When a rocket launcher is fired, the rocket engine gases are ejected backwards. Behind the shooter is therefore a danger zone, which varies according to the performance of the missile. This area is called a «free cone» and generally corresponds to an angle of 45° (whose firing axis is the bisector), which covers a distance of 45 meters to the shooter. This feature, which can cause accidents in poorly trained troops, prohibits firing from an open area, such as a building. A rocket launcher[N 1] is an infantry weapon that can fire a missile. They are also considered rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The French military name of the individual rocket launcher is LRAC for «anti-tank rocket launcher»; the abbreviation RPG is also commonly used, for Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomet (Russian: ручной противотанковый гранатомёт) and Rocket Propelled Granada in English. Although the M72 LAW is generally considered a Vietnam-era weapon replaced by the more powerful AT4, it found new life in U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and Canadian Army operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The lower cost and weight of the LAW, combined with the lack of modern heavy armored targets and the need for an individual assault weapon rather than an individual anti-tank weapon, made it ideal for the type of urban combat in Iraq and mountain warfare in Afghanistan. In addition, a soldier can carry two LAWS on a mission, as opposed to a single AT4. [31] For rockets used as artillery shells, see several rocket launchers.
The rocket launcher is a weapon whose weight varies from about 3.5 kg for the lightest, such as the American M72 LAW, and up to just under 12 kg for the largest models. They make it possible to attack stationary tanks up to a distance of 500 meters for the strongest. Most rocket launchers are intended for anti-tank use, with ammunition equipped with a hollow charge. However, there are also other munitions, shooting, fragmentation or thermobar, especially to attack fortifications. It is not uncommon for these weapons to be disposable weapons because they are essentially ammunition. Rocket launchers remain simple and inexpensive weapons that give way to guided missiles for longer-range fire. During recent conflicts such as Iraq, urban guerrilla operations use the RPG-7 against slow-flying or low-flying helicopters. Although the weapon is not designed for such a use, it has proven to be quite impressive in this context.
The M72 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon, also known as the Light Anti-Armor Weapon or LAW) is a 66mm portable disposable anti-tank rocket launcher manufactured in the United States by Talley Defense Systems, a subsidiary of Nammo Raufoss AS in Norway since 2007. The LAW, whose prototypes were tested from 1960, replaced the bazooka and became the main anti-tank weapon of the Vietnam War. Sights are usually optical with scales to adjust the shot based on distance, target movement, and wind, especially on disposable weapons. In the 1980s, some rocket launchers were equipped with a parallel rifle, whose ammunition had ballistic characteristics equivalent to those of the missile. The shooter was able to adjust his target by firing several times at an armored vehicle and then triggering the rocket fire. More sophisticated glasses, which can be equipped with rangefinder and night vision, may be available on rechargeable or disposable models where only the sighting is restored. A training variant of the M72 law, called M190, also exists. This weapon is refillable and uses the 35mm M73 training rocket. A sub-caliber drive device that uses a special tracer cartridge also exists for the M72. A training variant of the Finnish Armed Forces fires 7.62mm tracer ammunition. The U.S. military introduced the bazooka, the first rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
Despite the initial problems, it was a success and was copied by other countries. A mechanical reset device unique to the base of the detonator grounded the circuit until the rocket accelerates out of the tube. Acceleration rotates the three discs of the safety mechanism 90° one after the other and does not ground the circuit; The nose cycle at the base of the detonator is completed when the piezoelectric crystal is crushed on impact. The weapon can be fired from inside buildings as long as the structure measures at least 12 by 15 feet (~50 cubic meters) and is properly ventilated. [10] [11] The Army Department had previously ruled that the weapon could be fired safely, but this rating was removed in 2010 after the introduction of the safer AT4 CS. [12] However, some modern variants of the LAW are specifically equipped with a firing case capability (FFE). [13] A local version is produced in Turkey by the Society of Mechanical and Chemical Industries.