| Rifleman's assault weapon | |
| Origin: |  |
| Type: | Close support rocket |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Service: | 1990s |
| Used By: | United States Marine Corps |
| Manufacturer: | Brunswick Corporation |
| Production Date: | 1977–1996 |
| Weight: | 4.7kg (10.4lb) |
| Length: | 305mm |
| Caliber: | 140mm warhead |
| Velocity: | 173m/s at 200m (700feet) |
| Range: | 300m (1,000feet) |
| Max Range: | ~1500m (4,900feet) |
The rifleman's assault weapon (RAW) was a close-support rocket-propelled grenade developed around 1977 and put into limited service by the United States Marine Corps in the 1990s.[1] It was developed in response to a military requirement for a multi-purpose close support weapon. The RAW's rocket-propelled spherical munition was fired from an M16 rifle and was capable of blowing holes through masonry walls and disabling light armored vehicles.
The RAW's 1kg (02lb) high explosive squash head (HESH) warhead could penetrate 20cm (10inches) of reinforced concrete (creating a 36cm (14inches) hole) and hit moving targets at a range of 300m (1,000feet). The RAW was considered to be ideal for the conditions of urban warfare.[2] Reconsideration by the U.S. military as to what kind of close support weapon they were seeking resulted in only limited procurement of the RAW, despite the weapon performing to specification and displaying a remarkably flat trajectory to a range of 300m (1,000feet). Brunswick Corporation also developed an antitank version of the RAW. Brunswick later sold the design for the RAW to KDI Precision Products, Inc., which became part of L-3 Communications in 2001.[3]
| Performance of RAW and contemporary weapons | |||
| Effectiveness against reinforced concrete | |||
| Munition | Penetration in cm | Max effective range in meters | |
| 140-mm RAW | 20cm (10inches) | 300m (1,000feet) | |
| 40 mm HEDP grenade | ~ 15cm (06inches) | 400m (1,300feet) | |
| 83 mm bunker defeat munition (SMAW-D) | 20cm (10inches) | 500m (1,600feet) | |
| Data source for weapons performance is Jane's Infantry Weapons 1995–96, Jane's Ammunition Handbook 1994, and M141 BDM. | |||