View Full Version : M72 LAW
From today's DoD contract awards:
Nammo Talley Inc., Mesa, Arizona, is being awarded a $7,438,906 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of M72 light anti-armor weapon (LAW) E8 and E10 test articles to support the U.S. Special Operations Command and the Marine Corps. The M72 LAW is a man-portable, lightweight, shoulder-launched, disposable weapon system. An upgrade to the M72A7 LAW, the M72E8 LAW, incorporates a Fire from Enclosure (FFE) propulsion system. The M72E10 LAW combines the FFE benefits of the M72E8 LAW with an anti-structure munition warhead, giving it an advantage in congested urban environments. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by May 2021. Fiscal 2015 and 2016 procurement of ammunition (Navy and Marine Corps) funding in the amount of $6,838,237 will be obligated at time of award, and funds in the amount of $5,341,314 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with the statutory authority of 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1- only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-16-D-JN09).
Over the years I've heard that the M72 was too small, too short-ranged, not effective enough, etc. Looks like SOCOM and the Marines are buying some of the newer mods, though. Is it not in use by the Army?
We have plenty of them in CONNEX's overseas. We used to keep SMAW-Ds or AT-4s in the turrets and guard towers and tried to take LAWs on long dismounts if we could.
Army just adopted the Carl Gustav service wide.
Out of curiosity, are they still trying to make American made RPG-7s?
I'd read that was a thing.
The extent of my explosives/rocketry knowledge is "stay far away".
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/02/22/us-army-tests-amerikanski-rpg-7-derivative/
Army just adopted the Carl Gustav service wide.
Howdy,
Never left the inventory. I know someone who carried one in case his Beretta went down. The 'K' harkens back to the day when ships were wood and men were steel, when weapons were simple and elegant, or, simply elegant; when no safety was required, because you, the man of steel, were the safety. Oh, how I miss those days, when we were younger, more innocent, killers.
Or, are you speaking of the less elegant, more plebian recoiless rifle?
lol your terrible, but that will never get old
When is the civilian version going to be available?
When is the civilian version going to be available?
It already is.
PVC pipe and a lot of bottle rockets tied together.
Eurodriver
05-23-16, 20:04
Howdy,
Never left the inventory. I know someone who carried one in case his Beretta went down. The 'K' harkens back to the day when ships were wood and men were steel, when weapons were simple and elegant, or, simply elegant; when no safety was required, because you, the man of steel, were the safety. Oh, how I miss those days, when we were younger, more innocent, killers.
Or, are you speaking of the less elegant, more plebian recoiless rifle?
lolololol
It already is.
PVC pipe and a lot of bottle rockets tied together.
My friends and I used to have a blast doing that, ussually just 1 at a time though.
It already is.
PVC pipe and a lot of bottle rockets tied together.
Bottle rockets? Try 3/4" PVC tubing with an empty chapstick tube for the projectile, stuffed with your favorite combustible material (the chapstick tube is a near-perfect fit), topped off with an Estes model rocket engine for the propellant.
Man, I miss my childhood. :D
JackFanToM
05-24-16, 15:09
In high school I made a repeating bottle rocket gun out of pvc, 2 paint rollers, 6' of canvas, and a propane soldering torch.
It was about 75% reliable and 100% unsafe, but in our annual bottle rocket wars it was hella fun and made me king of the arms race.
Over the years I've heard that the M72 was too small, too short-ranged, not effective enough, etc. Looks like SOCOM and the Marines are buying some of the newer mods, though. Is it not in use by the Army?
Just a SWAG but I'd bet the LAW is effective enough against fixed targets especially when you're weight limited.
"Back-blast area clear!"
Damn, they still using those things? Hell, I was in during the 80's and they were 'Nam era stuff by then. Of course so is the M16A1/A2/M4........:rolleyes: Upgrades upgrades upgrades.
Were they ever effective against bunkers? Not Normandy "Atlantic Wall" concrete ones but NVA jungle bunkers?
Believe it or not the line companies when I was in Panama had 90mm recoilless rifles. They looked like a bigger-diameter version of the WWII bazooka. No doubt a pain in the ass to hump through the jungle strapped to your ruck as it was HUGE and caught on vegetation easily.
Believe it or not the line companies when I was in Panama had 90mm recoilless rifles. They looked like a bigger-diameter version of the WWII bazooka. No doubt a pain in the ass to hump through the jungle strapped to your ruck as it was HUGE and caught on vegetation easily.
Marines have the SMAW which is a bazooka like weapon and now the Army will have the 84mm recoilless rifle Carl Gustav in every line company. I talked to some 75th guys and they said the Carl Gustav was a great weapon. My bro in law was a Marine 0351 and he loved his SMAW.
As useful as a single use rocket like the M72 and AT4 are, a good multi purpose launcher with multiple warheads is a great asset.
Marines have the SMAW which is a bazooka like weapon and now the Army will have the 84mm recoilless rifle Carl Gustav in every line company. I talked to some 75th guys and they said the Carl Gustav was a great weapon. My bro in law was a Marine 0351 and he loved his SMAW.
As useful as a single use rocket like the M72 and AT4 are, a good multi purpose launcher with multiple warheads is a great asset.
Weight of the SMAW is 17 lbs, Carl Gustav is 19 lbs while M72 is 5.5 lbs, while the different Gustav rounds are useful the M72 for dismounted ops where you might want something lightweight to blow some shit up a couple of meters off is still useful.
It already is.
PVC pipe and a lot of bottle rockets tied together.
Hah, once repelled an MP parking lot invasion at Fort Hood with a bunk adapter stuck through the venetian blinds launching bottle rockets. They showed up to investigate a previous skirmish with dismounted troops that had recently ended. Lucky for us they decided to retreat instead of storming the barracks but we decided to unass the AO just in case they were going for reinforcements.:cool:
Weight of the SMAW is 17 lbs, Carl Gustav is 19 lbs while M72 is 5.5 lbs, while the different Gustav rounds are useful the M72 for dismounted ops where you might want something lightweight to blow some shit up a couple of meters off is still useful.
I wasn't trying to imply that the M72 isn't useful. If I had a platoon under my command we'd probably be carrying 20 of them and when we came into contact I'd have my guys volley fire them at the enemy positions.
We had AT4s and they were awesome but a bit long. I think the M72 does the job better especially since line units will have the CG for dealing with armor that the M72 might not be able to take out.
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