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Ordnance Notes --
by Bob Stoner GMCM(SW) Ret.
M-72 Series Light Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW)
The M-72 Series LAW was the successor
to the M-20 Series 3.5-inch rocket launcher. The M-20 was a Korean War
developed weapon that replaced the M-1, M-9, and M-18 2.36-inch rocket
launchers of World War 2. Users felt the M-20 was too big and bulky. The
M-72 was designed as a one-shot, disposable, anti-tank rocket launcher and
fielded by the Army in the early 1960s. The M-72 is totally man-portable
and is issued as a pre-packaged round of ammunition. The M-72 can
penetrate 12 inches of armor and has a range of 170 to 220 meters. It
became a NATO standard weapon and was copied and produced by
Czechoslovakia and Russia as the RPG-18 and RPG-26.
The M-72 required little from the user
-- only a visual inspection and some operator maintenance. The launcher
consists of two tubes that telescope inside each other and form a
watertight packing container for the rocket. A percussion-type firing
mechanism is used to fire the rocket. The M-72 has three basic parts: (1)
outer tube, (2) inner tube, and (3) rocket.
OUTER TUBE. The outer tube contains
the trigger housing (which houses the trigger), the trigger arming andle,
front and rear sight assemblies, and tube covers.
INNER TUBE. The inner tube telescopes
from the outer tube to the rear, guided by a channel assembly and
alignment slot. The channel assembly also contains the firing pin rod
which includes a detent assembly. The detent lever assembly moves under
the trigger, and is cocked when the tubes lock into firing position.
ROCKET. The rocket is
percussion-ignited, fin-stabilized, fixed ammunition. It is attached by
the igniter to the inside of the launcher. The rocket is a 66mm HEAT
round with a piezo-electric point-initiated, base-detonating fuze and a
rocket motor. Six spring-loaded fins pop out when the rocket leaves its
launch tube. When ignited, the propellant in the rocket motor burns
completely before the rocket leaves the tube. The gas pressure pushes the
rocket toward the target and exits to the rear as back blast.
TECHNICAL DATA. Launcher extended --
34.7 inches; launcher closed -- 24.8 inches. Weight (M-72A2) -- 5.1
pounds; (M-72A3) -- 5.5 pounds. Firing mechanism -- percussion. Rocket
-- 66mm HEAT. Length -- 20 inches. Weight -- 2.2 pounds. Muzzle
velocity -- 475 feet/second. Minimum combat/arming range -- 33 feet.
Maximum effective range (stationary) -- 660 feet; (moving) -- 541 feet.
Maximum range -- 3300 feet.
Photos: US Army
These two photos show the
components of the M-72 Light Anti-tank Weapon (LAW) and the M-72 being
fired. The photo on the left shows the components of the M-72 LAW: the
66mm fin-stabilized HEAT rocket; the launcher tubes extended and sights
erected; and the end caps with the carrying sling. The right photo shows a
soldier firing the M-72 from the prone position.
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