Re: OT- Recoiless Rifle
Actually the M3 Ranger Anti-armor/Assault Weapon System (RAAWS)supplimented the M47 Dragon in Ranger Battalions rather than replacing it. The M47 Dragon was a terrible weapon system. It was heavy, difficult to fire, and only had an effective range of 1000 meters - which the missle took a agonizingly slow 11 seconds to travel. That combined with the Dragon's massive launch signiture (i.e. big flash and cloud of white smoke)and smallish warhead, made it very unpopular. It has been replaced with the far more sophistictaed Javelin, which is a fire and forget top-attack missile, with a 2000m range. It has proven to be devestatingly effective in Iraq, against both vehicles and small buildings/bunkers, with a 90%+ hit percentage. I believe both the M3 RAAWS and the Javelin are in use by Ranger units. For bunker busting regular US Army troops have been using the SMAW-D single shot rocket launcher, though I agree that the versatility of the RAAWS/Carl Gustav platform would make it a useful addition to the MTO&E of regular infantry units.
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