War and Military Atlas

How Battles Were Fought
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Weapons System

M72 LAW

Armored Vehicles

The M72 LAW is a man-portable 66mm disposable unguided anti-tank weapon adopted by the United States Army and Marine Corps in early 1963 as their primary individual infantry anti-tank weapon, replacing the M31 HEAT rifle grenade and the M20A1 Super Bazooka. It has remained in service from 1963 to the present and was later also adopted by the U.S. Air Force for airbase defense.

Facts
Classification
CaliberSourced to the subject's own account
66mm 1
Service Status
In Service 2
Weapon Class
Disposable unguided anti-tank weapon 2
Introduced Year
1963 3
Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category)
Tank / Armored Vehicle 2
FAQs

How far can the M72 LAW hit a target?

Effective range is about 200 meters against a stationary target and 165 meters against a moving one.

The M72 LAW fires a 66 mm rocket, and its launcher is issued as a round of ammunition and thrown away after use. Army data for the M72A2 and M72A3 give a maximum range of 1,000 meters, but a maximum effective range of 200 meters against a stationary target and 165 meters against a moving one. Beyond those effective ranges there is less than a fifty percent chance of hitting.
Connections

Operated By

British Army, Armed Forces and Units
Source M72 LAW, Wikipedia

Used In

Bosnian War, Wars
Source M72 LAW, Wikipedia
Cambodian Civil War, Wars
Source M72 LAW, Wikipedia
Falklands War, Wars
Source M72 LAW, Wikipedia
Gulf War, Wars
Source M72 LAW, Wikipedia
Iraq War, Wars
Source M72 LAW, Wikipedia
Laotian Civil War, Wars
Source M72 LAW, Wikipedia
Russo-Ukrainian War, Wars
Source M72 LAW, Wikipedia
Syrian Civil War, Wars
Source M72 LAW, Wikipedia
Vietnam War, Wars
Source M72 LAW, Wikipedia
Yemeni Civil War, Wars
Source M72 LAW, Wikipedia
In the Other Atlases

Manufactured By

Nammo

Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.

Source Wikidata: M72 LAW
Sources
1. M72 LAW (Wikidata)
Wikidata
  • Wikidata Q177372 (P729 service entry): 1963
    Service entry (Wikidata property P729): 1963.
  • Wikidata Q177372 (P4403 caliber): 66mm
    Caliber (Wikidata property P4403): 66.0 mm.
View the Source
2. M72 LAW, Wikipedia
  • Lead paragraph
    is a man-portable 66 mm (2.6 in) disposable unguided anti-tank weapon.
  • Lead section
    In early 1963, the M72 LAW was adopted by the U.S.
  • Infobox: service
    1963-present
  • Used In: Vietnam War, infobox wars field: 'Vietnam War'
  • Used In: Cambodian Civil War, infobox wars field: 'Cambodian Civil War'
  • Used In: Laotian Civil War, infobox wars field: 'Laotian Civil War'
  • Used In: Falklands War, infobox wars field: 'Falklands War'
  • Used In: Gulf War, infobox wars field: 'Gulf War'
  • Used In: Bosnian War, infobox wars field: 'Bosnian War'
  • Used In: Iraq War, infobox wars field: 'Iraq War'
  • Used In: Syrian Civil War, infobox wars field: 'Syrian Civil War'
  • Used In: Yemeni Civil War, infobox wars field: 'Yemeni Civil War'
  • Used In: Russo-Ukrainian War, infobox wars field: 'Russo-Ukrainian War'
  • Operated By: British Army, Operators
    United Kingdom: Used by the British Army from the 1970s to the early 1990s. The M72A9 variant was reintroduced into service for the Afghanistan war. due to its light weight, lower cost and greater portability.
View the Source
3. Wikidata: M72 LAW
Wikidata Q177372, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.