Rifleman's Assault Weapon

Rifleman's assault weapon
Type	Close support rocket
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1990s
Used by	United States Marine Corps
Production history
Manufacturer	Brunswick Corporation
Produced	1977–1996
Specifications
Mass	4.7 kg (10 lb)
Length	305 mm (12.0 in)
Caliber	140 mm (5.5 in) warhead
Muzzle velocity	173 m/s (570 ft/s) at 200 m (220 yd)
Effective firing range	300 m (330 yd)
Maximum firing range	~1,500 m (1,600 yd)

External images
Brunswick RAW
Soldier Preparing to Fire RAW
Tech Info Page 1
Tech Info Page 2
Tech Info Page 3

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 1 kg (2.2 lb) high explosive squash head (HESH) warhead could penetrate 20 cm (7.9 in) of reinforced concrete (creating a 36 cm (14 in) hole) and hit moving targets at a range of 300 m (330 yd). 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 300 m (330 yd). 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]

Notes