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LAW
- Caliber of warhead: 66mm
- Weight in firing order: 3.45 kg
- Length of launcher: 980 mm
- Maximum range: 220 Armour
- Maximum velocity: 200 amour/sec
- Penetration of amour: 350 mm
- Manufacturer: Talley Industries, USA
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One of the first disposable’ weapons to be used in quantity the M72 LAW (light Anti-amour Weapon) was developed in the 1960s in the USA and was a revolutionary idea: a pre-packed rocket which could be fired and the launcher then thrown away Light, compact, easily carried, it was destructive not only of armour but also of field fortifications, pill-boxes and similar hard targets. It was widely adopted throughout NATO and in many other countries and has since been copied on both sides of the Iron Curtain.
The M72 consists of a telescoping launch tube, the inner tube being of aluminium and the outer of glass-fiber. This carries a simple sight and a firing mechanism. As issued, the tubes are telescoped together and inside is a shaped-charge rocket unit with a solid-propellant motor. The ends are sealed by metal caps and a sling allows the soldier to carry the complete unit over his shoulder. When required, he simply casts off the end caps and extends the tube. This automatically cocks the firing mechanism and erects the sight. Placing the tube on his shoulder, the man takes aim and squeezes the trigger. This ignites the rocket, which is launched from the tube, and the man then simply throws the tube away
The current version of the M72 is known as the ‘Improved E Series’ and has a number of improvements over the earlier models. The sight is improved, the rocket motor is more powerful, and thus the effective range has been increased from 170 to 220 meters, while the hit probability has been doubled.
The M72 is manufactured in the USA and also in Norway for supply to NATO forces. It has been copied, in principle, in both Czechoslovakia and Russia as the RPG-18 and RPO-26, both of somewhat larger caliber than the M72 but of about the same tactical performance.
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