FGR-17 Viper
In the FGR-17 Viper it was a unguided anti-tank weapon hand of General Dynamics Pomona Division in Pomona, California for the anti-tank at close range.
As a replacement for the LAW72 , the Viper was developed from 1975 as part of the Improved LAW program. However, it was only given the name Viper in 1976. The US Army was responsible for the Viper Project Office , which also supervised the development of the AT-4 and the FGM-148 Javelin .
Produced from 1982 with a planned volume of 90,000 pieces, production was stopped again in October 1983. In addition to having performance issues, the weapon was also very sensitive to static electricity. In addition, the unit cost became too great.
Similar to the LAW72, the 3.73 kg heavy Viper could only be used once. It consisted of a two-part launch tube made of glass fiber reinforced plastic, which was only 695 mm long when pushed into one another. The 70 mm grenade was located in the inner tube. For launching, the tubes were pulled apart to 1130 mm. On the outside of the barrel was the triggering device, a metal shoulder rest, and an adjustable rear sight and the front sight.
The operational range was 250 m, the maximum range 500 m with a muzzle velocity of 255 m / s. The penetration force of the grenade stabilized by 10 wings was around 400 mm RHA .
supporting documents
- Andreas Parsch, General Dynamics FGR-17 Viper , on URL: http: //www.designation-systems.net / ... , as of August 13, 2008.
- Reiner Lidschun, Günter Wollert, Wilfried Copenhagen, Infanteriewaffen (1945-1985) , series: Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from all over the world, 5th edition, Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus in Dornier Medienholding, Berlin, 1998, pages 473 and 474, ISBN 3-89488 -057-0