What monstrous rockets could the F4U-4 carry?

Short answer

The Corsair could fire Tiny Tim rockets, 11.75 inches (298 mm) in diameter, 3.18 m long and weighing 576 kg (1,269 lb). They weren't exclusive to the F4U: the F6F Hellcat, TBF/TBM Avenger and SB2C Helldiver fired them too. The F4U carried up to eight rockets, four under each wing.

Published: October 31, 2026 · Updated: October 31, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What monstrous rockets could the F4U-4 carry?

F4U at 2023 Oshkosh

The Corsair on strike missions

By early 1945, the F4U Corsair was already a fully-fledged "mudfighter." In these attacks it used high-explosive bombs together with napalm tanks. HVAR rockets were added to that payload. The aircraft proved versatile, able to operate very different weapons: at one extreme, the Bat guided glide bombs; at the other, the 11.75 in (298 mm) Tiny Tim rockets. The F4U could carry up to eight rockets, four under each wing. The total weight of explosive ordnance it could carry reached 4,000 pounds.

An 11.75-inch rocket

The development that produced the Tiny Tim resulted in a rocket 11.75 inches in diameter. That diameter equals 298 mm. Its length was 3.18 m, or 10 ft 5.25 in. Its weight, 576 kg (1,269 lb).

From World War II to Korea

The Tiny Tim was not an exclusive weapon of the Corsair: it could also be fired from the F6F Hellcat, the TBF/TBM Avenger and the SB2C Helldiver. The rocket was later used, with some success, during the Korean War. On the F4U, that armament coexisted with the high-explosive bombs, napalm tanks and HVAR rockets of the 1945 attacks.