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Mk 153 SMAW
The Mk 153 SMAW (Shoulder-launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon) is a reloadable shoulder-fired rocket launcher designed by McDonnell Douglas and manufactured by Nammo Talley, and used by the United States Marine Corps (and the US Army during Desert Storm). Essentially an enhanced version of the Israel Military Industries B300 launcher developed to replace the M72 LAW in USMC service following the collapse of the FGR-17 Viper program in 1983, the weapon consists of a reusable launcher unit which incorporates the weapon's sights and trigger, and encased pre-loaded rockets which are inserted into the rear of the launcher unit. A variety of projectiles are available: the Mk 3 Mod 0 high-explosive dual purpose (HEDP), Mk 6 Mod 0 high-explosive anti-armor (HEAA), Mk 80 Mod 0 novel explosive (NE, thermobaric) and Mk 7 Mod 0 practice rocket for training.
The Mod 0 variant mounts a British-designed magazine-fed, primer-actuated semi-automatic spotting rifle developed for the LAW 80 on the right-hand side of the launcher assembly. This feeds from 6-round magazines which are included in the end cap of each rocket: they are normally inserted into the side of the cap, though the HEAA rocket mounts the magazine in a side projection resembling a grenade safety lever because the HEAT warhead's long standoff rod occupies the middle of the end cap. The spotting rifle fires a special 9mm tracer round, the Mk 217 Mod 0, designed to match the ballistics of the rocket. This consists of a 9mm bullet in a necked-out 7.62mm NATO casing, propelled by a .22 Hornet blank which is placed inside the 7.62mm case. The setting back of the Hornet case inside the parent NATO case is what unlocks the weapon's action: it is an unusual variant of blowback operation. The spotting rifle and launcher use the same trigger: this is mechanically linked to the spotting rifle, and fires the rocket using an electromagnetic link. A switch directly above the pistol grip governs which of the two is fired when the trigger is pulled.
Provision is made to mount an AN/PEQ-2 laser aiming module as an alternative to the spotting rifle. The weapon has open iron sights as standard, and can also mount a Mk 42 Mod 0 day sight or AN/PVS-4 or AN/PVS-17B night sight.
The most current version is the Mk 153 Mod 2 (known during development as FOTS, "Follow-On To SMAW"), which mounts an electronic Modular Ballistic Sight (MBS) that replaces the spotting rifle, incorporating a laser rangefinder, a ballistic computer which produces an offset reticle for indirect aiming, and a built-in thermal sight. Due to the lack of the spotting rifle this variant is much lighter, the launcher unit weighing 13 lbs (5.9 kg) with the MBS and just 8.5 lbs (3.9 kg) without it. 56 Mod 2s were delivered in 2016, with the entire existing inventory scheduled to be replaced by 2020.
The Mk 153 SMAW and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Mk 153 SMAW
(1984-present (Mod 0), 2016-present (Mod 2))
Type: Rocket launcher
Length: 29.9 in (76 cm) (launcher unit), 54 in (137.2 cm) (with Mk 3 Mod 0 HEDP rocket loaded)
Weight: 16.9 lbs (7.7 kg) (Mod 0 launcher unit), 29.3 lbs (13.3 kg) (Mod 0 with Mk 3 Mod 0 HEDP rocket loaded), 13 lbs (5.9 kg) (Mod 2 launcher unit)
Calibre: 83mm rocket, 9x51mm spotting rifle
Capacity: 1 rocket, 6 9x51mm rounds in detachable box magazine (stored in rocket cap)
Fire modes: Safe / fire (launcher), safe / semi-auto (spotting rifle)
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick-Ass | Stu Riley | Huge Goon | Referred to as "Bazooka"; mock-up | 2010 |
| Kick-Ass | Aaron Johnson | Kick-Ass | Referred to as "Bazooka"; mock-up | 2010 |
| The A-Team | Brian Bloom | Pike | 2010 | |
| Rampage | U.S. Army | 2018 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Weapons | soldiers | Firepower;archive footage | 2010 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Reality | With ACOG scope, firing HEAA and HEDP rockets | with functional spotting rifle | 2005 | |
| Mercenaries 2: World in Flames | Anti-Tank Launcher | 2008 | ||
| ArmA II | 2009 | |||
| Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising | With AN/PVS-4 Thermal Scope | 2009 | ||
| Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light | "Rocket Launcher" | 2010 | ||
| Battlefield 3 | SMAW | 2011 | ||
| Operation Flashpoint: Red River | 2011 | |||
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 | SMAW | Incorrectly shown as disposable | 2011 | |
| Medal of Honor: Warfighter | SMAW | 2012 | ||
| Battlefield 4 | SMAW | 2013 | ||
| Ironsight | EMP Launcher | Fires lock-on EMP warheads | 2018 | |
| Krunker | SMAW | Incorrectly holds 3 rockets | 2019 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macross Zero | UN marines | 2002 - 2004 | |
| Guilty Crown | Gai Tsutsugami | 2011 - 2012 | |
| Waiting in the Summer | Men in Black | 2012 | |
| Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil | Inspector Quinn Erari | 2014 | |
| Sword Art Online II | Seen on sign | 2014 - ???? |
M141 SMAW-D
The M141 SMAW-D is a disposable single-shot launcher, the result of the US Army's Bunker Defeat Munition (BDM) program. This project produced entries from FFV, who submitted a weapon derived from the M136 AT4, the FFV AT8, and the winning entry from McDonnell-Douglas. The SMAW-D launcher has little in common with the Mk 153, but the rocket is based on the one used by it, with the same HEDP warhead but with a shortened burn time for the booster. It appears to have inspired the later Israeli SHIPON disposable launcher
Due to issues with Congress questioning the similarity of the Army's BDM and the Marine Corps' FGM-172 SRAW programs, procurement of the SMAW-D was limited to 6,000 units.
(1999-present)
Type: Rocket launcher
Length: 32 in (81.3 cm) collapsed, 55 in (139.7 cm) extended
Weight: 15.7 lbs (7.1 kg)
Calibre: 83mm
Capacity: 1 rocket
Fire modes: Safe / fire
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bad Boys for Life | Jacob Scipio | Armando Armas | 2020 | |
| Bad Boys II | Antoni Corone | D.E.A. Agent Tony Dodd | 2003 | |
| Cradle 2 the Grave | DMX | Anthony Fait | Used as part of vault-busting rig | 2003 |
| War of the Worlds | U.S. Marine | AN/PVS-4 night-vision scope | 2005 | |
| Skyline | U.S. Marine | 2010 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCIS | "Split Decision" Seen on website | 2003 | ||
| Arrested Development | "Burning Love" (S2E9), on a shelf in a gun store | 2005 | ||
| 24 | Cheng's man | 2007 | ||
| Burn Notice | Mercenary | "Loose Ends, Part 1" (S1E11) | 2007 | |
| 24 | Doug Hutchison | Davros | With red dot scope | 2010 |
| Lost | "Cabin Fever"; Seen loaded on helicopter | 2004 - 2010 | ||
| Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Human resistance fighter |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| America's Army | Bunker Defeat Munition (BDM) | 2002 |
Anime
| Character | Title | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon dealers | Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig | 2004 - 2005 |
B-300
The SMAW is an improved variant of the B-300, which was developed in the seventies by IMI, based on the French LRAC F1 launcher. It was intended to replace Israeli stocks of the obsolete M20 "Super Bazooka", but budget limitations meant it was never adopted in quantity and issue was largely limited to special forces units. It is no longer in production, and is slowly being replaced in service by a disposable derivative with a detachable fire control unit, the SHIPON, which was introduced in 2003, and by the RAFAEL MATADOR.
(1980-2000s)
Type: Rocket launcher
Length: 57 in (144.8 cm) loaded
Weight: 8 lbs (3.65kg) empty, 18 lbs (8.2 kg) loaded
Calibre: 82mm
Capacity: 1 rocket
Fire modes: Safe / fire
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Delta Force | Chuck Norris | Maj. Scott McCoy | 1986 | |
| The Delta Force | Steve James | Bobby | 1986 |
See Also
- Nordic Ammunition Group - A list of all firearms manufactured by Nammo.
- Israel Military Industries - A list of all firearms manufactured by IMI.