Armbrust - Misplaced Pages

Recoilless anti-tank gun For the surname, see Armbrust (surname).

Armbrust
An Armbrust launcher
Type	Recoilless gun
Place of origin	West Germany
Service history
Used by	See Operators
Wars	Cambodian–Vietnamese War Croatian War of Independence Slovenian War of Independence Kosovo War Cambodian–Thai border stand-off 2013 Lahad Datu standoff
Production history
Designer	Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB)
Manufacturer	Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) Pouderies Réunies de Belgique (PRB) ST Kinetics (STK)
Variants	Armbrust AT, Armbrust AP, Armbrust Ub, Armbrust SC
Specifications
Mass	6.3 kg (13 lb 14 oz)
Length	850 mm (2 ft 9 in)
Width	126 mm (5.0 in)
Height	140 mm (5.5 in)

Caliber	67 mm (2.6 in)
Action	Recoilless weapon
Muzzle velocity	210 m/s (690 ft/s)
Effective firing range	300 m (980 ft)
Maximum firing range	1,500 m (4,900 ft)
Feed system	Single shot
Sights	Reticle, externally illuminated for night

Armbrust (German: Crossbow) is a lightweight unguided anti-tank weapon designed and developed by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm of Germany, who later sold its manufacturing rights to Chartered Industries of Singapore (the predecessor of ST Kinetics).

Overview

An Armbrust 67 mm projectile (via Iraq OIG)

The Armbrust is a recoilless weapon, and is one of the few weapons of this kind that may safely be fired in an enclosed space. The propellant charge is placed between two pistons with the projectile in front of one and a mass of shredded plastic in the rear. Unlike most recoilless weapons, it is a true counter-shot weapon, as the mass of the projectile is equal to the mass of the counterweight and they are ejected from the barrel at the same initial velocity. When the weapon is fired, the propellant expands, pushing the two pistons out. The projectile is forced out of the front and the plastic out of the back. The plastic disperses on leaving the back of the barrel, and is quickly stopped by air resistance. The pistons jam at either end of the barrel, locking the hot gases inside. Its warhead can penetrate up to 300 mm of steel armor.

Since 2004, Armbrusts have gradually been replaced by the Israeli-German-Singapore co-developed MATADOR.

Combat use

During the Cambodian–Vietnamese War, Armbrust was supplied to the Cambodian Khmer Rouge. It was used in their fight against the Cambodian government, as well as against Vietnamese Army. Cuban troops in Angola captured several Armbrust launchers from UNITA during the late 1980s.

Operators

External images
Armbrust 1980s brochure photos
Soldier firing Armbrust
Details of Armbrust and cut-away drawing
Details of firing of Armbrust low launch signature
Details of Armbrust anti-armour and anti-personnel projectiles

Current operators

Brunei
Cambodia
Chile
Indonesia: Komando Pasukan Katak (Kopaska) tactical diver group and Komando Pasukan Khusus (Kopassus) special forces group.
Philippines: Philippine Army, Philippine Marine Corps, Presidential Security Group
Singapore
Slovenia
Thailand

References

Jane's Infantry Weapons 1995-96, page 318, edited by T. Gander and I. Hogg, ISBN 0-7106-1241-9
"Factsheet - MATADOR: Unguided Short Range Anti-Armour Weapon (SRAAW)" (Press release). Singaporean Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). 15 June 2005. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
New Straits Times: Khmer Rouge using Missiles made in West, March, 12. 1994
Die Zeit, Michael Sontheimer: Die Mörder kehren zurück, January, 12. 1990 (German)
Furlong, Robert D.M. (Feb 1, 1990). "US anti-tank missile developments". Armada International.
^ Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
"Kopassus & Kopaska - Specijalne Postrojbe Republike Indonezije" (in Croatian). Hrvatski Vojnik Magazine. Archived from the original on 2010-08-22. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
"Armbrust in the AFP". Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2012.

External links

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