Pampero (multiple rocket launcher)
| Company type | Military equipment |
|---|---|
| Industry | Defense |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | CITEFA |
| Headquarters | Rosario , Argentina |
| Products | Multiple rocket launcher system |
The SLAM (Sistema Lanzacohetes de Artillería Múltiple, or Multiple Rocket Launcher System) "Pampero" is an Argentine-designed multiple rocket launcher that originated in the late Cold War era and continues to be operational.
Development
Between 1980 and 1983, CITEFA undertook the development of the SLAM "Pampero," which was subsequently produced by DGFM “Fabrica Militar Fray Luis Beltran” located in Rosario, Argentina. The launcher consists of a 16-barrel assembly installed on a Unimog 416 4x4 truck platform. It deploys 105mm "Pampero" rockets, also engineered by CITEFA, capable of being equipped with different types of warheads. In 1983, a total of five units were built for the Argentine Army, comprising one prototype and four fully operational launchers.
Service history
As of October 2016, the SLAM "Pampero" self-propelled rocket launcher remains in active service within artillery formations of the Argentine Army.
The production line later advanced into the CP-30 MRL, which accommodates both the original 105mm Pampero rockets and the more recent 127mm CP-30 rockets. This newer system is mounted on IVECO Trakker 6x4 vehicles and features a design reminiscent of Soviet-era Katyusha rocket launcher configurations.
Variants
- Surface-to-Surface: a self-propelled 16-tube multiple rocket launcher mounted on a Mercedes-Benz Unimog 416 chassis.
- Air-to-Surface: available in configurations with either 4 or 6 tubes in the "Yaguareté" pod and a 6-tube "Microbio" pod option.
Rocket
- Caliber:
- Length:
- Propulsion: Solid-fuel rocket
- Mass:
- Maximum effective range:
- Accuracy: 68% of rockets impact within a 300 m by 200 m area
- Warhead types:
- High Explosive (HE)
- HE-Incendiary (HE-I)
- Inert (for training purposes)
- Warhead mass:
(Note: figures may differ slightly depending on sources)
Launcher
- Service entry: 1980s (Argentine Army)
- Vehicle chassis: Mercedes-Benz Unimog 416 4x4 truck
- Operating weight (loaded): 6110 kg
- Tube count: 16
- Firing rate: all 16 rockets discharged within 7.5 seconds
- Reload duration: approximately 10 minutes
- Loading mechanism: manual
- Launcher rotation powered by electric motor
- Traverse range: 90°
- Elevation range: from 0° up to +52°
Users
See also
Sources
- Foss, Christopher F., Jane's Armour & Artillery, 2004-2005, Jane's Information Group, July 2004, 25th edition
Further reading
- Garcia Loperena, Gaston Javier, El Unimog en el Ejercito Argentino, 1884 Editorial, Buenos Aires, 2015, ISBN 9789509822993
External links
- Argentine Army Artillery Branch – technical details and photographs
- Argentine Army 3rd Artillery Group – fundamental specifications and images
- Official CITEFA website (Air-to-Surface variant specifications and photos)
- Unofficial overview including images and technical data
- Argentine Army organizational structure and equipment details featuring “Pampero”
- Fabricaciones Militares – description and technical specifications