The M72 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon, also referred to as the Light Anti-Armor Weapon or LAW) is a portable one-shot 66 mm anti-tank weapon, designed in the United States by Talley Defense Systems, produced by Nammo Raufoss AS in Norway. Download high resolution version (576x720, 68 KB) http://www. ... Fort Benning is a United States Army base, located southwest of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama It is part of the Columbus, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. ... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. ... A guns muzzle velocity is the speed at which the projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun. ... Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... The bayonet is used as both knife and spear. ... Nammo short for Nordic Ammunition Group is a Norwegian military industry manuacturer of ammunition. ...

The LAW replaced the bazooka as the US Army's primary anti-tank weapon after the Korean War. It was intended that it would be replaced in service by the FGR-17 Viper (which would also replace the FGM-77 Dragon), but this program was cancelled and the M136 AT4 was introduced in its place. For other uses, see Bazooka (disambiguation). ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Anti-tank refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... Combatants United Nations:  Republic of Korea,  Australia,  Belgium,  Luxembourg,  Canada,  Colombia,  Ethiopia,  France,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  New Zealand,  Philippines,  South Africa,  Thailand,  Turkey,  United Kingdom,  United States Medical staff:  Denmark,  Australia,  Italy,  Norway,  Sweden Communist states:  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,  Peoples Republic of China,  Soviet Union Commanders... Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas Overall Length: 1,154 mm (44. ... M136 AT-4 rocket launcher The AT4 (or AT-4) is a portable one-shot anti-tank weapon built in Sweden by Saab Bofors Dynamics (previously Bofors Anti Armour Systems). ...

Description

The weapon consists of a rocket packed inside of a launcher made up of two tubes, one inside the other. While closed, the outer assembly acts as a watertight container for the rocket and the percussion cap-type firing mechanism that activates the rocket. The outer tube contains the trigger, the arming handle, front and rear sights, and the rear cover. The inner tube contains the channel assembly which houses the firing pin assembly, including the detent lever. 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. This causes the detent lever to move under the trigger assembly in the outer tube, both locking the inner tube in the extended position and cocking the weapon. Once armed, the weapon is no longer watertight even if the launcher is collapsed into its original configuration. A Soyuz rocket, at Baikanur launch pad. ...

When fired, the propellant in the rocket motor completely combusts before leaving the tip of the launcher, producing gases around 1,400 °F (760 °C). The rocket propels the 66 mm warhead forward without significant recoil. As the warhead emerges from the launcher, six fins spring out from the base of the rocket tube, stabilizing the warhead's flight.

Once fired the launcher is no longer useful and may be discarded. Due to the single use nature of the weapon, it was issued as a round of ammunition by the Canadian Army and the US Army. Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ... Canadian Forces Land Force Command (LF) is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Armed Forces. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...

Ammunition

The M72 LAW was issued as a prepackaged round of ammunition. Improvements to the launcher and differences in the ammunition were differentiated by a single designation. The most common M72 LAWs came prepacked with a rocket containing a 66 mm HEAT warhead which is attached to the inside of the launcher by the igniter. The warhead is activated by an impact sense sensor in the nose cone which is connected to the fuse. The fuse then detonates a booster which sets off the main charge. The force of the main charge forces the copper liner into a directional jet that is capable of penetrating up to 0.3 m (1 ft) of steel plate, 0.6 m (2 ft) of Reinforced concrete, or 1.8 m (6 ft) of soil. Image File history File links M72_1. ... In physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is defined as transfer of thermal energy [1] Generally, heat is a form of energy transfer associated with the different motions of atoms, molecules and other particles that comprise matter when it is hot and when it is cold. ... A destroyed M113 armoured personnel carrier show a section of the armour. ... Reinforced concrete at Sainte Jeanne dArc Church (Nice, France): architect Jacques Dror, 1926–1933 Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete in some countries, is concrete in which reinforcement bars (rebars) or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen a material that would otherwise be brittle. ... suck my shlong dick cause soil is my life pedosphere is positioned at the interface of the lithosphere and biosphere with the atmosphere and hydrosphere. ...

A training variant of the M72 LAW, designated the M190, also exists. This weapon is reloadable and uses the 35 mm M73 training rocket. A subcaliber training device that uses a special tracer cartridge also exists for the M72.

The US Army tested other 66 mm rockets based on the M54 rocket motor used for the M72, including the M74 and XM96. These rockets were used with the XM191 and M202 Flash 4 tube launchers.

Service history

Although generally thought of as a Vietnam War era weapon which has been superseded by more powerful and sophisticated designs such as the SMAW and AT4, the M72 LAW has found a new lease of life in the ongoing (2006) operations in Iraq by the US Army and Afghanistan by the Canadian Army. The low cost and light weight of the LAW, combined with a proliferation of lightly-armored targets, make it ideal for the type of urban combat seen in Iraq and Afghanistan. The M72 LAW is also extensively used in the Finnish Army (some 70,000 pieces), where it is known under the designations 66 KES 75 (M72A2) and 66 KES 88 (M72A5). The British Army used the Norwegian built version of the M72 under the designation "Rocket 66mm HEAT L1A1" which was replaced by LAW 80. Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... SMAW The Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) is a shoulder-launched rocket weapon, based on the Israeli B-300, with the primary function of being a portable anti-armor rocket launcher. ... AT4 Type anti-tank Nationality Sweden Era Cold War, modern Launch platform Individual, Vehicle Target Vehicle, Fortification History Builder Saab Bofors Dynamics Date of design Production period Service duration Operators Sweden, France, USA Variants Pansarskott M/86, M136 AT4 Number built Specifications Type Diameter 84 mm Wing span Length 1016... The Finnish Army (Finnish: Maavoimat) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The LAW 80 is an anti-tank weapon in service with the British Army. ...

The Turkish Army uses a Turkish built version by Makina ve Kimya Endustrisi Kurumu, called HAR-66, which has the performance and characterstics of a mix of M72A2 and A3. Turkey also indigeneously developed an anti-personnel warhead version of HAR-66 and called it "Eşek Arısı". Turkish Army (Turkish: Türk Kara Kuvvetleri) is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. ... The Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu (The Machinery and Chemical Industry Institution, or MKEK) was a reorganization in 1950 of a Turkish government-controlled group of factories that supplied the Turkish Army with supplies, munitions, and equipment. ...

The Australian Army also utilizes the M72 LAW as a secondary anti-armour weapon but they primarily use the FGM-149 Javelin Missile. M72 LAW's are stored in reserves and only withdrawn when the Australian Defence Force uses it.

Surplus demand

A deactivated M72A2 LAW tube in a private collection.

• Expended LAW tubes may be found on the US military surplus and gun show market, and purchased by militaria collectors.

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1856x752, 332 KB) Summary taken by myself, tube is demilitarized and in my private collection Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1856x752, 332 KB) Summary taken by myself, tube is demilitarized and in my private collection Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Military surplus are goods, usually matériel, that are sold at public auction when no longer needed by the military. ... A gun show is a form of exhibition or gathering where guns, gun parts and literature, as well as knives and miscellaneous collectibles are displayed, bought, sold (subject to regulations) and discussed. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...

Demonstration

• A fairly accessible demonstration of the use of this rocket (including a good reason for not standing behind one when it goes off) features in the Clint Eastwood film The Enforcer.

The Enforcer is a 1976 film directed by James Fargo, starring Clint Eastwood as Inspector Harry Callahan and Tyne Daly as Inspector Kate Moore. ...

Other variants

US variants

International variants and designations

Specifications (M72A2 and M72A3)

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Launcher

• Length:
  • Extended: less than 1 m (54.97 in).
  • Closed: 0.67 m (24.8 in).
• Weight:
  • Complete M72A2: 2.3 kg (8.1 lb).
  • Complete M72A3: 2.5 kg (8.5 lb).
• Firing mechanism: Percussion.
• Front sight: reticle graduated in 25 m range increments.
• Rear sight: peep sight adjusts automatically to temperature change.

Rocket

• Caliber: 66 mm (2.6 in)
• Length': 508 mm (20 in)
• Weight: 1.8 kg (4 lb)
• Muzzle velocity: 145 m/s (475 ft/s)
• Minimum range (combat): 10 m (33 ft)
• Minimum arming range: 10 m (33 ft)
• Maximum range: 1,000 m (3,300 ft)

Maximum effective ranges

• Stationary target: 200 m (220 yd)
• Moving target: 165 m (180 yd)
• Beyond these ranges, there is less than a 50 % chance of hitting the target.

Similar weapons

RPG-18 - The design of this Soviet weapon is widely believed to be directly copied from the LAW. The RPG-18 is a short-range, light anti-tank unguided rocket launcher. ...

See also

• Rocket propelled grenade
• Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon
• AT4

An RPG-7 captured by the US Army RPG, or Rocket propelled grenade is a loose term describing hand-held, shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons capable of firing an unguided rocket equipped with an explosive warhead. ... SMAW The Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) is a shoulder-launched rocket weapon, based on the Israeli B-300, with the primary function of being a portable anti-armor rocket launcher. ... AT4 Type anti-tank Nationality Sweden Era Cold War, modern Launch platform Individual, Vehicle Target Vehicle, Fortification History Builder Saab Bofors Dynamics Date of design Production period Service duration Operators Sweden, France, USA Variants Pansarskott M/86, M136 AT4 Number built Specifications Type Diameter 84 mm Wing span Length 1016...

External links

• FAS
• Gary's U.S. Infantry Weapons Reference Guide
• Article on the reintroduction of the LAW in Iraq by the USMC
• Canadian Military Page On the M72. Click More Information for stats