thedrifter
02-10-05, 06:11 AM
Marine Corps brings back old weapon
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200528155517
Story by Pfc. Christopher J. Ohmen
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Feb. 3, 2005) -- With urban terrain as the battlefield in Iraq, weapons and tactics have changed to suit the infantrymen’s needs. The Marines are taking an old weapon out of storage with improvements that make it more lethal and better suited for the job.
Tally Industries originally developed the M-72 Light Anti-tank Weapon in the 1960’s, which at that time was a revolutionary concept. A rocket that came prepackaged in a launcher that could be disposed of after use.
The reason this weapon was phased out was Cold War experts thought a larger shoulder fired rocket would be necessary for infantry in a tank war. The AT-4 was the answer to that problem. It has a larger rocket with an extended distance that gave the Corps the punch it needed.
“The AT-4 is too large for an urban environment,” said Chief Warrant Officer-5 Patrick J. Woellhof, a gunner with The Basic School, Quantico, Va. “With the AT-4’s size and weight it is too cumbersome for an infantryman to carry more than one. A Marine can carry one or more of the M-72 LAW with little or no trouble.”
Having to fire from concealed positions inside buildings is almost impossible with the AT-4, according to Woellhof. With technology advancing since the LAW was last used the new propellants have a smaller back blast area, which allows them to be fired from windows.
Also, with improved rocket payloads their lethality has been enhanced to meet current battlefield needs.
A family of new warheads is being created for the weapons system to include; high-heat and high-pressure warheads for destroying bunkers, an antipersonnel warhead designed to hit the enemy with shrapnel and the traditional anti-tank warhead.
“The LAW is not meant to replace the AT-4, but to augment it for light skinned vehicles like technical Toyota (pickup truck),” explained Woellhof.
Fighting in urban terrain makes movement with larger weapons almost impossible. The LAW’s approximate two-foot length collapsed and less than three feet extended makes it a versatile weapon for the battlefield. There is a lightened trigger pull on the weapon making it comparable to the pull of an M-16 rifle.
“With the older model you would have to sit there for a while pressing as hard as you could and then you were lucky if it fired then,” said Woellhof.
With enemy tactics changing every day, the Marines needed a weapon system that is easy to use and portable. With all of the improvements made and the LAW’s portable size, it has proven itself in the past and should again.
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20052910612/$file/m-72lo.jpg
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Lance Cpl. T.W. Brooker, armed with the M-72 anti-tank rocket launcher waits for the signal to fire from his section leader, Sgt. V. Massiatte during training in 1983. They are from 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. Photo by: Department of Defense Photo
Ellie
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200528155517
Story by Pfc. Christopher J. Ohmen
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Feb. 3, 2005) -- With urban terrain as the battlefield in Iraq, weapons and tactics have changed to suit the infantrymen’s needs. The Marines are taking an old weapon out of storage with improvements that make it more lethal and better suited for the job.
Tally Industries originally developed the M-72 Light Anti-tank Weapon in the 1960’s, which at that time was a revolutionary concept. A rocket that came prepackaged in a launcher that could be disposed of after use.
The reason this weapon was phased out was Cold War experts thought a larger shoulder fired rocket would be necessary for infantry in a tank war. The AT-4 was the answer to that problem. It has a larger rocket with an extended distance that gave the Corps the punch it needed.
“The AT-4 is too large for an urban environment,” said Chief Warrant Officer-5 Patrick J. Woellhof, a gunner with The Basic School, Quantico, Va. “With the AT-4’s size and weight it is too cumbersome for an infantryman to carry more than one. A Marine can carry one or more of the M-72 LAW with little or no trouble.”
Having to fire from concealed positions inside buildings is almost impossible with the AT-4, according to Woellhof. With technology advancing since the LAW was last used the new propellants have a smaller back blast area, which allows them to be fired from windows.
Also, with improved rocket payloads their lethality has been enhanced to meet current battlefield needs.
A family of new warheads is being created for the weapons system to include; high-heat and high-pressure warheads for destroying bunkers, an antipersonnel warhead designed to hit the enemy with shrapnel and the traditional anti-tank warhead.
“The LAW is not meant to replace the AT-4, but to augment it for light skinned vehicles like technical Toyota (pickup truck),” explained Woellhof.
Fighting in urban terrain makes movement with larger weapons almost impossible. The LAW’s approximate two-foot length collapsed and less than three feet extended makes it a versatile weapon for the battlefield. There is a lightened trigger pull on the weapon making it comparable to the pull of an M-16 rifle.
“With the older model you would have to sit there for a while pressing as hard as you could and then you were lucky if it fired then,” said Woellhof.
With enemy tactics changing every day, the Marines needed a weapon system that is easy to use and portable. With all of the improvements made and the LAW’s portable size, it has proven itself in the past and should again.
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/20052910612/$file/m-72lo.jpg
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Lance Cpl. T.W. Brooker, armed with the M-72 anti-tank rocket launcher waits for the signal to fire from his section leader, Sgt. V. Massiatte during training in 1983. They are from 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. Photo by: Department of Defense Photo
Ellie