Original Item: Only One Available. This is an outstanding original U.S. mid-1950s 2.75-inch Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket, or FFAR, assembled with an inert Mk 1 Mod 1 practice warhead and a Mk 43 Mod 1 rocket motor. The round was manufactured and marked for training purposes and is clearly identified as INERT and EMPTY by its original U.S. military stenciling.

This example has been demilitarized and is represented as completely inert. The warhead is marked INERT, and the motor is marked EMPTY. No propellant, explosive filler, functioning fuze, or other energetic material is known to be present. It is intended strictly as a historical collectible and display piece. NOT AVAILABLE FOR EXPORT.

The 2.75-inch FFAR was originally developed by the U.S. Navy after WWII as a free-flight aerial rocket. It saw service during the Korean War and was later adapted for air-to-ground use from fixed-wing aircraft and armed helicopters. Modified versions of the 2.75-inch rocket became a major armament of UH-1 Huey and AH-1 Cobra helicopters during the Vietnam War.

Although commonly associated with the later Hydra 70 family, this particular example predates that designation. The Army officially adopted the Hydra 70 name in 1983 for the improved system using the Mk 66 motor. This example instead retains the earlier Mk 43 Mod 1 folding-fin motor, placing it within the earlier generation of 2.75-inch aerial rockets.

The blue-painted nose section is an inert Mk 1 Mod 1 practice warhead or training body. Its original stenciling includes:

MASTER FILLER 1.4 LBS
AMM. LOT NO. RHHB 35-S-54
CODE NO. 2".75 200-1010-
INERT
2".75 RH MK 1 MOD 1
BUORD DR. NO. 656195
CONT. NO. 10……

The ammunition lot ending in “54” indicates 1954 manufacture or loading. The blue finish and prominent INERT marking identify the head as a nonexplosive training component rather than a live high-explosive warhead.

The nose is fitted with an M423-style fuze assembly. The M423 was a point-detonating, super-quick fuze used with several types of 2.75-inch rocket warheads, although the fuze fitted to this inert display round has been demilitarized and is represented as containing no explosive components.

The rocket motor is marked:

GR MK 43 MOD 1 GR LOT NO. H 2143
AMM LOT NO. RMHA-17-S-55
MOTOR CODE NO. 2".75 1-0310-I
USE ONLY BETWEEN -65 AND +150 F

(BUORD STAMP)

2".75 ROCKET MOTOR MK 43 MOD 1
BU. ORD. DR. NO. 666842
CON. NO. 14801 LOT 89
EMPTY

The 1955 ammunition lot date is consistent with the mid-1950s production period of the complete training round.

The Mk 43 Mod 1 motor retains its original spring-loaded folding stabilization fins. All four fins remain compressed around the motor by their original plastic retaining collar or combiner, with a wire extending from one of the motor nozzles. This assembly would normally release the fins after the rocket left its launch tube.

The survival of the original fin retainer is especially desirable and gives the tail assembly an almost unissued appearance. We have not attempted to remove the plastic collar or deploy the fins, as doing so could damage the fragile original components.

The complete round measures approximately 48" in overall length, has a diameter of 2.75", and weighs approximately 20 pounds. The painted surfaces and original stenciling remain in excellent condition, with only light age and storage wear.

With its vivid original blue paint, extensive military markings, dated warhead and motor components, and exceptionally well-preserved folding-fin assembly, this is one of the finest inert early 2.75-inch aerial rockets we have offered. It would make an outstanding addition to a collection of U.S. naval aviation, early helicopter armament, Korean War, Vietnam War development, or inert military ordnance.

Editorial Notes:

The original description identified the round as a Vietnam-era Hydra 70 fitted with a Mk 66 motor. The surviving markings instead identify a Mk 1 Mod 1 inert head dated 1954 and a Mk 43 Mod 1 motor dated 1955. The Mk 66 motor was a later development with three wraparound fins, while this example retains the earlier four-fin folding assembly.

The 2.75-inch FFAR family was extensively used from helicopters during the Vietnam War, but the 1954 and 1955 markings on this particular round indicate that it was manufactured before that conflict. It may represent the type of rocket system from which later Vietnam-era helicopter rockets developed, but there is no evidence that this individual training round served in Vietnam.