Hydra-70 M247

Description

The Hydra-70 M247 rocket with fins folded and deployed (scale is approximate)

The Hydra-70 rocket is an American 70mm unguided rocket found on helicopters and planes. Utilizing a HEAT warhead, it is able to penetrate most modern tanks and vehicles from the roof and sides. When used in conjunction with a ballistic computer, these rockets are able to deal with most targets quite easily. The Hydra rockets are most notably found on the AH-64 Apache helicopters and the A-10 strike aircraft.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

Vehicles equipped with this weapon
Jet fighters	◄F-104G · ␗F-104G · F-104J · F-16C
Strike aircraft	A-10A · A-10A Late
Attack helicopters
A129	A-129 International (p) · A129CBT · AH-129D
AH-1	AH-1F · Tzefa D/E · AH-1Z
AH-6	AH-6M
AH-64	YAH-64 · AH-64A · AH-64A (GR) · ▃AH-64A Peten · Peten · AH-64A Peten · AH-64D · AH-64DJP · Saraph · AHS
MD500	Lahatut
MH-60	MH-60L DAP · AH-60
OH-58	OH-58D · ␗OH-58D
Utility helicopters	G-LYNX · Lynx AH.Mk.1
Medium tanks	Magach Hydra
SPAA	LAV-AD

General info

Rocket characteristics
Mass	10 kg
Maximum speed	739 m/s
Explosive mass	1.19 kg TNTeq
Warhead type	HEAT
Armour penetration	290 mm

Effective damage

The Hydra rocket is able to penetrate most armored vehicles from the sides and the roof thanks to the HEAT warhead. The rocket has a good explosive mass so open-top vehicles or lightly armored ones are able to be taken out by near misses via overpressure. Hydra rockets are also able to be fired very quickly by binding the "Fire Rocket Series" control to a key, allowing the user to "spam" the rockets in large quantities.

Comparison with analogues

Give a comparative description of rockets that have firepower equal to this weapon.

Usage in battles

In GRB, players must always have the element of surprise to minimize the amount of damage they take. Approaching from the sides or rear of the enemy is advised, as getting in and out of battle will be relatively quick and most enemies will not realize you are there until it is too late. Target any SPAA or lightly armored vehicles, then move onto MBTs. Make sure to not expend all rockets on one target and do not stay in place/hover on the battlefield; if the rockets are unable to destroy one specific target, leave it and move on.

The Hydra rockets are mostly obsolete for top rank battles as most enemies will either have large-caliber autocannons or missiles that will put you in significantly more danger. If able to carry long-range munitions (such as the Hellfire AGMs on AH-64 Apaches), use those instead of the Hydras as they are usually more effective and will keep the player alive longer.

In Heli PvE, the Hydra rockets can deal with bases and ground units fairly quick. However, keep an eye on Gepards in convoys and normal enemy waves and the Rolands guarding the base (Rolands have a 10km range, so mind your distance). Most SPAA will be stationary however, so you can use your ballistic computer and fire accurately from afar.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good explosive mass and penetration, able to deal with most armored targets (MBTs) when fired from an upwards angle.
• Able to be spammed en-masse, will eventually obliterate any target through the sheer number of rockets.
• With a ballistics computer, extremely lethal against ground units.
• Able to deal splash damage, near misses can take out open-tops and lightly armored vehicles (BMPs, truck-based SPAA such as the Pantsir or Flakrad)

Cons:

• Requires a direct hit for armored targets to deal damage/penetrate.
• Short range requires user to get near to target to fire, can be dangerous.
• "Spamming" the rockets usually required for most targets.
• Most tanks have composite and ERA armor, dealing with MBTs from the front and even the sides may be difficult.

History

The Hydra-70 rocket is a 70mm unguided "dumb" rocket meant to be used to engage ground targets. Developed from the FFAR "Mighty Mouse", a new motor produces more thrust and increases the effective range of the Hydra, and a new fin design improves accuracy and reduces spin. It is able to be mounted on planes, helicopters, and it has been adapted for ground vehicles also. The Hydra rocket has different models for different uses, including anti-personnel, anti-armor, marking, and practice models.

There are several ongoing attempts by military contractors to turn the Hydra into a precision-guided-munition (PGM), being more accurate but cheaper than conventional guided weaponry.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Weapons of similar configuration or role

• CRV7 M247
• FFAR Mighty Mouse
• S-8KO
• SNEB type 23
• Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

Rockets
USA
70 mm	FFAR Mighty Mouse · Hydra-70 M247
110 mm	M8
127 mm	HVAR · Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP
298 mm	Tiny Tim
408 mm	Yasser
Germany
55 mm	R4M
73 mm	RZ.65
88 mm	Pb2
150 mm	Wgr.41 Spr
210 mm	Wfr.Gr.21
USSR
55 mm	S-5K · S-5KP · S-5M
80 mm	S-8KO · S-8M
82 mm	M-8 · ROS-82 · RBS-82
122 mm	S-13OF
127 mm	S-3K
132 mm	M13 · M-13UK · ROFS-132 · ROS-132 · RBS-132
212 mm	S-1of · S-21
240 mm	S-24 · S-24B
300 mm	M-31
420 mm	S-25O · S-25OF · S-25OFM
425 mm	TT-250
Britain
51 mm	RP
70 mm	CRV7 M247
80 mm	Type R80 SURA T-80-P 3 · Type R80 SURA T-80-US 3
87 mm	AP Mk I · AP Mk II
152 mm	RP-3
183 mm	Triplex R.P.
292 mm	Uncle Tom · Red Angel
Japan
100 mm	Type 5 No.1 Mod.9
120 mm	Type 3 No.1 Mod.28 Mk.1
130 mm	Type 75
210 mm	Type 3 No.6 Mod.27 Mk.1 · Type 5 No.6 Mod.9
China
55 mm	Type 57-1
70 mm	FS70
90 mm	Type 90-1
130 mm	Type 130-2
Italy
50 mm	ARF/8M3(AP-AT)
70 mm	Skyfire-70 AC/AP
France
68 mm	SNEB type 23 · TDA
70 mm	FZ49
100 mm	TBA ECC · TBA Multi-Dart 100 AB
120 mm	T10 140 · T10 151
Sweden
75 mm	srak m/55 Frida · srak m/57B
81 mm	Oerlikon Typ 3Z 8Dla
135 mm	m/56D · psrak m/70
145 mm	psrak m/49B · Psrak m/49/56
150 mm	srak m/51
180 mm	hprak m/49
Israel
80 mm	Flz.-Rakete Oerlikon
127 mm	AR