M72 LAW

M72 LAW
Name	M72 LAW
Origin	United States
Type	Light anti-tank weapon
Service	1963–present
Used by	United States Army, United States Marine Corps, Israel Defense Forces, British Army, South African Defence Force, Republic of Korea Army
Designer	Neal Shute
Design date	1950s–1960s
Manufacturer	Northrop Grumman, Nexter
Weight	2.5 kg (empty tube)
Length	660 mm (closed)
Cartridge	66 mm rocket
Caliber	66 mm
Action	Single-shot, disposable
Velocity	145 m/s
Range	effective 200 m
Max range	1,800 m

M72 LAW is a portable, single-shot, disposable anti-armor weapon developed in the United States during the Cold War era. It was fielded to provide infantry units with a lightweight, short-range capability against armored vehicles and fortifications, complementing heavier systems like the M67 recoilless rifle and the BGM-71 TOW. The system influenced subsequent shoulder-fired rockets and was widely adopted by NATO and allied forces during conflicts from the Vietnam War through late twentieth-century regional wars.

Design and development

The LAW originated from post-World War II research into recoilless and rocket-propelled infantry weapons pursued by institutions such as the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps, Picatinny Arsenal, and contractors including Rohm and Haas and Hughes Aircraft Company. Early concept work drew on innovations from the Bazooka and trials with the M20 Super Bazooka during the Korean War, prompting development of a lighter, disposable alternative to systems like the M40 recoilless rifle and the AT4. The design emphasis—weight, portability, and ease of use—reflected lessons from engagements during the Suez Crisis and debates within the Pentagon about infantry anti-armor doctrine. Prototype testing occurred at ranges used by Aberdeen Proving Ground and evaluations by units from the 82nd Airborne Division and 1st Cavalry Division influenced final ergonomics, sighting, and rocket motor selection.

The launcher combined a telescoping aluminum tube with a pre-packed 66 mm rocket warhead and a simple flip-up sighting assembly patterned after systems used by the Royal Ordnance Factory experiments. Propellant and fuzing technology used advances from programs at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and companies supplying the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Production contracts were awarded to multiple manufacturers to meet rapid fielding during the early 1960s.

Specifications

The weapon is a single-shot, disposable launcher firing a 66 mm rocket with a shaped-charge warhead. The closed launcher length measured approximately 660 mm and extended to roughly 900 mm for firing, with an unloaded weight near 2.5 kg. Muzzle velocity was about 145 m/s, yielding an effective anti-armor range around 200 m and a maximum sighted range near 1,800 m for area targets. The warhead employed a conical shaped charge capable of penetrating armor comparable to light and medium armored vehicles of the 1950s and 1960s period; penetration figures are frequently compared to those for contemporaneous munitions like the RPG-2 and the early LAW 66 variants fielded by NATO. Sighting was via a simple folding ladder sight with stadiametric range estimation used by infantry units such as Marine Expeditionary Units and airborne formations like 101st Airborne Division.

Operational safety features included a cocking mechanism and a backblast area requirement similar to doctrines developed at Fort Benning and Fort Bragg. The launcher was stored and transported with both halves collapsed, reflecting logistical practices observed by the U.S. Army Transportation Corps.

Operational use and combat history

The system entered service in time for significant deployment during the Vietnam War, where it supplemented heavier anti-armor weapons used by units such as the 1st Marine Division and the 25th Infantry Division. It proved valuable against light armor, bunkers, and fortifications encountered in engagements around bases like Khe Sanh and operations such as Operation Cedar Falls. NATO members issued the weapon to territorial and reserve formations during the Cold War to counter incursions in Central Europe alongside systems fielded by Bundeswehr and French Army units.

Subsequent conflicts that saw LAW use included the Falklands War and various Middle Eastern wars where forces like the Israel Defense Forces and South African Defence Force employed it for urban and anti-vehicle tasks. Over time, armor development and reactive armor introduced on platforms like the T-72 and Merkava reduced effectiveness against main battle tanks, prompting a shift toward tandem-charge warheads and guided systems such as the Javelin and TOW 2. Despite this, the weapon remained in inventories for light forces, police units, and irregular formations during late twentieth and early twenty-first century engagements including the Gulf War and asymmetric conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Variants and upgrades

Several variants and national derivatives were produced to address evolving threats and manufacturing preferences. Improved rockets with enhanced shaped-charge liners and refined fuzes paralleled developments seen in the RPG-7 family and the AT-4 series. Nations produced versions with different sighting packages or improved propellant grains; domestic arms manufacturers in countries such as Israel and South Africa created licensed and unlicensed derivatives tailored to local doctrine. Upgrades included tandem-charge warheads in later portable anti-armor munitions and adaptation of training and spotting rounds consistent with procedures taught at institutions like the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and United States Military Academy.

Commercial and military production lines introduced variants optimized for urban engagement and fortification breach, mirroring trends visible in weapons evolution alongside systems like the Bangalore torpedo and demolition charges used by combat engineers.

Export and international service

The weapon was widely exported and licensed, entering service with NATO members including the United Kingdom, West Germany, Italy, and Greece, and with non-NATO states such as Israel, South Africa, South Korea, and multiple countries in South America and Southeast Asia. Its proliferation influenced insurgent and guerrilla arsenals and was documented in post-conflict inventories compiled by organizations like the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Export agreements and military aid programs facilitated transfers during events such as the Vietnam War and Cold War assistance to allied states, while surplus stocks later entered secondary markets and reserve stores managed by defense ministries including those of Canada and Australia.

Category:Anti-tank weapons Category:Cold War weapons of the United States