FGR-17 Viper

The FGR-17 Viper was an American one-man, disposable, shoulder-fired antitank rocket intended in the 1980s to replace the M72 LAW. The programme began in 1972 as a study and became the Improved Light Antitank Weapon effort in 1975, with General Dynamics named prime contractor in 1976. The launcher was a lightweight fibreglass telescopic tube that was discarded after one shot, and the rocket used a solid booster, a HEAT warhead, nine fins that opened in flight and an impact fuze. The Army hoped to issue it so widely that it would be as common in infantry units as the hand grenade, but cost overruns, a critical Government Accountability Office report, fuze safety problems and a congressional funding cut ended the effort. The Army cancelled all Viper contracts in September 1983, and the Swedish AT4 was chosen as the replacement for the M72 LAW instead.