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{{Short description|Korean multiple rocket launcher}}
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox Korean name
| img = Hwacha2.jpg
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The '''''hwacha''''' or '''''hwach'a''''' ({{
These weapons were notably deployed in the defense of the [[Korean Peninsula]] against the invading Japanese when they [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98)|invaded in the 1590s]].<ref>{{cite book
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}}</ref> Some [[List of historians by area of study#History of Korea|East Asian historians]] believe this technological breakthrough, alongside the [[turtle ship]] in the mid-16th century, had a distinctive effect during the war.<ref name="Ki-Baik Schultz 2005" />
== History ==
[[File:Hwacha-1500s-painting2.jpg|thumb|Plans for Hwacha assembly and disassembly. Left mid and below are the front and rear of Singijeon rocket launcher modules, things at right are the front and rear of the munjong organ gun modules (Gukjo-orye-seorye, 1474)]]
=== Early firearms ===
Firearms were recognized by [[Goryeo]] military leaders as
Numerous [[History of Science and Technology in China|ancient Chinese]] documents relating to [[gunpowder]] based weapons such as the [[Huolongjing]] were acquired by the Koreans in addition to small samples of [[History of Science and Technology in China|Chinese gunpowder]] which the Koreans [[Reverse engineering|reverse engineered]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2019}}
Local production did not begin until [[
=== Hwacha ===
[[File:전쟁역사실1_172_총통기화차.jpg|thumb|Chongtong-gi(총통기) Hwacha Each of the 50 guns was loaded with four bullets, firing a total of 200 bullets.([[Seoul]] ''War Memorial)'']]
The hwacha
Stronger and more effective hwachas were made in 1451 under the decree of King [[Munjong of Joseon|Munjong]], by the king himself and his younger brother Pe.
=== Imjin wars (1592–1598) ===
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{{main|Imjin War}}
Hwachas saw action most extensively against the Japanese during their invasions of Korea. The hwachas were
Hwachas were also used on [[panokseon]]s under the navy of Admiral [[Yi Sun-sin]] to attack Japanese ships from a distance.
== Components ==
[[File:Hwacha.jpg|thumb|Hwacha launch pad, ignitors placed in the narrow section of each arrow to be fired]]The hwacha's structure was very similar to a handcart
▲The hwacha's structure was very similar to a handcart, with a mobile wooden launchpad on the top containing 100 to 200 cylindrical holes, into which igniters like those of the [[Korean cannon|sajeonchongtong]] (사전총통) were placed.<ref name="hwacha1" />
The ammunition, similar to the [[History of science and technology in China|ancient Chinese]] [[fire arrow]]s, consisted of a {{convert|1.1
One variant had 5 rows of 10 gun barrels in the launchpad, each of which could fire a bundle of four arrow-like projectiles.
The back side of the hwacha featured two parallel arms that allowed the operator to push and pull the machine
Hwachas were usually made of [[pinus koraiensis|pine]] wood, although
The Korean army included siege engineers and blacksmiths
== Projectiles ==
[[File:Musket Arrows, Joseon (Choson) Dynasty.jpg|thumb|The Chongtonggi Hawcha was loaded with small arrows with metal tips. This is called Sejeon(세전/細箭).]]{{see also|Singijeon}}Unlike the [[cannon]]s or [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s used in Western warfare during Middle Ages and the 16th century, which required heavy iron balls, hwachas fired arrows which were thin and light, making it an easy-to-maneuver siege weapon.<ref name="Reynolds 2001" />▼
The holes in the hwacha's launching array ranged in diameter from {{convert|2.5
▲Unlike the [[cannon]]s or [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s used in Western warfare during Middle Ages and the 16th century, which required heavy iron balls, hwachas fired arrows which were thin and light, making it an easy-to-maneuver siege weapon.<ref name="Reynolds 2001" />
[[Singijeon]]-class projectiles were small arrows designed by Korean siege engineers specifically
▲The holes in the hwacha's launching array ranged in diameter from 2.5 to 4 cm, which allowed thin [[Gungdo|Gungdo bow-like arrows]] to be fired and also admitted ''sajeonchongtong'' class igniters placed in the back side of the shooting board.<ref name="Reynolds 2001" />
Because of the large numbers of arrows fired from hwachas and the widespread damage
▲[[Singijeon]]-class projectiles were small arrows designed by Korean siege engineers specifically to be used in hwachas. Called ''so'' (소), or "small", they possessed a pouch of [[black powder]] attached in the bottom near to the [[fletching]] section.<ref name="Reynolds 2001" /> Besides the singijeon-class projectiles, hwacha could also fire 100 steel-tipped rockets.<ref name="Turnbull" />
▲Because of the large numbers of arrows fired from hwachas and the widespread damage of its attack, a dense formation presented an ideal target for hwachas.
== Ballistics and range ==
{{see also|External ballistics}}
The [[trajectory]] of the ''so'' projectiles was
Hwachas' range could be extended if the siege weapon was situated on a hill or other elevated place. Singijeon arrows from that position had a range of about {{convert|500
A 15th-century account from the [[Annals of Joseon Dynasty]] tells of an experiment in which the singijeon fired from a hwacha completely pierced a scarecrow armed with a suit of
== Usage ==
[[File:Hwacha Yungwon pilbi.jpg|thumb|A hwacha from the ''Yungwon pilbi'', 1813]]
Hwachas were mostly used in a defensive manner; however, some Western and East Asian historians have concluded that in some cases they were used offensively in sea-to-land attacks and in [[naval warfare]] as well, particularly in the [[Battle of Noryang Point]], during the [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598)|Imjin wars]] in 1598.<ref name="usg1" />▼
▲Hwachas were mostly used
Hwachas were usually carried to battle and highly escorted. Once
At sea, maneuvers were slightly different and more complex because the operator would need to find a proper and stable place to fire. Some hwacha operators preferred to be on the rowers' deck, where they could shoot from the windows, while others preferred to be on the main deck to shoot at the enemy ships' sails. These kind of manoeuvres were particularly seen on Korean [[Panokseon]] [[warship]]s.<ref name="Reynolds 2001"/>
== See also ==
* [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)]]▼
* [[Battle of Haengju]]
* [[Singijeon]]▼
* [[Fire arrow]]
* [[
* ''[[Ghost of Tsushima]]'', a 2020 video game set in 1270s Japan in which the hwacha is used in gameplay, though its appearance is anachronistic.
* [[Huolongjing]]
* [[MythBusters (2008 season)#Hwacha|Hwacha on MythBusters]]▼
▲* [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)]]
* [[Katyusha rocket launcher|Katyusha]], a multi-barrel Soviet rocket launcher used in World War 2.
* [[Korean cannon]]
▲* [[MythBusters (2008 season)#Hwacha|Hwacha on MythBusters]]
* [[Ribauldequin]]
▲* [[Singijeon]]
* [[Type 63 multiple rocket launcher]] and [[RPU-14]] - modern versions of light MRL
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<ref name="Kim Jaffe 2010">
{{cite book
| title = The
| last1 = Kim
| first1 = Myung Oak
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| author = Korean Broadcasting System-News department
| title = Science in Korea
| publisher
| date = 2005-04-30
| work = Countdown Begins for Launch of South Korea’s Space Rocket
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| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/medievalwarfareh00maur/page/352
}}
}}
}}
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[[Category:Early firearms]]
[[Category:Early rocketry]]▼
[[Category:Firearms of Korea]]▼
[[Category:Korean inventions]]
[[Category:Rocket artillery]]
▲[[Category:Firearms of Korea]]
[[Category:Salvo weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons of Korea]]
▲[[Category:Early rocketry]]
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