M72 LAW (light anti-tank weapon Light Anti-Tank Weapon, or light anti-armor weapon Light Anti-Armor Weapon), referred to as LAW or LAWS (light anti-tank weapon system) is a 66mm abandoned bazooka developed by Hesse Oriental in 1958. At that time, the designers were Paul V. Choate, Charles B. Weeks and Frank A. Spinale et al. The actual production was Nammo Raufoss AS in Norway. The weapon began to be developed in 1958 and was adopted by the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps in early 1963. It replaced the M31 anti-tank grenade and the M20A1 super bazuka , becoming the main individual anti-tank weapon.
M72 anti-armor weapon consists of a two-piece cylindrical launch tube and a rocket installed in it. When the system has not yet been deployed, its shell is its watertight component to protect the rockets that are prone to moisture. The plate machine, front and rear view holes of the grip heel, and the rear cylinder cover are also installed on the outer sleeve. The inner sleeve includes a striker assembly. When unfolded, the inner sleeve extends backward along the upper edge of the outer sleeve and the groove at the plate assembly and locks with the plate on the outer sleeve. Once the launch tube enters the ready state, even if the inner sleeve is retracted back to its original position, the M72 cannot continue to maintain its original watertight state. When the
M72 is launched in a ready state, the striker assembly located behind the inner tube will touch the igniter and ignite the warhead and propel the rocket behind it. The propulsion rocket burns out before leaving the launch tube and generates high heat (1,400F/760C) of air in the tube. When the warhead is propelled away from the launcher, its rocket thruster, , does not produce obvious rear coax. When the rocket leaves the launch tube, the six tail wings behind the rocket are opened at the same time to stabilize the flight trajectory of the rocket.
Early rocket warheads were developed from the M31 anti-tank grenade, using a simple, but extremely reliable and safe piezoelectric action insurance system. The principle of this insurance system is to cause the mineral crystals placed in front of it to generate a short current by impacting the target, which is used to start the warhead. Once the warhead is activated, the propulsion medicine located at the bottom of the warhead is ignited and the main charge is detonated. The powerful propulsion generated by the main charge forces the copper pads in the warhead to form a directional material jet. The strength of this jet depends on the size of the warhead and can penetrate armor of a considerable thickness. At the same time, a set of mechanical safety at the bottom fire also ensures that the warhead remains in the grounded state when leaving the launch tube and cannot be activated. Once the warhead enters the acceleration state, this insurance will no longer maintain grounding and officially starts the impact fuse located in front of the warhead, waiting for explosion.
