Norwegian engineers managed to upgrade the American M72 grenade launcher. The news portal defensenews.com shared information that Nammo had already provided the first samples of the M72 FFE to military structures.
A bit of history
The M72 anti-tank grenade launcher has been used by the US military since 1962. Earlier in service with the United States were M20A1 grenade launchers.
Successful design solutions have made the M72 grenade launcher quite popular. In Norway and Turkey, they have established industrial production of these weapons, having received all the necessary technologies and documentation. In the USSR, it was possible to create a copy of the M72 grenade launcher called the RPG-18, although the Norwegian version was much more successful and easier to manufacture.
Two years ago, the US military signed a contract with Nammo for the production of an upgraded version of the M72, which was called the M72 FFE. The new model does not have a jet stream during the launch of the projectile. Speaking to the press, Nammo Vice President Chad Parhil said that the United States Marine Corps carried out the first successful weapon tests.
Instead of the usual jet of the new grenade comes out a cloud of a special liquid that does not have a negative impact on the environment. Such weapons can be used even in enclosed spaces, and even furniture will not suffer from a shot. The M72 FFE grenade launcher makes a sound no louder than a 9-mm pistol when launching a projectile.
The military decided to order the modernization of weapons after the loss of several soldiers during the hostilities in the Middle East. For firing from the usual M72 soldiers had to go out into the open, which made them quite vulnerable. The tests should end by the end of the year, and then the issue of serial production will be resolved.
