Kolos AA Rocket Launcher
| Factions | Weapon | Icon | Classes | Ammo | Explosion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage | Radius | |||||
 VC |
 Kolos AA Rocket Launcher |
 |
Special Loadout Zombies |
7 / 21 | 75 | 125 |
| Designation | Weapon Type | Fire Modes | Fire Rate | Bullet Spread ° | Muzzle Velocity | Projectile weight | Weight | Reload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [[]] | Rocket Launcher | Fire All | 7 RPM | 4° & 2° ADS | 80 m/s | Seconds | 230.0 g (3549.44 gr) | 12 kg (26.46 lbs) |
| Full name | Caliber | Place of Origin | Date | Manufacturer | Barrel Length | Total Length | Weapon Script Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FN | rpg_round | Soviet Union | 1967 | ARM | in ( mm) | in ( mm) | weapon_kolos |
The Kolos AA Rocket Launcher was a Soviet experimental, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft weapon concept from the late 1960s, designed to launch a salvo of multiple unguided 30mm rockets from a compact multi-tube launcher. It was intended as a low-cost answer to helicopters and low-flying aircraft, drawing on the earlier German “Luftfaust” idea of saturating a target area with a spread of small rockets. The system is most notable for its clip-like rocket block concept and for being eclipsed by early infrared-guided MANPADS programs.
HISTORY
The Kolos project emerged during the mid-to-late 1960s as Soviet designers explored inexpensive, man-portable ways to threaten helicopters and low-flying aircraft without relying on complex guidance. The concept centered on firing several small 30mm unguided rockets in a single volley, using a launcher built around a clustered set of tubes/rails and a pre-packed ammunition block to speed loading. Prototype work reached the test stage around 1967–1968, but the limitations of unguided rockets against maneuvering air targets, alongside rapid progress in heat-seeking missiles, ultimately pushed the concept into the background.
In the Vietnam War context, the Kolos is often described as being motivated by the increasing battlefield impact of U.S. helicopters and the desire to provide a simple, portable counter for allied forces in Southeast Asia. While it is frequently linked in secondary accounts to prospective supply for Vietnamese forces, the project did not proceed into widespread production or standard service, and confirmed combat use is not well documented. Instead, guided systems such as the Strela-2 family became the more practical path for fielded man-portable air defense and would later see combat employment in the region.
Sources
- Steven J. Zaloga, Infantry Antiaircraft Missiles: Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (Osprey Weapon 85), Osprey Publishing/Bloomsbury, 2023
- Krzysztof Ogonowski & Dariusz Bogusz, “Conception of protecting civil aircrafts from man-portable air-defence system,” Polish Air Force Academy (paper uploaded 2019)
- “Kolos portable air defense system” (overview article with technical description and test-era discussion)