What kind of weapon is the British Army's PIAT
"that Polish Underground resistance fighters used against German forces. And in occupied France, the French resistance used the PIAT in the absence of mortars or artillery. Six Victoria Crosses were awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces for actions using the PIAT: After being used in WWII by British and Commonwealth troops, the PIAT remained in service until the early 1950s, when it was replaced initially by the ENERGA anti-tank rifle grenade and then the American M20 ""Super Bazooka"". The Australian Army briefly used PIATs at the start of the Korean War alongside bazookas, but quickly replaced"
"from 50 – 150 m with relative ease of use and training (unlike the UK PIAT). The first British HEAT weapon to be developed and issued was a rifle grenade using a 2 1/2 inch cup launcher on the end of the barrel; the British No. 68 AT grenade issued to the British army in 1940. By 1943, the PIAT was developed; a combination of a HEAT warhead and a spigot mortar delivery system. While cumbersome, the weapon at last allowed British infantry to engage armour at range; the earlier magnetic hand-mines and grenades required them to approach suicidally close."
"of the ""projector, infantry, anti-tank"" or PIAT. By 1942, the PIAT had been developed by Major Millis Jefferis. It was a combination of a HEAT warhead with a spigot mortar delivery system. While cumbersome, the weapon allowed British infantry to engage armor at range for the first time. The earlier magnetic hand-mines and grenades required them to approach dangerously near. During World War II the British referred to the Monroe effect as the ""cavity effect on explosives"". During the war, the French communicated Henry Mohaupt's technology to the U.S. Ordnance Department, and he was invited to the US, where he"
"service with British and Commonwealth units in mid-1943, and was first used in action by Canadian troops during the Allied invasion of Sicily. The 1944 war establishment for a British platoon, which contained 36 men, had a single PIAT attached to the platoon headquarters, alongside a mortar detachment. Three PIATs were issued to every company at the headquarters level for issuing at the CO discretion – allowing one weapon for each platoon. British Army and Royal Marines commandos were also issued with PIATs and used them in action. The Australian Army allocated a PIAT (which was also known as Projector"
"of all German tanks destroyed by British forces were knocked out by PIATs, compared to 6% by rockets fired by aircraft. However, they also found that once German tanks had been fitted with armoured skirts that detonated shaped charge ammunition before it could penetrate the tank's armour, the weapon became much less effective. As part of the Lend Lease agreement, between October 1941 and March 1946 the Soviet Union was supplied with 1,000 PIATs and 100,000 rounds of ammunition. The PIAT was also utilized by resistance groups in Occupied Europe. During the Warsaw Uprising, it was one of many weapons"
"the PIAT became the British military's primary handheld anti-tank weapon. Despite its lack of effectiveness as an anti-tank weapon, the .55 Boys was used throughout World War II in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters and also saw use during the Winter War and Continuation War by Finland. By the conclusion of World War II, the .55 Boys was no longer used in any major capacity. The .55 Boys round went through two major variants in its lifetime, along with an experimental variant that was never adopted by the United Kingdom. This is the first variant of the .55 Boys."
"produce; there was no back-blast (unlike the contemporary American bazooka) so that the PIAT could be used in confined spaces as in urban warfare; there was little muzzle blast that could give the user's position away; and the size of the barrel meant it could accommodate relatively large calibre munitions. However, the weapon did have drawbacks. It was very heavy and bulky, which meant that it was quite unpopular with the British and Commonwealth troops who were issued with it. There were also problems with ammunition reliability and accuracy. Although the PIAT was theoretically able to penetrate approximately of armour,"
"Board. The PIAT was long and weighed , with an effective direct fire range of approximately and a maximum indirect fire range of . It could be carried and operated by one man, but was usually assigned to a two-man team, the second man acting as an ammunition carrier and loader. The PIAT launcher was a tube constructed out of thin sheets of steel, and contained the trigger mechanism and firing spring. At the front of the launcher was a small trough in which the bomb was placed, and the spigot ran down the middle of the launcher and into"
"slit trench with surprise and concealment on the side of the PIAT team, and where possible enemy armoured vehicles should be engaged from the flank or rear. The PIAT was often also used in combat to knock out enemy positions located in houses and bunkers. It was possible to use the PIAT as a crude mortar by placing the shoulder pad of the weapon on the ground and supporting it. Despite the difficulties in cocking and firing the weapon, it did have several advantages. Its barrel did not have to be replaced or require high-grade materials that were expensive to"
"120 mm BAT recoilless rifle The L2 BAT (Battalion, Anti-Tank) was a 120 mm calibre recoilless anti-tank rifle used by the British Army. It was also produced in the MOBAT version without a gun shield, and the ConBAT version with a new spotting rifle attachment. The L6 Wombat version was greatly lightened through the use of magnesium alloys. The Wombat was used by mobile units such as paratroopers and marines. BAT was developed from the wartime Ordnance, RCL, 3.45 in, replacing it and the Ordnance QF 17-pounder to become the standard anti-tank weapon of the Army in the post-World War"
"SUIT (sight) The SUIT sight is a 4× telescopic sight with tritium-powered illumination, utilised at dusk or dawn. The full name is the L2A2 Sight Unit Infantry Trilux. The sight is not designed as a sniper sight, but was issued to designated marksmen. The sight was mounted on the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle or GPMG. The sight is an optional optical sighting system for the British Army's L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle and was also used by the Australians and New Zealanders. The sight has a lever to change between a short range mode (300 meters) and a long range mode (500 meters)."
"No. 68 AT Grenade The Grenade, Rifle No. 68 /AT was a British anti-tank rifle grenade used during World War II. The No. 68 was an early form of shaped charge grenade, and has some claim to have been the first High Explosive, Anti Tank (HEAT) device in use. The design of the warhead was simple and was capable of penetrating 52mm (2 inches) of armour in 1940. The fuze of the grenade was armed by removing a pin in the tail which prevented the firing pin from flying forward. The grenade was launched from a rifle cup. The simple"
"for immediate use. It is capable of firing nuclear ammunition. The gun has a range of 37,500 m, but this can be extended to 55,500 m by using RAPs (Rocket Assisted Projectiles). The Pion has been the most powerful conventional artillery piece since entering service in 1983. One interesting feature of the Pion is the firing alarm. Because the blast of the weapon firing is so powerful—it can physically incapacitate an unprepared soldier or crew member near it from concussive force—the Pion is equipped with an audible firing alarm that emits a series of short warning tones for approximately five"
"APILAS The RAC 112 APILAS, commonly designated APILAS (Armor-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System), is a portable one-shot 112 mm recoilless anti-tank weapon, designed in France by GIAT Industries. Over 120,000 of the APILAS launchers have been produced, and they are in service with many countries. The APILAS is supplied in an aramid fibre launcher tube with a retractable sight. The effective range of APILAS is from 25 m (it takes 25 m for the rocket to arm itself) up to 300-500 m depending on the target. The shaped charge warhead is electrically fused and will detonate at impact angles up"
"AN/PEQ-2 The AN/PEQ-2 Advanced Target Pointer/Illuminator/Aiming Light (ATPIAL) is a laser sight for use on rifles fitted with a Picatinny rail. It was manufactured by Insight Technology. The AN/PEQ-2 succeeded the AN/PAQ-4C, which was designed in the early 1990s after the Persian Gulf War. The device, which is mil-spec, is still seeing active service but is being withdrawn and replaced amongst U.S. Armed Forces. It was also part of the U.S. SOPMOD kit, though the device is being replaced by the new smaller AN/PEQ-15 (ATPIAL) model. The AN/PEQ-2 has two infrared laser emitters—one narrow beam used for aiming the rifle,"
"the trough. Padding for the user's shoulder was fitted to the other end of the launcher, and rudimentary aperture sights were fitted on top for aiming; the bombs launched by the PIAT possessed hollow tubular tails, into which a small propellant cartridge was inserted, and shaped charge warheads. To initiate firing the weapon the trigger mechanism, which was essentially just a large spring, had to be cocked, and to do this was a difficult and awkward process. The user had to first place the PIAT on its butt, then place two feet on the shoulder padding and turn the weapon"
"the Commonwealth of Nations by firms such as Kynoch. However, when the United Kingdom entered World War II, the .55 Boys round was soon found to be insufficient against even early war Axis tanks in late 1939 and 1940. However, the United Kingdom had to rely on the .55 Boys round for several years because no better infantry anti-tank weapons were available. When the PIAT anti-tank weapon was introduced in 1943, the shaped charges it fired proved to be far more effective against enemy armor than the .55 Boys round had The Boys rifle was phased out of service as"
"Gat air pistol The Gat Air Pistol was an air pistol of British origin. The pistol can fire .177 pellets, ball bearings, darts and also corks. The Gat pistol has also become popular in funfairs and arcade stalls. Another example is the Gat Air Rifle, produced from 1988. The Gat was produced from the late 1930s to the mid 1990s by T J Harrington & Co Ltd. of Magda Works, Walton on Thames, Surrey. There was a break in production during World War II, resuming shortly afterwards. Production finally ended with the death of Mr Harrington, increasing overseas competition and"
"and the RAF Regiment are equipped with a SUSAT (Sight Unit Small Arms, Trilux) optical sight, with a fixed 4× magnification and an illuminated aiming pointer powered by a variable tritium light source (as of 2006 almost all British Army personnel deployed on operations have been issued SUSATs). Mounted on the SUSAT's one-piece, pressure die-cast aluminium body are a set of back-up iron sights that consist of a front blade and small rear aperture. Rifles used with other branches of the armed forces when not on operations are configured with fixed iron sights, consisting of a flip rear aperture housed"
"role of Chief Engineer, & Superintendent of Armament Design (CEAD) for the Ministry of Supply at Fort Halstead, where he had a leading role in the design of PIAT, for armour piercing, which was the British equivalent to the American Bazooka in use into the 1950s. His military science experience when reading intelligence reports led him in 1943 to predict the development and deployment of long range rockets by Germany. Fortunately, he had Winston Churchill's ear, and V-2 launch sites were targeted by Allied forces. In 1959 Ewart Smith retired as Deputy Chairman of ICI. During his time as CEAD,"
"October 1942. Stewart Blacker Lieutenant-Colonel Latham Valentine Stewart Blacker OBE (1 October 1887 – 19 April 1964) was a British Army officer and inventor of weapons; he invented the Blacker Bombard, from which was developed the Hedgehog anti-submarine spigot-mortar - and laid the basis of the PIAT anti tank weapon. A descendent of Valentine Blacker (1778–1823), he was born in Cheshire to Major Latham Blacker of the Indian Army. He was educated at Cheltenham College and Bedford School, before going to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. After passing out from the college in 1907, he was commissioned into the"
"up to 120 km. The warhead weighs 150 kg with proximity fuse and delayed impact. The ARMAT was operational since 1984. It was used as main, if not exclusive anti-radar weapon by French aviation, employed by SEPECAT Jaguars against Libyans during Operation Epervier. It was also used by Iraqi aviation against Iranian defences. ARMAT is used on Mirage F.1, Mirage 2000 and some other French aircraft, but not with the new Dassault Rafale. An improved product, the MARS, was proposed in 1988. In early 1990s it seems that the basic ARMAT was upgraded with better electronic systems. ARMAT The ARMAT"
"ARMAT The ARMAT missile is a development of the Anglo-French Martel anti-radar missile. The Martel was further developed by British Aerospace to give the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile, while Britain adopted ALARM for their new ARM missile. France instead adopted the Exocet as their anti-ship missile in the 1970s, and used the ARMAT as new anti-radar weapon. This missile is unusually slow and huge when compared to western anti-radar missiles, reflecting the original anti-ship task of the ancestor, the AS.37/AJ.168 Martel. ARMAT is not well known in details. It is a two-stage solid propelled missile, highly subsonic, with a range"
"weapons increased during the Second World War. Most were based on the Munroe effect which led to the development of the high-explosive shaped charge. These weapons were called high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT). The destructive effect was reliant entirely on the kinetic energy of the explosion rather than the ballistic speed of the round on the damage inflicted to the armor. The effect was also concentrated and could penetrate more armor for a given amount of explosives. The first HEAT rounds were rifle grenades, but better delivery systems were soon introduced: the British PIAT was propelled in a manner similar to the"
"rimfire ammunition. In addition to the L98A2 the cadet forces also use the British Army L86A2 Light Support Weapon (LSW) this weapon system has a longer barrel and bipod enabling a greater muzzle velocity of 950 metres per second and is capable of both semi-automatic and full automatic fire. Generally this weapon System is fitted with the British Army Sighting Unit Small Arms Trilux (SUSAT) which provides 4x magnification, again this weapon in chambered in the NATO 5.56x45mm cartridge. In addition to General Purpose weapons like the L98A2 and the L86A2 the cadet forces also use a number of weapons"
"combinations, or other features. AN/PEQ-2 The AN/PEQ-2 Advanced Target Pointer/Illuminator/Aiming Light (ATPIAL) is a laser sight for use on rifles fitted with a Picatinny rail. It was manufactured by Insight Technology. The AN/PEQ-2 succeeded the AN/PAQ-4C, which was designed in the early 1990s after the Persian Gulf War. The device, which is mil-spec, is still seeing active service but is being withdrawn and replaced amongst U.S. Armed Forces. It was also part of the U.S. SOPMOD kit, though the device is being replaced by the new smaller AN/PEQ-15 (ATPIAL) model. The AN/PEQ-2 has two infrared laser emitters—one narrow beam used"
"1985 and 2006. APILAS The RAC 112 APILAS, commonly designated APILAS (Armor-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System), is a portable one-shot 112 mm recoilless anti-tank weapon, designed in France by GIAT Industries. Over 120,000 of the APILAS launchers have been produced, and they are in service with many countries. The APILAS is supplied in an aramid fibre launcher tube with a retractable sight. The effective range of APILAS is from 25 m (it takes 25 m for the rocket to arm itself) up to 300-500 m depending on the target. The shaped charge warhead is electrically fused and will detonate at"
"Stewart Blacker Lieutenant-Colonel Latham Valentine Stewart Blacker OBE (1 October 1887 – 19 April 1964) was a British Army officer and inventor of weapons; he invented the Blacker Bombard, from which was developed the Hedgehog anti-submarine spigot-mortar - and laid the basis of the PIAT anti tank weapon. A descendent of Valentine Blacker (1778–1823), he was born in Cheshire to Major Latham Blacker of the Indian Army. He was educated at Cheltenham College and Bedford School, before going to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. After passing out from the college in 1907, he was commissioned into the Indian Army"
"Collaborative Research into Small Arms Technology Collaborative Research Into Small Arms Technology (CRISAT) is the name of a series of studies conducted by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), identifying and defining threats with regard to the standardisation in the manufacturing of military equipment. The CRISAT target is defined as a 1.6 mm titanium (UK IMI Ti 318) plate supplemented by 20 layers of Kevlar (UK/SC/4468) as defined in STANAG 4512. This target is intended to replicate the personal protection used by former Warsaw Pact countries, and it is still used as a reference. The CRISAT target will stop the"
"Colt Automatic Rifles. Colt Automatic Rifle The Colt Automatic Rifle or Colt Light Machine Gun is a 5.56 mm NATO, open-bolt, full-automatic-only firearm developed by Colt Defense. It is based on the M16A2/A4, and has a distinctive squared-off handguard, vertical grip, carrying handle and integrated bipod. It is one of many squad automatic weapon-type firearms that have been developed from the Armalite AR-15. The family name was derived from the original AR-15 by adding ""Colt"", resulting in the CAR-15, to stand for Colt Automatic Rifle. The CAR-15 weapons system consisted of the AR-15 and five variations, including the Colt Machine"
"Brilliant Anti-Tank The Northrop Grumman Brilliant Anti-Tank (BAT) is a United States submunition round dispensed from a missile. It is capable of independently identifying and attacking armored vehicles. The BAT uses acoustic sensors to identify its intended targets, and an infrared homing (IR) terminal seeker to image and aim at the attack target. It was intended to carry 13 BATs on the MGM-164 ATACMS Block II missile fired from the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System and related systems. Block I ATACMS missiles have a range of 128 km or more, but Block II was cancelled in 2003. The BAT submunition"
"Kel-Tec P-3AT The P-3AT is a , double action only, .380 ACP pistol introduced by Kel-Tec in 2003 and based on the P-32. The frame is made of polymer with an aluminum insert, and the slide and barrel are steel. It is the lightest production .380 ACP pistol in the world, weighing only empty, and is roughly the same size as many .22 and .25-caliber pistols. The P-3AT cartridge capacity is 6+1, and trigger pull is . These attributes have made it popular for citizens with concealed carry permits and with police officers as a back-up or off-duty pistol. The"
"During the Cold War era, NATO and British Royal Marine forces used the Swedish made Snow Trac as a carrier for the L6 Wombat in the snow-covered mountains of Norway. 120 mm BAT recoilless rifle The L2 BAT (Battalion, Anti-Tank) was a 120 mm calibre recoilless anti-tank rifle used by the British Army. It was also produced in the MOBAT version without a gun shield, and the ConBAT version with a new spotting rifle attachment. The L6 Wombat version was greatly lightened through the use of magnesium alloys. The Wombat was used by mobile units such as paratroopers and marines."