Zuni ( rocket ) The Zuni is a unguided rocket deployed by the United States armed forces . The rocket was developed for both air - to - air and air - to - ground operations . It can be used to carry various types of warhead s , including chaff for countermeasures . It is usually fired from the LAU - 10 rocket pod holding four rockets . Development . In the early 1950s , U . S . Navy engineers Naval Ordnance Test Station China Lake began to develop a new 12 . 7 cm unguided rocket to replace the High Velocity Aircraft Rocket . The Zuni 5 - inch Folding - Fin Aircraft Rocket ( FFAR ) , was designed as a modular system , to allow the use of different types of warheads and fuzes . One type of warhead was a proximity fuze , as the rocket was originally intended to be used as an air - to - air rocket . The Zuni was approved for production in 1957 . A number of different launchers were tested for the Zuni , e . g . single launchers fitted to the AIM - 9 Sidewinder launching rails of the Vought F - 8 Crusader . However , four - tube LAU - 10 / A series pods became the most commonly used launcher . Operational History . The Zuni was widely used in the ground - attack role during the Vietnam War . However , on 1 May 1967 during a sortie against Kep Airbase , North Vietnam , LCDR Theodore R . Swartz shot down a MiG - 17 with Zuni rockets . This was the only MiG aircraft to be downed by a Douglas A - 4 Skyhawk during the Vietnam War . Lieutenant Commander Swartz received the Silver Star for his action . In 1967 , a Mk 32 Zuni rocket was responsible for a serious fire aboard the aircraft carrier , which led to the loss of 134 lives . A Mk32 was also responsible for a 1969 fire on the aircraft carrier , leading to the loss of 27 lives and saw 314 more injured . Fifteen aircraft were destroyed . Student use . The Australian Government has donated its Zuni rockets to the Australian Space Research Institute ( ASRI ) and they are used for student experiments which are launched from the Woomera launching range . Every year a few Zunis are launched there . ASRI has also designed and constructed custom nosecones and payload recovery mechanisms for the Zuni . With a payload of 20 kg , the Zuni has an approximate range of 5 . 9 km , which it attains in about 40 seconds , experiencing 55 g and 491 m / s ( Mach 1 . 4 ) during the flight . Laser Guided Zuni Rocket . The 5 " Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is a precision weapon and an upgrade to the unguided 5 " Zuni rocket . The North American division of MBDA is the only manufacturer of the Laser Guided Zuni Rocket similar to the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System upgrade to the Hydra 70 system . The Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is composed of the new WGU - 58 / B Guidance and Control Section that is attached to the front end of an unguided Zuni rocket and warhead . The weapon requires semi - active laser energy to guide to a precise target . The Laser Guided Zuni Rocket is on the U . S . Marine Corps Aviation Weapons Roadmap and Plan and is compatible with any aircraft that is cleared to carry unguided Zunis in a 4 - place LAU - 10 Launcher , including AV - 8B Harriers , F / A - 18 Hornets , AH - 1 Cobra Helicopters and P - 3 Orion aircraft . The precision weapon fits in the same launcher as unguided Zunis and requires only a 28V firing pulse and a semi active laser designator . The weapon was developed under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement ( CRADA ) with the Weapons Division of the U . S . Navy ' s Air Warfare Center in China Lake , California ( NAWC WD ) . In 2009 , the Laser Guided Zuni Rocket was successfully tested against both a stationary and moving targets . The weapon successfully underwent a live fire warhead test flight in September , 2010 .