M/50 Bofors
Contents
Description
Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the rocket.
Effective damage
Describe the type of damage produced by this type of rocket (high explosive, splash damage, etc)
Comparison with analogues
Give a comparative description of rockets that have firepower equal to this weapon.
Usage in battles
Describe situations when you would utilise this rocket in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)
Pros and cons
Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.
Pros:
Cons:
History
The end of World War II led to the development of a new class of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon known as the anti-submarine rocket. Launching a depth charge with the assistance of a rocket into the ocean provided benefits over the older methods of depth charge deployment most notably it didn’t require the target submarine to be directly underneath the ship which was a blind spot for their sonar at the time. The United States developed the Mark 108 "Weapon alfa" which served in this role, but they were not the only nation to do so. Sweden began the development of 375 mm (14.8) rockets in 1948 and by 1950 the design was complete alongside the launcher for the new ASW weapon which was the M/50 Bofors.
The M/50 Bofors is the designation given to the original four-barreled launcher for these rocket-powered depth charges and enter Swedish service in 1956. The design was first used by the Swedish Navy on the Halland and Visby-class destroyers before it began getting exported to numerous nations around the world. The M/50 bears the distinction of being the first to combine rocket-powered depth charges with sonar providing accurate fire control. With a 100-kilogram (220-pound) explosive filler for the original M/50 Bofors launcher, the M/50 had a total of 48 rounds for each launcher. The original weapons used an electro-mechanical predictor for aiming but later models used digital fire control systems.
The German Bundesmarine (Federal Navy) was among the navies of the world to adopt this design. The Köln-class frigates, along with the Hamburg-class destroyer and Deutschland training all used M/50 Bofors in German service. Along with the Germans, it was also notably used in the Netherlands, France, and Japan. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force notably used the design built by Mitsubishi under license as the Type 71 which was adopted in 1971 on a variety of frigates.
Media
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See also
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- reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;
- references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.
External links
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- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Naval special armaments | |
|---|---|
| USA | |
| Mortars | 7.2-inch T37 · Mk 2 |
| Rockets | 5-inch GPSR Mk.7 · Mark 108 Weapon alfa |
| Missiles | RIM-24A |
| Germany | |
| Rockets | M/50 Bofors |
| Missiles | Strela-2M |
| USSR | |
| Mortars | BM-37 · RBM · RBU-1200 · RBU-2500 · RBU-6000 · RKU-36U |
| Rockets | BM-14-17 · BM-21 · M13 · M-8 |
| Missiles | Volna-M |
| Britain | |
| Mortars | Ordnance ML 4.2-inch mortar |
| Japan | |
| Rockets | 4.5-inch BBR Mk.7 (USA) · Mark 108 Weapon alfa (USA) |
| Italy | |
| Missiles | Nettuno |
| France | |
| Missiles | SS.11 |
