LAW making a comeback

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LAW making a comeback; i fought the law, and the law won....
Tweet Topic Started: Sep 27 2005, 04:56 PM (265 Views)
Wushu	Sep 27 2005, 04:56 PM Post #1
Member Posts: 607 Group: Regulars Member #494 Joined: June 24, 2005	time to take ours out of "anti-coup" storage before they rust down to dust ------------------------------------------------ US Military Begins to Experience the LAW Again Posted 26-Sep-2005 06:55 The Vietnam-era, disposable-launcher, 66mm LAW rocket was making a comeback with the US military. The LAW may be a poor weapon choice against Soviet tanks, but the 7.5 pound M72a7 is an excellent choice for forces needing lightweight, short-range, bunker-busting firepower at reasonable cost. Given that the second scenario often prevails on the battlefields of the Global War on Terror, buying a new-generation LAW is a wise move. Total quantities procured to date: 16,920... M72AS 21mm Subcaliber Trainer Rockets TL. Value = $893,467 350... M72AS Trainer Launchers TL. Value = $456,056 6,399... M72A7 LAW w/Graze Fuze and NVD Mount, HE, 66mm. These are combat-ready field weapons, not training versions. TL. Value = $12.9 million, or about $2,020 per throwaway LAW. Compare these figures to $13,000 for the unguided 17 lb. 83mm SMAW, or $2,700 for the unguided, 15 lb. M136 (AT4-CS). The guided Javelin missile that was being used in the LAW's place at times costs $75,000 per missile and $125,000 per launcher unit. While RAFAEL's Spike guided missile costs much less at $4,000 per missile and $6,000 per launcher, it weighs 52 lbs. for the whole guidance system/ missile /tripod system. Given these comparative weight and cost figures and the kinds of threats US forces currently face, the LAW's renewed popularity becomes easy to understand. Marines Fought the LAW, and the LAW Won Posted 10-Mar-2005 09:03 Older versions of Talley Defense Systems' M-72 light antitank weapon (LAW) were used extensively during the Vietnam War, where their performance showed that only larger, shoulder-fired rockets would stop a Soviet tank. Post war, the bigger and longer-range AT-4 missile and the Shoulder-launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) became the Marine Corps' rockets of choice. Now a modernized M-72A7 LAW is making a comeback, to positive reviews from Marines headed for urban combat in Iraq. Four factors account for the LAW's renewed popularity: # Low mass & bulk. # Reduced backblast and hence secure firing. # An explosion of lightly armored targets on the battlefield. # Cost. At only about 30" long and about 7.7 lbs., the M72a7 LAW is 10" shorter and far lighter than a 15 lb. AT-4/M136, and very much lighter than a 17 lb. SMAW. Improvements in the LAW's rocket propulsion have also reduced the back-blast, so it can be fired from a concealed window in urban house-to-house street fighting. As Chief Warrant Officer 5 Pat Woellhof noted: "The weight and size allow any Marine to strap it to an assault pack… (It's) better for moving down an Iraqi alley to seek cover. It's as wide as your shoulders, and you can get in a window or doorway... With the AT-4 or the SMAW, you have to expose yourself to fire... The LAW is designed to augment the AT-4 against the technical Toyota (pickup truck) with a machinegun on board or against [lightly-fortified] urban positions." With respect to the last item, cost, the LAW is substantially cheaper than the $75,000 Javelin missiles that might be used in its place, or the $13,000 SMAW. At under $2,500 per weapon, it is slightly cheaper than the M136/AT-4, more compact, and weighs only half as much. Which means that it's far more likely to be available on the battlefield when needed. The M72a7 LAW may pack less punch than other options, but its 66mm rocket is more than enough to destroy a pickup truck, or punch through improvised urban fortifications. The LAW may keep on winning, too. A family of designer rounds is being developed for the new version - including a high-heat and high-pressure thermobaric warhead (i.e. fuel-air explosive) capable of killing everyone in a bunker or confined space, an antipersonnel warhead that can detonate at 100 meters or more and throw shrapnel fragments at enemy troops, and of course the traditional antitank warhead.



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