DeGroat M-20 Recoilless Rifle 

     Notes:  The M20 entered US Army service in 1945 and was obsolete by the 1970s.  It can still be found in service with many nations, including Thailand.  It is fired from a tripod (40.05 kg). 

Kroger/Musser M-18A1

     Notes:  Entering service with the US Army in 1946, this recoilless rifle was replaced by larger weapons in the 1960s.  It remains in service with a number of countries, including Thailand.  Recoil on the M18A1 is relatively light, and the weapon can be shoulder-fired, although a tripod or vehicle mount (NMT) is preferred. 

Picatinny Arsenal M-20A1 3.5” Rocket Launcher 

     Notes:  Nicknamed the Super Bazooka, a smaller version of this weapon (the 2.36” M-1A1) served with fame during World War II.  The 3.5” version was designed in response to North Korean T-34 tanks during that war.  The Bazooka has an extremely short range and requires considerable courage to use effectively, and usually has little effect on modern vehicles.  It is no longer in service with any major army but can be found in use by smaller armies, most notably by fighters in Lebanon, where any weapon is better than none.  Over the years, many new rounds have been developed in an attempt to turn the Bazooka into an effective weapon.

Talley M-72 LAW Series

     Notes:  The LAW (Light Antiarmor Weapon) was designed in the mid-60s and has long been obsolete.  However, the LAW is still quite common throughout the world since mountains of them were distributed.  The M72-750 is a progressive improvement of the M-72 series using a faster rocket and heavier warhead, as well as an optional HE warhead.  The M-72 normally comes in a case of 15; the M72-750 comes in a case of 10 HEAT and 5 HE rockets.  The M72-750 had few sales. 

Talley M-141 BDM

     Notes: The M-141 BDM (Bunker-Defeat Munition, formerly called the SMAW-D) is a one-shot LAW-type design weapon meant to provide an anti-fortification capability, primarily for the US Army, which was smaller than the full Mk 153 Mod 0 system but still had the same useful firepower against strongpoints and bunched-up troops.  The M-141 essentially uses the rocket and warhead of the Mk 153 Mod 0’s Mk 3 HEDP warhead and packages it into a lightweight, one-shot weapon.  The BDM was given the OK for production in 1994, but did not enter unit issue until 1999, and production was capped at the time at 6000 rounds, pending the development of a then-unspecified bunker-defeat munition. In light of the need for such a weapon in Iraq and later Afghanistan, the BDM was again put into production.  New to the M-141 is a version with the Mk 153 Mod 0’s NE warhead; this is the M-141 HIT (High Impulse Thermobaric) warhead.  The M-141 is a simple weapon using AT-4-like sights and otherwise kept as simple as possible, for use by any troop trained in its use; a number of night vision devices can also be mounted on a bracket built into the tube.  Limited use is being made by the US Marines, but the primary user is the US Army; the Lebanese Army also uses the M-141.

     The current BDM shares the same massive backblast as the Mk 153 Mod 0.  A version is being designed using the CS warheads being designed for the Mk 153 Mod 1, but these have been just as heavily-delayed as those for the SMAW II.  I have designated these the M-141A1, but these are not official designations.

     It should be noted that the rationale behind having a separate system for bunker-defeat munitions and anti-armor munitions has been challenged several times, and that it would be more cost-effective to procure variants of the AT-4, which is already in the US Army inventory.  I agree with this, but only time will tell.  One should never underestimate groupthink and the military-industrial complex, as well as our legislators’ willingness to spread the defense dollars around despite what is called for by efficiency.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Limited numbers of the SMAW-D were available for the Twilight War, but only with the Mk 3 HEDP warhead.

Talley/Nammo Mk 153 Mod 0 SMAW

     Notes:  The Shoulder-Mounted Assault Weapon (SMAW) is based partially on the Israeli B-300 and partially on a McDonnell Douglas development for the US Marines.  Originally, the US Army was also participating in the program, for use by the Rangers, Special Forces, and other special ops units; however, they decided to go with the M-3 version of the Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle.  Their designation would have been the M-12, had they adopted it.  Though the US Army ultimately decided against the SMAW, some 150 launchers were borrowed by the US Army during Desert Storm for use by Rangers, Special Forces, and Delta; there are rumors that more were borrowed during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and that the Army may be considering the SMAW as an issue weapon. In addition to the US Marines, the SMAW is used by Taiwanese Marines and the Lebanese Army. The SMAW has been in use by the US Marines since 1984.

     The SMAW comes in the form of a two part unit, with a forward epoxy/fiberglass launch tube which also has a firing grip and forward grip.  Near the end of the launch tube portion is a shoulder stop, and the tube also has an extendible bipod for use when prone or in a standing position where the gunner can rest the weapon on something in front of him.  A round of ammunition in a disposable tube is snapped into the rear of the launch tube, and at this point an electrical connection is made between the firing grip and the round of ammunition.  A safety lever is then switched on and the weapon can be fired.  However, the firing grip also has a selector; this allows the gunner to instead fire a round of special 9x51mm ammunition which is ballistically matched to the characteristics of the rocket round.  The shooter can use this spotting rifle to improve his aim; for every hit he makes on his target before his rocket shot, he gets a +1 to hit with his rocket shot, to a maximum of +3.  The spotting rifle is fed by a 6-round magazine; a magazine for the spotting rifle is clipped to each of the rocket rounds when they are issued. The spotting rifle is similar to that used on the British LAW-80, as it was adapted from that weapon; the ammunition is identical. The firing tube also has a telescopic sight with a magnification of x3.8, and includes an illuminated aiming stadia for night and day use. This sight can be removed and replaced with most US and NATO night vision devices.

     The rockets have spring-out fins which deploy after the round leaves the launcher.   There are several types available. The round below listed as “NE” stands for “Novel Explosive,” but it is a thermobaric round with further-enhanced blast features.  The HEAA (high-Explosive Anti-Armor) is simply another designation for a HEAT round. The FTG (Follow-Though Grenade) round uses an HEDP primary warhead with a behind-armor warhead which is smaller but has an extra fragmentation jacket. The SMAW has earned a dubious distinction on the battlefield – it is perhaps the loudest infantry-carried weapon, with a firing volume of 152.3 decibels, loud enough that the use of earplugs is recommended even in battle conditions when using the SMAW.  Backblast is a problem, enough that standard doctrine calls for no one to be within 100 meters and a 60-degree cone behind the SMAW when it is fired. The standard crew for a SMAW is two Marines; add two phases to the reload time if no assistant gunner is available.  In addition, without an A-gunner, the use of the spotting rifle is basically impossible for the gunner beyond the first shot if he is alone; this is because the spotting rifle is bolt-action and the gunner would have to take the launcher off his shoulder to cock it due to where it is located on the launcher – cocking is normally done by the A-gunner. 

     Talley and Nammo have responded to the US Marines request for a new version of the SMAW, tentatively to be called the Mk 153 Mod 1 SMAW II; the program itself is the FOTS (Follow-On to SMAW) program.  This version addresses a number of problem areas, such as the sights, which can be difficult to properly employ against moving targets.  Another problem is a tendency for the launcher to have a slight boresight problem when a round of ammunition is snapped in, which can affect the accuracy of the SMAW.  The spotting rifle is redesigned to make it more easily used by a lone gunner (he doesn’t have to take the launcher off his shoulder, but can make only one shot per two phases).  Perhaps the biggest change is the composition of the launch tube, which is a graphite/carbon fiber composite which not only has greatly-extended life span (the lifespan of a standard Mk 153 Mod 0 version is about 250 rounds) and is much lighter than the Mk 153 Mod 0.  The Mk 153 Mod 1 program is, however, far behind schedule; current estimates put first combat tests in late 2011, with production beginning in mid-2012. Current SMAW rockets will remain compatible with the SMAW II.

     Along with the SMAW II, new rockets are being developed.  These rounds are of the CS (Confined Space) type, using the Davis Countershot Principle, and also have improved range and effects for all but the NE rounds. Both the SMAW and SMAW II will be able to use these rockets, but like the SMAW II itself, the in-service date for these new rounds has slipped considerably. 

     The designations I have used for the new rounds below are not official; they are used primarily for game convenience.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: In the Twilight 2000 timeline, large amounts of SMAW’s were also issued to US Army troops, especially in the Middle East, and generally not redesignated to the “M-12” designation.  They were also sold to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar, and the Israelis also used some to supplement their B-300’s. None of the new generation of rounds for the SMAW exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline, nor does the NE round.

     Merc 2000 Notes: The Army began issuing the M-12 to the Rangers, Special Forces, 82^nd Airborne, and 101^st Air Assault in 2002; these were designated the M-12.

Uhl M-1A1 2.36” Rocket Launcher (Bazooka)

     Notes: The predecessor of the Super Bazooka below, the M-1A1 was one of the first antitank rocket launchers.  It was, unfortunately, unreliable and even dangerous to its shooter due to the ineffective warhead.  The warhead was small, but better than nothing, and had good success against light armor.  (There is even one recorded kill by a Bazooka against a Tiger tank, though I don’t know the story behind that one.)  The name “Bazooka” is due to the resemblance of the rocket launcher to a musical instrument played by a popular cartoon character of the time; he played an instrument he called a Bazooka.  The launcher was a simple tube with a pistol grip, forward handgrip, and shoulder stop, though in later versions the forward handgrip was eliminated, and the design simplified to facilitate rapid production.  By the time of its introduction, it was already fast becoming obsolete.  Though at first only HEAT rockets were produced for the Bazooka, HE and WP rockets were later made late in World War 2. The WP rockets could be dangerous to the firing team as the casing tended to rupture. By the Korean War, the M-1A1 was replaced by a heavier version, the Super Bazooka, below). The M-1A1 can still be found here and there in service, usually with insurgents and irregular forces.

Watervliet M-27A1 

     Notes:  This recoilless rifle is easily confused with the lighter M-40A1 106mm recoilless rifle.  It is no longer in service with the US Army, but was adopted by several other countries, including Thailand.  It can be fired from a vehicle mount or a tripod (NHT). 

M-40A2 

     Notes:  This was once a widely used weapon as late as the Vietnam War, but is now in front-line service only in smaller armies and by Israel.  Special units such as US Army Rangers also use it.  The M40A2 is commonly mounted on a light vehicle, but can also be mounted on a tripod.  It is equipped with a telescopic sight and a .50 spotting rifle.  A little-known fact is that the ammunition is not actually 106mm in caliber; it is 105mm (though not interchangeable with the M-27A1's ammunition), and the designation was changed to avoid confusion. 

Watervliet M-67 

     Notes:  Designed as a readily portable antiarmor weapon (when the shortcomings of the Bazooka became apparent), the M-67 was replaced in the US inventory by the Dragon ATGM and in most other countries’ inventory by various missiles.  Available on the open market for years, many smaller armies still use it in 2000.  It is still used by Israel and was replaced in 1991 in US Army Ranger and Special Forces units by the Carl Gustav M-3.  The M-67 can be broken into two sections for transport. 

Watervliet M-202A1 Flash 

     Notes:  “Flash” is a common nickname given to this weapon by the troops who use it.  The US Army officially classifies it as a flame weapon.  It is found only in special units and certain National Guard units.  The M202 is and is somewhat dangerous to its gunners, since the WP filler is very volatile and the rockets are fragile.  HEAT and CHEM clips for this weapon are extremely rare, produced only on an experimental basis.  The weapon is automatic, firing one rocket per second unless the trigger is released.