Air-to-air rocket. Country: USA. Status: Retired 1957. Popular Name: Holy Moses. High-Velocity Air Rocket. An unguided fighter weapon, it was later adapted for use by NACA in the early 1950's to boost subscale aerodynamic models to supersonic speed.
Historical Essay on the Military Version - © Andreas Parsch
The 5-inch FFAR suffered from insufficient speed because of its small motor. Therefore the development of a larger rocket motor with 5-inch diameter was begun, and the first test firings occurred in December 1943. When fitted with the warhead of the 5-inch FFAR, the rocket achieved a velocity of 1530 km/h (950 mph), making it a very powerful weapon for its time. It was officially designated as 5-Inch HVAR (High-Velocity Aircraft Rocket), but often called Holy Moses. It became operational in July 1944, and was used by Army Air Force and Navy aircraft.
During World War II, two versions of Holy Moses were built, one general-purpose with base and nose fuzes, and one with a semi-armour-piercing warhead and a nose fuze only. Postwar developments added a shaped-charge anti-tank warhead, and a new general purpose type with a proximity fuze. More than one million Holy Moses HVARs were built until production ended in 1955.
Manufacturer: NASA. Launches: 42. Failures: 2. Success Rate: 95.24%. First Launch Date: 1945-10-13. Last Launch Date: 1957-02-15. Launch data is: incomplete. Apogee: 10 km (6 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 25.000 kN (5,620 lbf). Total Mass: 63 kg (138 lb). Core Diameter: 0.12 m (0.39 ft). Total Length: 1.83 m (6.00 ft). Standard warhead mass: 2.40 kg (5.20 lb). Maximum range: 1.50 km (0.90 mi). Boost Propulsion: Solid rocket. Guidance: Unguided. Maximum speed: 1,610 kph (1,000 mph).
- Stage1: 1 x HVAR-1. Gross Mass: 40 kg (88 lb). Empty Mass: 17 kg (37 lb). Motor: 1 x HVAR. Thrust (vac): 25.000 kN (5,620 lbf). Burn time: 0.90 sec. Length: 1.70 m (5.50 ft). Diameter: 0.13 m (0.42 ft). Propellants: Solid.
Version: HVAR FFAR. Test vehicle.
Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x HVAR + 1 x Mk7
Launches: 12. Failures: 1. First Launch Date: 1947-04-24. Last Launch Date: 1952-11-14. Apogee: 10 km (6 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 25.000 kN (5,620 lbf). Core Diameter: 0.13 m (0.42 ft). Total Length: 3.00 m (9.80 ft).
- Stage1: 1 x HVAR-1. Gross Mass: 40 kg (88 lb). Empty Mass: 17 kg (37 lb). Motor: 1 x HVAR. Thrust (vac): 25.000 kN (5,620 lbf). Burn time: 0.90 sec. Length: 1.70 m (5.50 ft). Diameter: 0.13 m (0.42 ft). Propellants: Solid.
- Stage2: 1 x Double FFAR-2. Gross Mass: 10 kg (22 lb). Empty Mass: 9.00 kg (19.80 lb). Motor: 1 x Mk7. Thrust (vac): 9.800 kN (2,203 lbf). Burn time: 0.90 sec. Length: 1.20 m (3.90 ft). Diameter: 0.0700 m (0.2290 ft). Propellants: Solid.
HVAR Chronology
1945 October 13 - White Sands -. R-2 Agency: JPL. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1945 October 13 - White Sands -. R-1 Agency: JPL. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1945 October 13 - White Sands -. R-3 Agency: JPL. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1945 October 13 - White Sands -. R-4 Agency: JPL. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1945 October 14 - White Sands -. R-5 Agency: JPL. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1945 October 14 - White Sands -. R-6 Agency: JPL. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1947 April 24 - Wallops Island -. RM-10 model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1947 May 1 - Wallops Island -. FR-2 model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1948 June 1 - Wallops Island -. Rascal Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1948 July 8 - Wallops Island -. Rascal Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1948 September 1 - Wallops Island -. Rascal Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1948 October 1 - Wallops Island -. E14 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1949 January 11 - Wallops Island -. D13 model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1949 May 12 - Wallops Island -. F25 Drag Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1950 May 18 - Wallops Island -. E2 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1950 July 18 - Wallops Island -. F25 model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1950 August 24 - Wallops Island -. D28 model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1950 September 15 - Wallops Island -. D27 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1950 October 2 - Wallops Island -. FAILURE: Failure. D35 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1950 October 10 - Wallops Island -. F25 Drag Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1950 November 9 - Wallops Island -. F25 Drag Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1950 December 1 - Wallops Island -. Rascal Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1950 December 19 - Wallops Island -. D35 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1951 March 1 - Wallops Island -. FAILURE: Failure. F25 Drag Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1951 July 9 - Wallops Island -. D27 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1951 July 27 - Wallops Island -. Hermes A3A model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1951 August 22 - Wallops Island -. D32 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1951 September 12 - Wallops Island -. E2 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1952 May 16 - Wallops Island -. D18 model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1952 June 3 - Wallops Island -. F12 model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1952 September 5 - Wallops Island -. Rascal Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1952 October 3 - Wallops Island -. E39 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi).
1952 October 3 - Wallops Island -. E39 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 2.00 km (1.20 mi).
1952 November 14 - Wallops Island -. E31 model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1952 November 24 - Wallops Island -. D32 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1953 - Wallops Island -. D32 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1953 October 7 - Wallops Island -. D18 F8U-1 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 10 km (6 mi).
1953 November 3 - Wallops Island -. D37 model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1954? - Wallops Island -. E14 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1954 January 21 - Wallops Island -. Turbojet study test Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
1954 March 2 - Wallops Island -. D18 F8U-1 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 10 km (6 mi).
1957 February 15 - Wallops Island -. D27 Model test flight Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi).
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