Editing Hydra 70 (section)

==Service==
[[File:Hydra 70 03.jpg|thumb|right|Hydra 70 rockets on an [[AH-1 Cobra]] helicopter]]
The family of Hydra 70 (70&nbsp;mm) 2.75&nbsp;inch rockets perform a variety of functions. The war reserve unitary and cargo warheads are used for anti-[[materiel]], [[anti-personnel]], and suppression missions. The Hydra 70 family of folding-fin aerial rockets also includes smoke screening, illumination, and training [[warhead]]s. Hydra 70 rockets are known mainly by either their warhead type or by the [[rocket motor]] designation, Mk 66 in US military service.

===United States===
In the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], Hydra 70 rockets are fired from the [[AH-64 Apache]] and AH-64D Apache Longbow [[helicopter]] variants using M261 19-tube rocket launchers, and the [[OH-58D Kiowa Warrior]] using seven-tube M260 rocket launchers. In the [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]], either the M260 or M261 launchers are employed on the [[AH-1W SuperCobra]] and [[AH-1Z Viper]], depending upon the mission. The M260 and M261 are used with the Mk 66 series of rocket motor, which replaced the Mk 40 series. The Mk 66 has a reduced system weight and provides a remote [[fuze]] setting interface. Hydra 70s have also been fired from [[UH-60]] and [[AH-6]] series aircraft in US Army service.

The [[AH-1 Cobra|AH-1G Cobra]] and the [[UH-1 Iroquois|UH-1B "Huey"]] used a variety of launchers including the M158 seven-tube and M200 19-tube rocket launchers designed for the Mk 40 rocket motor; however, these models have been replaced by upgraded variants in the [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] because they were not compatible with the Mk 66 rocket motor. The Hydra 70 rocket system is also used by the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]], and the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]].

===Common U.S. Mk 66 compatible launchers===
[[File:Hydra 70 M261.jpeg|thumb|Dummy Hydra 70s in an M261 launcher on a Dutch [[Boeing AH-64 Apache|AH-64 Apache]]. The tips of some of the rockets are white (and the rockets are shorter in length, and they are attached to the launcher via umbilical connectors) because they have a different type of warhead and fuze.]]
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:96%;"
! Designation
! Description
|-
|M260
|7-Tube LWL (LightWeight Launcher, 35 lbs, 15.9kg)
|-
|M261
|19-Tube LWL (LightWeight Launcher, 80 lbs/ 36.3kg)
|-
|LAU-130/A
|19-Tube rocket launcher
|-
|LAU-131/A
|7-Tube rocket launcher
|-
|LAU-68D/A
|7-Tube [[Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket#US Mk 40 FFAR Launchers|LAU-68C/A]] variant; compatible w/ Mk 66 rocket motor; external thermal protection coating; launcher supports single and ripple firing
|-
|LAU-69D/A
|19-Tube [[Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket#US Mk 40 FFAR Launchers|LAU-61B/A]] variant; compatible w/ Mk 66 rocket motor; external thermal protection coating; launcher supports single and ripple firing
|}

===Accidents===
In 2019, a 72-year-old [[Taiwan]]ese man was killed after a discarded Hydra rocket which he had cut into with an electric saw exploded. He had believed it to be a length of pipe. The rocket had been caught in the net of a fishing vessel and then discarded by the crew ashore as scrap metal.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Everington |first1=Keoni |title=Man killed after sawing into Hydra 70 rocket in NE Taiwan |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3800828 |website=www.taiwannews.com.tw |date=22 October 2019 |publisher=Taiwan News |access-date=20 February 2020}}</ref>