when were rockets podded for planes?

[comrade harps]

I'm trying to find out when the LAU-3 and LAU-32 rocket launcher pods for the 2.75 inch Might Mouse rocket entered service. I haven't seen photos from the Korean War of these pods but plenty from 1960s Vietnam, but there's a gap there of a dew years and I know the Mighty Mouse itself was developed in the late '40s and being flown in internal packs from the early 50s, so when were they podded?

Any help much appreciated.

[Weaver]

Must have been mid-1950s because some fighters could carry the pods as alternatives to early AAMs (Skyray, for example). Of course, they were seen as much as an air-to-air weapon as an air-to-ground one in those days.

[comrade harps]

Ah, the Skyray, I forgot about that. Thanks for the tip. 

[Gondor]

I think the F-94 Star Fire might have been earlier than the Skyray and had podded rockets in the wing leading edge and the C version had rockers fitted around the radar in the nose.

Gondor

[comrade harps]

There's an early design rocket pod on the China lake site "F4U-5 Corsair BuNo 121840, over & under FFAR pod, China Lake, 02 May 1951" at http://www.chinalakealumni.org/1951/1951mo.htm. On the same page are several photos of rocket clusters, including an intriguing pic of a cluster in a see-through, clear, rounded rocket pod: "F9F-2 Panther BuNo 127090, Shelly cluster rocket package, China Lake, 30 Jul 1951"

I've also found China Lake photos of a Skyraider and a Banshee with "transportable, stackable, 5" ZUNI FFAR rocket pods" undergoing testing in December 1953 and a Banshee with "with wingtip mounted 2.75" FFAR pod... circa 1953" here: page: http://www.chinalakealumni.org/1953/1953mo.htm#thumb. These appear to be more angular than the rounded pods that we are familiar with.

Looking more like the Areo/LAU series pods that entered service is "NAF AD-4 Skyraider BuNo 123904, FFAR Aero X6B rocket pods, Armitage Field, China Lake, 27 Feb 1954" at http://www.chinalakealumni.org/1954/1954mo.htm
thumbnail: http://www.chinalakealumni.org/1954/.jalbum/thumbs/NP45-065530.jpg

There are several rocket pod pics from 1955 too: http://www.chinalakealumni.org/1955/1955mo.htm#thumb

So, to answer my own question, air-to-ground rocket pods of the Aero/LAU- series came into US service in the mid-1950s.