LAW 80
| LAW 80 | |
|---|---|
 LAW 80 Test By US Army 1983 | |
| Type | Rocket-propelled grenade (Anti-tank, disposable) |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1987 – present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Hunting Engineering |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 10 kg (22 lbs) |
| Length | 1500 mm (59 in) firing 1000 mm (39 in) carrying |
| Calibre | 94 mm |
| Maximum firing range | 500 m |
| Sights | optical 1× |
The LAW 80 (Light Anti-armour Weapon 80), sometimes erroneously referred to as LAW 94, is a man-portable, disposable anti-tank weapon currently in use by the British Army and a few other militaries.
Description
The weapon consists of an extendable launch tube with an integrated 9mm spotting rifle and 1× sight. The spotting rifle has five rounds of ammunition, and is ballistically matched to the rocket. The rounds it uses are quite unusual, consisting of a 9 mm tracer bullet loaded in a necked up 7.62mm NATO shell casing, with a .22 Hornet blank mounted in the base of the larger case, providing the propellant charge. Upon firing, the .22 cartridge case pushes out of the back of the 7.62 mm casing, unlocking the breech of the spotting rifle in a form of primer actuation.[1] The spotting rifle on the USMC Mk.153 Mod.0 SMAW was derived from the LAW 80.
To launch the rocket the firer removes the large protective end caps and extends the rear of the launch tube, opens the sight, and moves the arming lever to "armed". The weapon is then in spotting rifle mode. To fire the rocket, the firer moves a charge lever forward with his firing hand thumb. The rocket motor burns out before it leaves the launch tube, the resulting blast being directed rearwards from the launch tube. The rocket then coasts to the target, arming itself after it has passed a certain arming distance. The warhead is a HEAT shaped charge and could penetrate 700mm of Rolled Homogeneous Armour at 90 degrees, as was taught to soldiers trained on the weapon system in the British Army, Royal Navy (Royal Marines) and RAF Regiment. It was also taught that sloped, composite and ERA, would reduce the penetration and would be an important factor when selecting the aiming point.
Specifications
| External images | |
|---|---|
| LAW 80 Brochure 1985 | |
 LAW 80(1) | |
| LAW 80(2) | |
| LAW 80(3) | |
| LAW 80(4) |
- Contractor: Hunting Engineering
- Calibre: 94 mm
- Launcher length:
- Firing mode: 1.5 m
- Carrying mode: 1 m
- Weight:
- Carrying weight: 10 kg
- Shoulder weight: 9 kg
- Projectile weight: 4.6 kg
- Dispersion: approx 1 mil
- Warhead arming range: 10 to 20 m
- Effective range: 20 to 500 m
- Fuze:
- Type: Piezo-electric impact fuze, scrub and foliage proof
- Graze angle: <= 10°
- Temperature range: -46 °C to +65 °C
- Rear danger area: < 20 m
- Shelf life: 10 years
Operators
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2010) |
Current operators
Jordan[2]
United Kingdom: Adopted in the early 1990s, replacing the L14A1 84 mm Carl Gustav recoilless rifle and M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon (Rocket 66mm HEAT L1A1) anti-tank weapons.[3]
Addermine
Addermine is an acoustic sensor system which utilises the LAW 80 as a kill mechanism to create an off-route mine. It can also be command detonated from up to 200 m away.
Notes
- ^ 9×51mm SMAW - International Ammunition Association
- ^ Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
- ^ Owen, William F. (2007). "Light Anti-Armour Weapons: Anti-Everything?" (PDF). http://asianmilitaryreview.com - Asian Military Review. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
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See also
References
- Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005-2006
- Jane's Infantry Weapons 1991-1992