345 mm HE Rocket M130 SLUFAE

SLUFAE (Surface-Launched Unit, Fuel-Air Explosive) was a mine clearing system, which was developed by the U.S. Army and Navy in the mid to late 1970s. The whole system consisted of a 30-tube rocket launcher mounted on an M548 tracked vehicle. The SLUFAE munition was an unguided rocket, designated 345 mm HE Rocket XM130. It consisted of a 45 kg (100 lb) BLU-73/B FAE warhead, a 5 inch "Zuni" rocket motor with a circular tail fin, and a long nose fuze. When exploding a few feet above the ground, the FAE warhead created a very large overpressure, which was intended to set off or destroy any land mines within a certain blast radius. By firing SLUFAE rockets successively ahead, a path through a mine field could be cleared. Inert SLUFAE training rounds were designated as 345 mm Inert Rocket XM131.

Photo: U.S. Army

SLUFAE

SLUFAE was tested in the 1976/77 time frame. Although SLUFAE (and other FAE systems) was reportedly rather successful in clearing mines, it was not adopted for production and service.

Specifications

Data for SLUFAE rocket XM130:

Length (w/o fuze)	2.38 m (7 ft 9.7 in); fuze: 1.86 m (6 ft 1.4 in)
Diameter	34.5 cm (13.6 in)
Weight	86 kg (190 lb)
Propulsion	5-Inch solid-fueled rocket
Warhead	45 kg (100 lb) BLU-73/B fuel-air explosive

Main Sources

[1] Christopher Chant: "World Encyclopaedia of Modern Air Weapons", Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1988
[2] ORDATA Online Website

Back to Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4

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Last Updated: 17 May 2006