The Multiple Launch Rocket System and Rocket Noises

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the acoustic phenomena associated with the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Participants identify that the pipe organ-like sound heard in the video is likely due to the interaction of exhaust gases with the launcher barrel, creating vibrations similar to a resonant chamber. The comparison to Soviet "Stalin's Organs" highlights the historical context of rocket launcher sounds. The consensus is that the sound results from gases rushing through the launch tubes, akin to how pipe organs produce sound.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of acoustic phenomena in military technology
  • Familiarity with rocket propulsion systems
  • Knowledge of the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS)
  • Basic principles of sound generation in resonant chambers
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the acoustic properties of rocket launch systems
  • Explore the design and function of the MLRS
  • Study the historical use of Soviet "Stalin's Organs" and their sound characteristics
  • Investigate the physics of sound generation in resonant chambers
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Military historians, aerospace engineers, sound engineers, and enthusiasts of military technology interested in the acoustic effects of rocket launches.

bitrex
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Hello folks!

I was just watching a YouTube clip of the American MLRS system being used during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. I'm afraid I can't post a direct link to the video because of the 15 posts requirement, but if one does a search for "MLRS" it is the first video in the results.

My question is, at around 2 seconds into the video, and again at about 38 seconds, one can hear a pipe organ type sound (similar to the sound made by Soviet "Stalin's Organs" rocket launchers during WW2). I'm wondering what phenomena is responsible for this noise; my best guess is that as the rocket leaves the barrel it is leaving an area of low pressure either in the launcher barrel or in air as the rocket travels, which is then vibrating like a resonant chamber. Any thoughts?
 
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Can't get the video to play, but I would bet that the sound you describe is the result of exhaust gasses from the rockets, rushing back through the pipes from which the rockets were launched. This is roughly the same mechanism by which pipe-organs generate sound; gasses rushing through a pipe.
 

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