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M72 Law

M72 LAW
Enlarge picture
M136 AT-4

The M72 LAW in extended position ready to be fired. Picture taken at Fort Benning in 1960
TypeAnti-tank
Place of origin United States
Production history
ManufacturerTalley Industries and under license by Raufoss Ammunisjonsfabrikker A/S, Norway
Unit cost670 € or 923.5$ (Converted)
Specifications
Weight2.5 kg
Lengthless than 1 m
Caliber66 mm
Muzzle velocity145 m/s
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.

The LAW replaced the bazooka as the United States 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.

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.

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 United States Army.

Ammunition

Enlarge picture
M72 LAW's HEAT rocket


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.

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. A training variant used by the Finnish armed forces fire 9mm tracer rounds.

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, no longer in service) 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.

The Turkish Army uses a Turkish built version by Makina ve Kimya Endustrisi Kurumu, called HAR-66, which has the performance and characteristics of a mix of M72A2 and A3. Turkey also indigeneously developed an anti-personnel warhead version of HAR-66 and called it "Eşek Arısı".

The Australian Army uses the M72A6 as an anti-building and secondary anti-armour weapon. It is carried by regular riflemen (including on operations in Iraq), while the heavier 84mm Carl Gustaf and Javelin are generally equipped by dedicated anti-armour troops.

Surplus demand

Enlarge picture
A deactivated M72A2 LAW tube in a private collection.

Demonstration


Other variants

US variants

Designation Description
M7266 mm Talley single shot disposable rocket launcher; pre-loaded w/ HEAT rocket
M72A1M72 variant; improved rocket motor
M72A2M72 variant; improved rocket motor
M72A3M72A1/A2 variant; safety upgrades
M72A4M72 variant; rocket optimised for high-penetration; uses improved launcher assembly
M72A5M72A3; uses improved launcher assembly
M72A6M72 variant; rocket w/ low penetration, improved blast effect; uses improved launcher assembly
M72A7M72A6 variant; US Army M72A6 variant for US Navy
M72E8M72A7 variant; Fire-From-Enclosure (FFE) capable rocket motor; uses improved launcher assembly
M72E9M72 variant; rocket w/ improved anti-armour capability; uses improved launcher assembly
M72E10M72 variant; HE-Frag rocket; uses improved launcher assembly

International variants and designations

Designation Nation Description
66 KES 75FinlandDesignation for the M72A2
66 KES 88FinlandDesignation for the M72A5
HAR-66TurkeyTurkish variant incorporating M72A2 rocket improvements and M72A3 safety improvements
Rocket 66mm HEAT L1A1United KingdomDesignation for the M72

Specifications (M72A2 and M72A3)

Enlarge picture
Firing the M72 LAW.

Launcher

Rocket

Maximum effective ranges

Similar weapons

RPG-18

See also

External links

 •  • [ e]
Modern (post Korean War) UK infantry weapons
Side-arms (Self-loading Pistols)Browning L9A1 • L105A1 • L107A1 • L102A1 (Compact)
Rifles, Carbines, & LSWsL1A1 SLR • SA80 series (L85 IW, L86 LSW, L22A1) • L108A1, L110A1 (Para) • L101A1 • M16/A1/A2 • L119A1 (Diemaco SFW) • L100A1
Sniper RiflesL42/A1 • L96/A1 • L115A1 • L82A1 • AW50F
Submachine gunsL2A1 to L2A3, L34A1 • L80A1, L90A1 • L91A1, L92A1
ShotgunsL32A1 • L74A1 (Remington 870 Wingmaster)
Machine-guns & other larger weaponsL4 • L7 "GPMG" • L2A1 Heavy Machine Gun • L17A1/A2 • LAW 80 • L14/A1 • L2A1 (ILAW) • L9A1 51 mm Mortar • L16/A1 81mm Mortar • MILAN • Javelin
Modern cartridges used5.56x45mm NATO (.223 Remington) • 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Win) • 12.7 x 99 mm NATO (.50 BMG) • .338 Lapua • 9 mm Luger • 12 gauge
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.
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Motto
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caliber or calibre designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. It comes from the Italian calibro, itself from qālib (قالب), Arabic word for mold.
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muzzle velocity is the speed at which the projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from subsonic (below 330 m/s / ~1080 ft/s) for some pistols to more than 1,800 m/s (~5910 ft/s) for tank guns firing kinetic energy penetrator ammunition.
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Anti-tank refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. The most common anti-tank systems include artillery with a high muzzle velocity, missiles (such as wire-guided HEAT), various autocannons firing penetrating ammunition, and anti-tank
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weapon is a tool used to injure, incapacitate, or kill an adversary.[1][2] Weapons may be used to attack and defend, and consequently also to threaten or protect. Metaphorically, anything used to damage (even psychologically) can be referred to as a weapon.
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Motto
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"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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Nammo AS

Private
Founded 1998
Headquarters Raufoss, Norway

Key people Edgar Fossheim (CEO)
Industry Military industry
Products Ammunition
Revenue NOK 1,521 million (2004)
Operating income NOK 180 million (2004)
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Motto
Royal: Alt for Norge ("Everything for Norway")
1814 Eidsvoll oath: Enige og tro til Dovre faller
("United and faithful until the mountains of Dovre crumble")

Anthem
Ja, vi elsker

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bazooka is a man-portable anti-tank rocket launcher, made famous during World War II where it was one of the primary infantry anti-tank weapons used by the United States Armed Forces.
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The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. Like all armies, it has the primary responsibility for land-based military operations.
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Anti-tank refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. The most common anti-tank systems include artillery with a high muzzle velocity, missiles (such as wire-guided HEAT), various autocannons firing penetrating ammunition, and anti-tank
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The M47 Dragon (developmental designation FGM-77) is an American shoulder-fired man-portable anti-tank missile system.

It used a wire-guidance system in concert with a high explosive anti-tank warhead and was capable of defeating armored vehicles, fortified bunkers,
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AT4 (or AT-4) is a portable one-shot anti-tank weapon built in Sweden by Saab Bofors Dynamics (previously Bofors Anti Armour Systems). In the U.S. and NATO inventory it replaces the M72 LAW (Light Anti-armor Weapon).
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rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft which obtains thrust by the reaction to the ejection of fast moving fluid from within a rocket engine.

The history of rockets goes back to at least the 13th century[1].
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Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. It is derived through French from the Latin munire (to provide). See also munition.
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Land Force Command | align="center" colspan="2"|

History
History of the Canadian Army
Canadian Corps
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Military History of Canada
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Structure of the Canadian Army
Land Force Atlantic Area
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armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, missiles, or shells, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include tanks, aircraft, and ships.

Civilian vehicles may also be armoured.
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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.
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Finnish Defence Forces (Finnish: Puolustusvoimat; Swedish: Försvarsmakten) is the armed force of Finland, encompassing an army, a navy, and an air force.
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Total dead: ~314,000
Total wounded: ~1,490,000 North Vietnam and NLF
dead and missing: ~1,100,000 [1] [2] [3] [4]
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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. It was introduced to the U.S. armed forces in 1984.
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AT4 (or AT-4) is a portable one-shot anti-tank weapon built in Sweden by Saab Bofors Dynamics (previously Bofors Anti Armour Systems). In the U.S. and NATO inventory it replaces the M72 LAW (Light Anti-armor Weapon).
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The Finnish Army (Finnish: Maavoimat, Swedish: Armén) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces.

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The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with unification of the governments and armed forces of England and Scotland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.
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