![]() Rockets could be of various sizes but usually consisted of a tube of soft hammered iron about 8 inches (20 cm) long and 1.5 to 3 inches (3.8 to 7.6 centimetres) in diameter, closed at one end and strapped to a shaft of bamboo about 4 ft (1 m) long. In addition, wheeled rocket launchers were used in war that were capable of launching five to ten rockets almost simultaneously. The rocket men were trained to launch their rockets at an angle calculated from the diameter of the cylinder and the distance to the target. Mysore had 16 to 24 cushoons of infantry. īy the order of Tipu Sultan, his general Mir Zain-ul-'Abidin Shushtari compiled a military manual called Fathul Mujahidin in which 200 rocket men were assigned to each Mysorean cushoon (brigade). These rockets were used with considerable effect against the British East India Company in battles at Srirangapatam in 17. These hammered soft iron rockets were crude, but the bursting strength of the container of black powder was much higher than the earlier paper construction, and a greater internal pressure was possible. Rockets also existed in Europe, but they were not iron-cased and their range was far less than their Indian counterparts. Due to the use of iron tubes for holding the propellant, higher thrust and longer range for the missile (up to 2 km range) could be achieved. The British took an interest in the technology and developed it further during the 19th century. Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan deployed them against the larger British East India Company forces during the Anglo-Mysore Wars. With rocket bombardment and harassment, East India Company forces were caught in a double envelopment movement by Mysore cavalry, encircled and routed. At Pollilur rockets restricted East India Company vanguard movement, skimming along the surface, lacerating troops, and in one specific instance, shattered an Ensign's leg. During the Second Anglo-Mysore War, Colonel William Baillie's ammunition stores are thought to have been detonated by a stray rocket at the Battle of Pollilur in 1780, which contributed to British defeat in the battle. There was a regular rocket corps in the Mysore Army, beginning with about 1,200 men in Hyder Ali's time. Further information: History of rockets and Fire arrow
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