Originally developed as a collaborative effort between Swedish and British defense contractors, the U.K. government had sent around 2,000 of these weapons to Ukraine before the conflict broke out. Both of these countries are among those planning to send Stingers to Ukraine.. A member of Lithuania's armed forces with a Grom MANPADS.. Canadian troops fire a Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle during training.. The outer tube contains the trigger, the arming handle, front and rear sights, and the rear cover. "Packing a Punch: America's Man-Portable Antitank Weapons". The improved LAW has a velocity of 650-feet per second. To fire, the gunner first removes the safety pin located at the rear of the tube, which unblocks the firing rod. Do you get paid in turnips to sit at your desk at your troll farm and paste the same garbage on all articles? When the gases build up to the correct pressure level, the blowout plug disintegrates, allowing the proper amount of gases to be vented to the rear, balancing the propellant gases pushing the projectile forward. (ice cold like the bodies of the frozen russian invaders in UKR). The LAW is an organic weapon located in the infantry battalion. The M72 VERY light. They then take a firing position, ensuring that no one is present in the back blast area. The MANPADS envelope is generally 15,000-feet and below, although some can even exceed that ceiling today. Although generally thought of as a Vietnam War-era weapon that has been superseded by the more-powerful AT4, the M72 LAW found new popularity in the operations by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, and Canadian Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. This project forms part of our recent analysis and forecasts of the global missiles and missile defence systems market available from our business information platform Strategic Defence Intelligence. The AT4 adopted a unique method developed earlier by FFV: the spring-loaded firing rod is located down the side of the outer tube, with the firing pin at the rear of the tube. The increased importance of tanks and other armored vehicles in World War II caused a need for portable infantry weapons to deal with them. [31][32][33], During the Vietnam and post-Vietnam periods, all issued LAWs were recalled after instances of the warhead exploding in flight, sometimes injuring the operator. Both practice cartridges are unique to their respective weapons, with their trajectory matched to that of the live round. With all that in mind, The War Zone has compiled brief profiles of the shoulder-fired missiles, rocket launchers, and recoilless rifles that Ukraine has received in foreign military aid packages so far and the weapons it is expected to receive in the future. When fired, the striker in the rear tube impacts a primer, which ignites a small amount of powder that "flashes" down a tube to the rear of the rocket and ignites the propellant in the rocket motor. Canada and Norway have said they are sending M72s, but have not specified what versions. The M136 AT4 produces less effect than the M72-series LAW. The Armbrust, while an impressive weapon with its almost total lack of launch signature, which enabled it to be fired from enclosed spaces, was rejected due to higher cost and lack of effective range against moving targets. U.S.-supplied Stingers were a key factor in the Soviet Union's ultimate defeat in Afghanistan in the 1980s. The U.S. Army had so much grief in the early 1980s from various committee members of the U.S. Congress over the M72 LAW being officially referred to in manuals as a Light. It, therefore, becomes difficult to use the weapon in restricted areas. The Marine Corps expects the LAW FFE will be ready and in service sometime in 2022giving Soldiers and Marines a significant increase in their anti-armor capabilities. All Rights Reserved. The M72 is the most common anti-tank weapon in the Finnish Army. In accordance with the weapon's known limitations, a pair of "tank-buster" troops crawl to a firing position around 50 to 150 meters (160 to 490ft) away from the target, bringing with them four to six LAWs, which are then used in rapid succession until the target is destroyed or incapacitated. Well before the end of the Cold War, it had become clear they had limited effectiveness against even contemporary tanks and had started to be gradually withdrawn from service with the U.S. military and other armed forces around the world. In November 2010, Saab received a 15m order from the French Defence Forces for the light anti-tank weapon AT4 (confined space), a variant of AT4. They still have the same model in game but . The reference refers to Allaint Techsystems as the manufacture, but they soon after were acquired by Honeywell. This task is greatly facilitated by Mr. Biden, who provides our fighters with modern American weapons. [12] However, some modern variants of the LAW are specifically designed with fire-from-enclosure (FFE) capability. The U.S.-made Javelin, which The War Zone has already covered in detail in the Ukrainian context, practically needs no introduction at this point. But the LAW is cheaper, easier to carry, and simple to train on. The M72 LAW (light anti-tank weapon, also referred to as the light anti-armor weapon or LAW as well as LAWS: light anti-armor weapons system) is a portable one-shot 66mm (2.6in) unguided anti-tank weapon. The AT4 is an 84mm unguided anti-armour weapon manufactured by Saab Bofors Dynamics. There was a lot of Ukrainian propaganda that turned out to be pure fantasy, but even after these stories turned out to be fake, people cling to them.. People should know about people like you and bring them to a merciless trial that will continue for you for eternity in hell. The tube is mounted facing downward, enabling the drone operator to fire on tanks and armored vehicles from a top attack position while remaining 3 to 4km (1.9 to 2.5mi) away. Large and easily damaged, it required a well-trained two-man crew. The weapon covers a minimum arming distance of 10m, which makes it more accurate in targeting short distance targets. The only information coming from the Russians is statements directly from the Ministry of Defense or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Command Launch Unit's (CLU) targeting system, which includes thermal imaging sight, also has a secondary surveillance capability that can be used in a pinch. The AST warheads are specifically designed for meeting the urban warfare. The standard sights on the AT4 are very rudimentary and it has an effective range of just under 985 feet. These weapons should be in the hands of Ukrainian fighters by now. But unlike the Carl Gustaf, which uses a heavier and more expensive steel tube with rifling,[15] the disposable AT4 design greatly reduces manufacturing costs by using a reinforced smoothbore fiberglass outer tube. The AT4 is an 84mm unguided anti-armour weapon manufactured by Saab Bofors Dynamics. and is much easier to hit your target It costs more ammo to resupply (60 vs 40) and the kit doesn't get a ACOG on the M4 #2 Echoist Aug 31, 2020 @ 10:38pm [21] These are likely the M72A5-C1 designation. [23] It also fields the bunker-buster version that contains 440g (0.97lb) of DPX-6 explosive, named M72 ASM RC, and locally designated 66 KES 12 RAK. The, Learn how and when to remove this template message, AT4 launcher shown with ammunition and HEAT projectile, AT4 cutaway illustration showing ammunition installed, AT4 cock safety, press finger safety, and thumb firing button, Mk 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon, "Light Anti-Armour Weapons: Anti-Everything? The Hesse-Eastern Division of Norris Thermadore developed the LAW. The core launcher has been improved, as well, including the addition of an accessory rail for the rapid addition of more robust sights. Which means even with only 1 launcher a unit with less than 15 rockets would be better off with just carrying M72s weight wise (assumign RPG7 = M72 for power). The new LAW FFE will provide a true Fire-from-an-Enclosure capability unlike anything the Marine Corps has ever seen, according to a Marine Corpspress release. I noticed the AT4 also gets 2 frags which makes the AT4 seem significantly weaker. Once armed, the weapon is no longer watertight, even if the launcher is collapsed into its original configuration. Verified answer. 66mmAT4M136M72 M72M136 M72 LAW M72 For use against light armour, there is a smaller-cone HEAT warhead with 15 centimetres (5.9in) penetration of RHA. Just pull out the arming pin, take off the rear cover and sling, grasp the rear cover to extend the tube fully, pull the trigger handle to the armed position, aim and fire. [7], In early 1963, the M72 LAW was adopted by the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps as their primary individual infantry anti-tank weapon, replacing the M31 HEAT rifle grenade and the M20A1 "super bazooka" in the U.S. Army. Interestingly, despite being a single-use system, the latest versions of this weapon are equipped with a computerized sighting system with day and night vision modes that can be used by itself for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes. The manufacturers have since made modifications that have solved that problem. No orders were ever placed. [citation needed]. The fact that the system is highly mobile and simpler to employ can be seen as an advantage in some circumstances compared to Javelin. In fact, the . Though very impressed with the simplicity and durability of the tested version of the AT4, the US Army saw some room for improvement, specifically the addition of rear and front bumpers on the launch tube and changes to the sights and slings. Since then, the LAW has been improved with about a dozen variants beyond the original launcher. The M136 AT4 produces less effect than the M72-series LAW. LAW 80: Similar weapon developed in the UK. The system has been continuously improved over that time, especially with regards to weight reduction and improved sighting systems. It has two settings: either to destroy bunkers or to mouse-hole a building wall for combat entry. The AT4 is a man-portable weapon used for the protection of vital assets, fixed defence installations and key supply points.Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Taiwan, Sweden, the UK, the US and Venezuela are among the countries that have deployed the weapon in their artilleries. Now he is in besieged Kyiv and almost daily shares his impressions of what is happening. For more information click here or contact us: EMEA: +44 20 7936 6783; Americas: +1 415 439 4914; Asia Pacific: +61 2 9947 9709 or via email. The AT4 anti-armour weapon was developed from the 74mm Pansarskott M68 weapon that the Swedish Army adopted in the 1960s. The AT4 took many of its design features from the Carl Gustaf, which operates on the principle of a recoilless weapon, where the forward inertia of the projectile is balanced by the inertia of propellant gases ejecting from the rear of the barrel. The US Army tested other 66mm rockets based on the M54 rocket motor used for the M72. at the Hesse-Eastern Division of Norris Thermador. This lightweight and thin barrel and low pressure, combined with the almost complete lack of recoil, means that relatively large projectiles (comparable to those found in mortars and artillery systems) can be utilised, which would otherwise be impossible in a man-portable weapon. The FIM-92 has additional significance in any conflict involving Russia. All three types have a maximum effective range of around 2,000 feet against a static point target. It was subsequently reported that these deliveries would most likely include Grom-M/Piorun and that they would be sent first to the United States as part of the transfer process. Thousands of man-portable anti-aircraft and anti-armor weapons have already been delivered to Ukraine and thousands more are on the way. An AT4 is 6.7. However, the M72 family has seen something of a renaissance over the past two decades with the introduction of more modern variants with more advanced rockets, which you can read more about here. Caleb Larson is a Defense Writer with The National Interest. Required fields are marked *. In that conflict, the LAW was prized for its compactness and portability, giving grunts a portable and potentanti-armor capability. AT4 deal marginally more damage (around 15% afaik) than LAW. An RPG7 tube alone is 7kg. On impact with the target, the front of the nose section is crushed, causing a microsecond electric current to be generated, which detonates a booster charge located in the base of the warhead, which sets off the main warhead charge. The LAW is nothing new, but it is combat-proven. In fact, some could argue that it is the perfect mix of high-tech, capability, and mobility for this conflict, but its range doesn't come close to the Javelin. It is a line of sight weapon with a range around 200 meters (660ft).[9]. The Global Missiles and Missile Defence Systems Market 2011-2021. The lower cost and lighter weight of the LAW, combined with a scarcity of modern heavy armored targets and the need for an individual assault weapon versus an individual anti-armor weapon, made it ideal for the type of urban combat seen in Iraq and mountain warfare seen in Afghanistan. Like the m/68, the AT4 was designed by Frenade Fabriksverken (FFV) and manufactured at their facility at Zakrisdal, Karlstad, Sweden. AT4 is a one-shot weapon that has different projectiles, including HEAT (high-explosive anti-tank), AST (anti-structure tandem-warheads), ER, HE (high explosive), HP, and RS (reduced sensitivity). [13], In late 2021, Nammo unveiled the concept of a multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a LAW. [34][note 3], Although generally thought of as a Vietnam Warera weapon that has been superseded by the more-powerful AT4, the M72 LAW found new popularity in the operations by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, and Canadian Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. It has been reported that the 5,000 anti-armor weapons that Sweden is sending to Ukraine are likely to be AT4s. However, the M72 enjoyed a new lease on life during the American campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Republic of China Army (Taiwan) uses the M72 as a secondary anti-armor weapon. It can be used against targets up to 274m. It was also built along the lines of the 84 mm Carl Gustaf recoilless anti-tank . All of these had to be used within a few meters of the target, which was difficult and dangerous. It was fast and easy to bring into operation, and it was considered to be both a good suppressive weapon and quite accurate and lethal at the same time, according to the lessons-learned paper. The French APILAS was the only tested weapon that had the maximum penetration to defeat the frontal armour of the new Russian T-72 MBT, but it was rejected due to its weight and size. In April 2011, Saab received a $17m (Skr104m) order from an unknown customer to deliver the AT4-CS RS version during 2012. Constant poverty, constant fear, all your media is state controlled. Canada says it will send 1,000 rounds of ammunition along with the launchers, but it's unclear what mix of types that might include. The M72 will have the benefit of being safe to use from inside buildings, but the Marines already have special "confined space" versions of the AT-4, known as the M136A1 in service, too, but . The forward folding grip is the only difference between the AT4 adopted by Sweden and the US Army version. It has been reported that the 5,000 anti-armor weapons that Sweden is sending to Ukraine are likely to be AT4s. While it can be reloaded like the Carl Gustaf, it is typically issued preloaded with a single guided round either an anti-tank or an anti-structure "Bunkerfaust" type. He noted that Chechen fighters are busy 24/7 searching for and eliminating Bandera and nationalist evil spirits in Mariupol. But this early version was not effective against North Vietnamese Army tanks. The AT4 was designed as a weapon to engage medium-to-light armoured vehicles from any direction or MBTs from the sides or rear, and as an assault weapon effective against buildings and fortifications. The US Army placed a $13.4m order for AT4-CS RS weapon systems in October 2017 with deliveries scheduled for 2019. The M74 TPA (thickened pyrophoric agent) had an incendiary warhead filled with TEA (triethylaluminum); this was used in the M202A1 FLASH (flame assault shoulder weapon) four-tube launcher. I heard your mom is a ruska suka.. yeap its true.. also you are a puppet.. cant even say war.. literally if you say the word WAR your masters will ship you off to siberia. The C90 is a single-shot rocket-propelled grenade launcher that is available loaded with high-explosive anti-tank and anti-structure rounds, as well as one filled with a red phosphorus smoke mixture that has a secondary incendiary effect. All told, these new shipments will be added to the thousands of similar weapons already delivered to the embattled country. [9] The U.S. military was still purchasing LAW rockets as of January 2015. Multiple anti-tank rounds have been developed for this system since it first entered service in 1987, each of which has some type of protruding tip meant to help defeat explosive-reactive armor (ERA). The US Army reported to Congress in November 1983 that the FFV AT4 came the closest to meeting all the major requirements established to replace the M72 LAW,[11] with the Armbrust coming in second.[12]. The Greek, Polish, and Slovakian governments have, among other things, sent or are planning to send anti-tank rocket launchers, but it remains unclear what those weapons might be in either case. Reports indicate that shipments of anti-armor weapons from Denmark and Finland might include different models of M72, possibly very modern Enhanced Capability (EC) types in the case of the Danish aid package. Spanish aid to Ukraine could include the older C90, which entered service in 1990 and that continues to see use in the Spanish military even as the Alcotn-100 has been adopted. The Turkish Army uses a locally built version by Makina ve Kimya Endustrisi Kurumu, called HAR-66 (Hafif Antitank Roketi, 'light antitank rocket'), which has the performance and characteristics of a mix of an M72A2 and an A3. The AT4 may be considered a disposable, low-cost alternative to a Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle. Subsequent to the initial fielding of the weapon, a reusable night sight bracket was developed and fielded. We demand from Biden to increase the supply of Javelins! The AT4 is an 84-mm unguided, anti-armour weapon. The latest variant, with special-designed Fire From Enclosure (FFE) ammunition could change that. Five different countries Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Netherlands have now sent or are planning on sending shipments of these portable anti-aircraft weapons. The weapon can create a hole in armoured vehicles. The first versions of Stinger entered U.S. military service in 1981 and a number of improved variants have been introduced since then. [5][unreliable source?] The rocket motor burns completely before leaving the mouth of the launcher, producing a backblast of gases around 1,400F (760C). But the LAW gets an ACOG so maybe it's because the ACOG is considered a significant advantage already? Mary T. Cagle "History of the TOW Missile System", page 10, U.S. Army, 1977. [30] The M72 rocket was reintroduced into British service under the Urgent Operational Requirement program, with the M72A9 variant being designated the light anti-structure munition (LASM). Bipartisan. In recent years, the U.S. Army has begun to field types with even more upgrades that improve the heat-seeking missile's ability to engage smaller threats with tiny infrared signatures, such as unmanned aircraft. The AT4 is intended to give infantry units a means to destroy or disable armoured fighting vehicles and fortifications, although it is generally ineffective against more modern main battle tanks (MBTs), especially those with reactive armour, unless weaker sections of armour are exploited. Enemies of the Republic beware. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. High penetration (HP) Extra high penetration ability, up to 4260 centimetres (1724in) of RHA. the complete disposable launcher and HEDP projectile is referred to by the manufacture in brochures as the LMAW (, Jane's Infantry Weapons 199596, page 220. [citation needed] The M136 AT4 is a variant used by the United States Army. Get industry leading news, data and analysis delivered to your inbox, The leading site for news and procurement in the defence industry, The AT4 anti-armour weapon was developed from the 74mm Pansarskott M68., Saab Bofors has used many design features of Carl Gustav while developing the AT4.. Saab secured a contract worth $38.02m from the French defence procurement agency DGA (Direction Gnrale de lArmement) for the supply of Roquette Nouvelle Generation (Roquette NG) shoulder-launched weapon system, which is part of the AT4-CS family, for the French Army in December 2014. Despite the improvements that the M72E5 offered, the AT4 was chosen to replace the M72. A training variant used by the Finnish armed forces fires 9mm (0.35in) tracer rounds. The M72s provided the best balance of weight and bulk to combat effectiveness. Perhaps most important, the unguided anti-armor weapons are all relatively simple designs that do not require operators to go through extensive specialized training beforehand, unlike Javelin or Stinger for instance. One of the LAWsdrawbacksis the large back-blast and flash the anti-tank weapon creates when firing. Though a rocket launcher like the M72 LAW, its over-caliber projectile is more evocative of the World War 2-era Panzerfaust. A senior U.S. defense official told reporters yesterday that American authorities are working specifically to make sure that military aid going to Ukraine includes systems that the country's forces are already trained on. When extended, the inner tube telescopes outward toward the rear, guided by the channel assembly, which rides in an alignment slot in the outer tube's trigger housing assembly. I hope to hear tomorrow about 20,000 destroyed Russian tanks and Ukrainian tanks near Moscow . The AT4 can mount an optical night sight on a removable fixture. It is 914.4mm long and weighs 7.5kg. Imagine the life of a russian troll sitting in a room with a bunch of other very poor russians scouring the internet to find articles to disagree with using some shitty old computers. A training variant of the M72 LAW, designated M190, also exists. TM 43-0001-30 states the M247 has "approximately the same" penetration as the M72. The AT4 is an 84-mm unguided, anti-armour weapon. Original Reporting. SSgt Glen Chaunley demonstrates the proper method for firing an M72 light anti-tank weapon during a training exercise. All told, in the coming days and weeks, the Ukrainian military's arsenal of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft and anti-armor weapons looks set to swell both in terms of size and diversity of systems. The red firing button has a similar resistance to the trigger pull of a rifle, so the gunner does not have to jab at the firing button, which could throw their aim off. The heavier nose cap allows either to penetrate light walls or windows before exploding, or to be "skipped" off the ground for an air burst. Window: The round may travel completely through the structure before detonating; if not, it creates dust and causes minor structural damage to the rear wall, but little damage to personnel or equipment, unless they are hit directly. As far as I'm concerned, with the introduction of the updated vehicle damage model, LAW kit is the better all-round choice, because it also has one frag on it and in most cases these 15% you get with AT4 won't do any difference in term of how many times you have to hit a vic for a kill. The M72 LAW was the standard shoulder-fired anti-armor weapon for the United States military and its allies throughout the Cold War (though it still sees extended service today). In addition, a soldier can carry two LAWs on a mission as opposed to a single AT4. In 1982, the AT4 was introduced into the US Army before the weapon was adopted by Sweden. This is a single-shot disposable weapon that is only available preloaded with a 112mm high-explosive anti-tank rocket. [9] (Miniman) adopted by the Swedish Army in the late 1960s. This could be particularly useful for engaging Russian tanks, many of which make heavy use of ERA, in Ukraine. Unlike the reloadable Javelin, NLAW is a single-shot, self-contained system. [10], Even before the AT4 had been adopted by Sweden, it was entered into a United States Army competition for a new anti-tank weapon mandated by Congress in 1982 when the FGR-17 Viper failed as a replacement for the M72 LAW. [5] FFV began research on a replacement for the m/68 in 1976, deliberately designing an individual anti-armour weapon that would not be able to defeat the heavy armour protection of MBTs (main battle tanks) in frontal engagements, believing that to be counterproductive. AT4s come preloaded with one of a number of 84mm rounds. Now serving as 1945s New Defense and National Security Editor, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare.
m72 law vs at4