-named Ŏbu, or "fisherman," is a special multiple rocket launcher system designed to protect coastal installations against {{wp|frogman|frogmen}}, {{wp|unmanned underwater vehicle|UUV}}s, and {{wp|Diver propulsion vehicle|SDV}}s. For this purpose, it fires the special H-11PR depth charge rocket, which has a reduced propellant volume and a 4-kilometer maximum range. The 16-tube launcher is mounted on the rear of a [[Samsan S915]] 8×8 medium utility lorry which includes an enclosed fire-control and sonobuoy monitoring module, allowing a single vehicle's crew to receive information on possible undersea threats from radio or cable datalinks and remotely aim the launcher at an intercept point calculated by the onboard computers. Typically, the crew of an Ŏbu launcher would fire rockets in separate volleys of eight, so as to keep a second salvo at the ready if the first salvo fails to destroy the target. The rockets have blast-heavy warheads, and rely on shock waves rather than shrapnel to incapacitate their targets.


Today, RB-11 systems are no longer standard-use at the Regimental or Divisional level, and are mostly reserved for special-purpose units. Most are assigned to the Airborne Forces; as late as 2015, every Airborne Regiment includes two Multiple Rocket Launcher Batteries with a total of 12 ''Sinsegye'' systems on 4x4 trucks. These are intended for the rapid destruction of soft targets like headquarters or refueling areas, and the suppression of fortified sites in support of other Airborne units. As an experimental measure, some Marine Infantry Regiments have been assigned 6 or 12 HB-11/12 launchers, sometimes on amphibious vehicles, for assaults on slightly inland defenses, though Marine Infantry doctrinal manuals prefer to rely on rocket fire delivered from amphibious assault ships.
==Operators==
* {{flag|Dzhungestan}}
* {{flag|Menghe}}
* {{flag|Polvokia}}
* {{flag|Qusayn}}
* {{flag|Ummayah}}


Prior to the DPRM's collapse, large numbers of RB 11 variants were exported to [[Qusayn]], including several JHB-11/80 armored launchers. These, in turn, were used against rural resistance forces during the internal fighting that followed the government's attempts at collectivization. It is believed that Qusayni forces have developed a compatible 110mm rocket with a chemical-weapons payload in the mid-1980s.
{{Menghean postwar AFVs}}


[[Category:Menghe]]
[[Category:Menghe]]

Revision as of 18:13, 10 July 2021

HB-11/12
H12 Type 63 multiple rocket launcher.JPG
A towed HB-11/12 multiple rocket launcher at the Son Tay Military Museum.
TypeMultiple rocket launcher
Place of originMenghe
Service history
In service1963-present
Used bySee "Operators"
WarsMenghean War of Liberation
Dzhungestani Civil War
Polvokian Civil War
Ummayan Civil War
Production history
Produced1963-2003
Specifications
Weight645 kg
Crew5
Breechrocket tube (12x)
Elevation-4/+55 degrees
Traverse+/- 20 degrees

The HB-11 (Menghean: 화전 발사기, Hwajŏn Balsagi, "Rocket Launcher") is a root designation applied to a family of multiple rocket launchers developed in Menghe. These include man-portable, towed, and self-propelled launchers, all of them compatible with the same family of H-11 110mm rockets. Once widely used in the military of the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe, they have now been relegated mostly to small special-purpose or reserve units.


H-11 Rocket family

All launchers in the HB-11 family share the same H-11 rocket family, which has a caliber of 11 centimeters (110mm) and is light enough to be easily handled and loaded by a single person. The first rockets used by the system were simply designated H-11GP and had a simple high-explosive charge. This served as the main ammunition type for the HB-11 for most of its service life.

In 1983 a new ammunition type was introduced, bearing the designation H-11Yŏ. It replaced the high-explosive fragmentation warhead with a more powerful thermobaric charge. By removing oxidizer from the mix and fitting narrower warhead walls, this greatly improved the rocket’s effectiveness against personnel in fortified positions, but made it less effective against even lightly armored vehicles. The 1990s brought the more complex H-11J, which carried 28 anti-tank submunitions with a diameter of 30 millimeters.

To further increase the system’s versatility, designers developed minelaying cartridges compatible with the HB-11 launcher. The first of this type was the H-11/1, a modification of the H-11JM which substituted small anti-personnel mines for the anti-tank submunitions and retained the full range of 8 kilometers. Later in the 2000s this was supplemented by the HB-11G and HB-11DCh, mine-dispensing canisters with a heavier payload. The former contains 56 anti-personnel mines, the latter 5 anti-tank mines using the Misznay-Schardin effect to punch through the thin undersides of enemy armored vehicles. Because their propellant is greatly reduced in comparison with the heavier warhead, these rockets have a range of less than 100 meters, and would be used to rapidly set up minefields in front of prepared defenses.

Launch platforms

HB-11/1

The HB-11/1 is a special-purpose launcher consisting of a single 110mm launch tube. The entire mount, including its tripod and telescopic sight, weighs 27 kilograms and can be broken down into three pieces. It is similar in performance to a 120mm mortar like the SB-120 Type 84, but is less accurate and has a longer minimum range and a lower rate of fire, while firing bulkier ammunition. Its main advantage over the SB-120 is its reduced weight, which makes it more portable. It was primarily issued to airmobile and special forces units, where its portability delivered larger benefits.

HB-11/12

The HB-11/12 was the first multiple rocket launcher in the HB-11 series to enter service. It has twelve launch tubes in a 3×4 grid, and is towed on two wheels with a simple A-frame carriage. The empty launcher weighs only 602 kilograms, allowing even light utility vehicles to tow it, and the five-person crew can also move the launcher around by hand over intermediate distances.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the HB-11/12 was the main divisional rocket artillery system in the Menghean People's Army, with each motorized or mechanized division containing a single battalion with 18 towed launchers. From 1977 onward, these launchers were replaced by H12G2B40 Ubak multiple rocket launchers, which have greater range, greater mobility, and a larger number of rocket tubes. Only a small number of Homeland Defense reserve units still operate the HB-11/12.

H11G1B12

This was the first self-propelled launch system for the H-11 rocket family, consisting of an HB-11/12 launcher on the back of a Chŏnsŏ G586 4×4 light utility lorry. The vehicle crew manually aim the launcher with hand crank controls and manually fire it with a hand crank at the end of a 40-meter cable. The crew of the vehicle was reduced to four, with an additional four crew members riding in a rocket transport vehicle to assist with reloading. The H11G1B12 was introduced in 1985 and is no longer in active service in Menghe.

H11G2B80 Byŏkdol

Nicknamed Byŏkdol, or "Brick," this unusual vehicle consists of an 80-rocket launch array mounted on the hull of a JCh-2 medium tank. It has a crew of three: one driver in the hull, and a gunner and commander who sit in the flattened turret-like structure under the launcher. The launcher has double the rate of fire of the standard HB-11/12, and achieves this higher firing rate by alternating rocket launches from the left and right side of the rocket array.

The H11G2JS battery command post is also based on the JCh-2 chassis. It contains rudimentary fire control equipment for indirect fire missions, but for the most part the launch vehicles in the battery would conduct direct-fire missions using their onboard telescopic sights.

The H11G2 system, made up of the H11G2B80 launcher and the H11G2JS battery command post, was used as a corps-level asset, grouped into an Assault Vehicle Battalion in the corps's Engineer Regiment. In this respect, it served as a 1:1 replacement for the JCh-2HB flamethrower tank, and fulfilled a similar role: the battalion or its composite batteries would be sent forward to support a breakthrough effort on the front lines, delivering heavy direct fire against enemy fortifications. While it had a considerably greater range than the JCh-2HB, allowing it to deliver fire from a safe distance, the "Byŏkdol" also had a long minimum range stemming from the rockets' flatter trajectory, leaving it vulnerable to infantry at close range.

H11G3B12

An updated successor to the H11G1B12, this vehicle uses the Chŏnsŏ G596 chassis, an airborne-capable variant with a folding cab. It also has an integrated and automated fire-control system which allows the three-person crew to aim the launcher at an assigned set of coordinates from inside the cab. It is mainly used by Menghean heavy airborne brigades, as it offers a shorter minimum range than the H12G3B12 system but delivers a similar mass of high explosive per volley.

H11G4B16 Ŏbu

The aptly-named Ŏbu, or "fisherman," is a special multiple rocket launcher system designed to protect coastal installations against frogmen, UUVs, and SDVs. For this purpose, it fires the special H-11PR depth charge rocket, which has a reduced propellant volume and a 4-kilometer maximum range. The 16-tube launcher is mounted on the rear of a Samsan S915 8×8 medium utility lorry which includes an enclosed fire-control and sonobuoy monitoring module, allowing a single vehicle's crew to receive information on possible undersea threats from radio or cable datalinks and remotely aim the launcher at an intercept point calculated by the onboard computers. Typically, the crew of an Ŏbu launcher would fire rockets in separate volleys of eight, so as to keep a second salvo at the ready if the first salvo fails to destroy the target. The rockets have blast-heavy warheads, and rely on shock waves rather than shrapnel to incapacitate their targets.

Operators

Retrieved from "https://iiwiki.us/mediawiki/index.php?title=HB-11_series&oldid=371103"