Military

SMAW LEAP (Low-signature Encased Assault Projectile)

Increasing urbanization throughout most theaters of operation continues to emphasize the need to have weapons that can be safely fired from enclosed spaces. Existing weapon systems, such as the Marine's Shoulder-launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW), have been designed to engage and defeat targets on open terrain. Systems like SMAW use conventional rocket motors to propel their warheads to the target. These systems are typically noisy and they create a large backblast behind the weapon when fired. This method of operation is acceptable for systems employed on open terrain, but is not acceptable for systems that must be fired from enclosed or confined spaces such as those found when fighting on urban terrain.

To enhance the capability of SMAW, Talley Defense Systems, in cooperation with the U.S. Marine Corps, has developed a confined space propulsion system for SMAW. The new propulsion system, designated SMAW LEAP (Low-signature Encased Assault Projectile), has reduced the current SMAW backblast and overpressure, thus permitting SMAW to be safely fired from an enclosed space without hazard to the gunner. All of this without loss of range, velocity, or lethality.

Leveraging the proven confined space technology developed for the Marine Corps' reusable SMAW, Talley Defense Systems, in cooperation with the U.S. Army, is now adapting this novel propulsion concept to the Army's disposable version of SMAW, the SMAW-D bunker defeat munition, thereby significantly increasing its military utility.