5" / 127mm Mark 25 Mod 2 High Explosive Anti-Tank Rocket with Mark 71 Mod 1 Rocket Motor

This restored 5" / 127mm Mark 25 Mod 2 High Explosive Anti-Tank rocket is built with an original Mark 25 Mod 2 HEAT warhead, an original Mark 18 fuze, and a restored Mark 71 Mod 1 rocket motor. It presents the correct overall form of a 5-inch anti-armor aircraft rocket while remaining a fully inert display piece for collectors, museums, and restoration projects.

The Mark 25 Mod 2 belongs to the 5-inch rocket family as an early HEAT warhead, designed around shaped-charge performance rather than general-purpose blast-fragmentation effect. In the broader history of U.S. 5-inch aircraft rockets, warheads in this class were intended for use against armored vehicles, bunkers, and other hardened targets, making them an important step in the development of later anti-tank and dual-purpose airborne rockets.

The Mark 71 Mod 1 rocket motor is the later high-performance motor associated with the Zuni 5-inch rocket family. Compared to earlier 5-inch motors, the Mk 71 Mod 1 used a longer, heavier motor body and a wrap-around fin arrangement, giving the rocket the distinctive profile most collectors associate with later Zuni and WAFAR-type 5-inch systems. For display purposes, that makes it one of the most recognizable 5-inch aircraft rocket motors used by U.S. naval aviation during the Cold War and post-Vietnam period.

About This Specific Rocket

This example is assembled from original components and restored for display with attention to the parts that matter most visually and historically.

• Original Mark 25 Mod 2 HEAT Warhead
  This rocket uses an original Mark 25 Mod 2 High Explosive Anti-Tank warhead, preserving the proper external profile of this early 5-inch shaped-charge head.
• Original Mark 18 Fuze
  The warhead is fitted with an original Mark 18 fuze, giving the rocket the correct finished appearance at the nose and preserving the authentic look of an original assembled round.
• Restored Mark 71 Mod 1 Rocket Motor
  The motor is built from an original demilitarized parts kit. The center section has been repaired with correct new aluminum, while both end sections, the fins, and the venturi are original. This approach preserves the original hardware where it matters most while allowing the motor to present as a complete, correct display piece.
• Fully Inert Display Item
  This rocket is offered strictly as an inert display and educational piece. It is not functional and is not intended for live use.

Why This Piece Matters

This is the kind of rocket that stands out in a collection because it combines an original early 5-inch HEAT warhead with the later and highly recognizable Mark 71 Mod 1 motor. It works equally well as a stand-alone display, as part of a larger Zuni / 5-inch rocket collection, or as a companion piece for aircraft, launcher, or naval aviation ordnance displays.

Because the motor restoration uses original fins, venturi, and both end sections, the completed rocket retains the visual characteristics that collectors tend to care about most: the correct tail profile, original fin hardware, and the unmistakable appearance of a service-pattern 5-inch rocket.

Ideal For

This restored rocket is a strong fit for:

• 5-inch Zuni and naval aviation ordnance collections
• Aircraft armament displays
• Museum exhibits on U.S. airborne rockets and anti-armor weapons
• Launcher and pylon displays
• Collectors seeking original-component 5-inch rocket assemblies rather than reproduction pieces