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M40 recoilless rifle

M40 recoilless rifle
Greek infantry with an M40
Weapon information
NameM40 Recoilless Rifle
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In serviceMid 1950s � present
Used bySee Users
WarsVietnam War
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Rhodesian Bush War
Falklands War 
2011 Libyan Civil War
Production history
ManufacturerWatervliet Arsenal
Specifications
Weight209.5 kg (461.9 lb)
Length3.404 m (7.5 ftin)
Height1.12 m (2.5 ftin)
Cartridge106×607mmR (HEAT, HEP, HEAP, Canister)
Caliber105 mm (4.1 in)
RecoilRecoilless
CarriageTripod
Elevation-17º to +65º (between mount legs)
-17º to +27º (over mount leg)
Traverse360º
Rate of fire1 rpm
Muzzle velocity503 m/s (1650.3 ft/s) (M344 HEAT)
Effective range1350 m (1476.4 yd)
Maximum range6,870 m (M346A1 HEP-T)

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The M40 recoilless rifle was a lightweight, portable, crew-served 105 mm weapon intended primarily as an anti-tank weapon made in the United States. The weapon is commonly described as being 106 mm, but it is in fact 105 mm; the 106 mm designation was designed to prevent confusion with the incompatible 105 mm ammunition from the failed M27.

It could also be employed in an antipersonnel role with the use of the antipersonnel-tracer flechette round. It can be fired primarily from a wheeled ground mount. The air-cooled, breech-loaded, single-shot rifle fired fixed ammunition. It was designed for direct firing only, and sighting equipment for this purpose was furnished with each weapon.

The M27 recoilless rifle was a 105-mm weapon developed in the early 1950s and fielded in the Korean War. Although a recoilless rifle of this caliber had been a concept since the Second World War, the weapon was hurriedly produced with the onset of the Korean War. The speed with which it was developed and fielded resulted in problems with reliability caused by trunnions that were mounted too far to the rear. The M27 was also considered too heavy by the U.S. Army and had a disappointing effective range due to the lack of a spotting rifle. Taking the M27 as a the basis for a new design, the Army developed an improved version of the M27 that was type-designated the M40 106-mm recoilless rifle. Although unsuitable for military purposes, M27 recoilless rifles were used to trigger controlled avalanches at ski resorts and mountain passes in the United States.

The M40 primarily saw action during the Vietnam War and was later replaced by the BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile system. The weapon was also used by anti-communist forces in Angola mounted on Land Rovers. The type has seen extensive service in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. The rebel forces, lacking modern artillery, have employed the M40 as both a direct fire and indirect fire weapon.


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