The light anti-tank weapon, commonly known as the LAW, is a short-range, shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon which consists of a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rocket packaged in a fiberglass and aluminum tube which also serves as the launcher. The rocket is sealed inside the launcher and is not removable. The assembly is about twenty-six inches long and extends telescopically to about thirty-five inches before firing. The rocket is 66MM in diameter and about twenty inches long. This weapon’s light weight and its ability to penetrate more than twelve inches of armor make it useful against enemy armor, bunkers, and other hard targets out to a range of two-hundred meters.
The rocket has a HEAT warhead and a point-initiating, base-detonating (PIBD) fuze. It has a rocket motor with nineteen sticks of propellant, a percussion-fired igniter, a single nozzle, and six folding fins. The rocket motor is ignited by a small percussion primer connected by a flash tube to the igniter element. The motor has one cone-shaped nozzle and six folding fins. The fins are held in the extended position by springs when the rocket leaves the launcher after firing.
The most stable firing positions for firing LAWs are standing (supported), prone, and prone (supported).
The four methods of engagement with a LAW are single, sequence, pair, and volley firing. The two best methods of engagement are volley firing and pair firing.
In single firing, the gunner fires at a target with only one LAW. This method is used only at ranges of fifty meters or less. Beyond that range, single firing is ineffective, as the chance of a first-round hit is low.
In sequence firing, several launchers are prepared for firing by one gunner. After firing the first LAW, the gunner should note its impact. If a hit is achieved, the gunner should continue to fire using the same sight picture until the target is destroyed. If the first round is a miss, the gunner should adjust the range and lead of succeeding rounds until a hit is achieved. Then, the gunner should continue to fire until the target is destroyed.
In pair firing, two gunners prepare two or more LAWs each, and fire at a target one at a time. Swap information when firing at the target. The gunner seeing a target identifies it and gives the estimated range and lead he will use (for example, “Tank, one hundred and fifty meters, fast target!”), then fires. If the first gunner misses, the second gunner quickly announces a revised estimate of range and lead (as appropriate) and fires. Both gunners continue exchanging range and lead information until one gets a hit. Once the range and lead are determined, gunners fire at the target until it is destroyed. Pair firing is preferred over sequence firing, as it lets the gunners get hits faster as the gunner firing the second round can be ready to fire as soon as the first round impacts. In sequence firing, the gunner must get another LAW, establish a sight picture, and fire. Pair firing also has the advantage of having two gunners track the target at one time.
In volley firing, two or more gunners fire at once. Before firing, each gunner prepares one or more LAWs. Gunners fire on command or on signal until the target is destroyed. An example of a command would be: “Tank, one-hundred meters, slow target. Volley Fire. Ready, Aim, Fire.” Volley fire is used only when the range to the target and the lead have been determined. Range can be determined by map, by pacing, or by the results of pair firing after a target has been hit. The volley fire method is best because more rounds are fired at a target at one time. That increases the chance of a hit.
Because the LAW can be fired only once, using it in training would be very expensive. For training, therefore, a small subcaliber rocket is fired from an expended launcher that has been modified by installing a smaller tube inside. The subcaliber rocket has six fixed fins on the back end and three centering guide pins on the front end. It has a small rocket motor with a percussion igniter and a warhead which contains a primer and a small flash charge. The entire rocket is about nine inches long and thirty-five millimeters (1.37 inches) in diameter.
The LAW system is packed five launchers to a cardboard box, which is then sealed in a plastic barrier bag. Three of these are packed in each wooden box, for a total of fifteen rockets.
The Tactical Woodsman 