Aerobonus 480063 LAU-3/A US Navy rocket container

LAU-3 is an American unguided rocket launcher from the post-war period. The launchers were designed to fire Mk. 4 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (FFAR for short) caliber 70 mm. A single launcher could hold up to 19 rockets of this type. It is worth adding that initially the FFAR missiles were designed to fight enemy aircraft (especially strategic bombers), but with time they began to be used as air-to-ground missiles. In the course of serial production, several variants of the LAU-3 launcher were created, among them: LAU-3 (basic version of the launcher) or LAU-3 C / A (a launcher adapted to firing single and salvo fire). The LAU-3 launcher (in various versions) was widely used, especially during the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975), where it was mounted on such aircraft as the F-100F or F-105D. It was also very often used by Wild Weasel units, responsible for destroying North Vietnamese air surveillance radars and anti-aircraft missile launchers.