Panzerfaust 3 German 60mm Anti-tank Grenade Launcher (ATGL)
The Panzerfaust [German: "armor fist" or "tank fist", plural is Panzerfaeuste] is a German disposable anti-tank recoilless gun. The iconic Panzerfaust 3 (Pzf 3) is still the highest-performing handheld anti-tank weapon available for infantry forces. It is a recoilless, shoulder launched anti-tank weapon carried and operated by only one soldier. The powerful tandem shaped charge warhead will penetrate modern main battle tanks, heavy armored vehicles and structures.
The Panzerfaust PzF 3 of Dynamit Nobel Defence (DND) is a recoilless, shoulder-mounted anti-tank weapon, which can be carried by a soldier and be fired from within closed rooms. The caliber of the tube is 60 mm the one of the grenade 110 mm. The weight is 12.9 kg. The combat distance of the Panzerfaust PzF 3 is up to 400 m according to the manufacturer. The total mass of the Panzerfaust which is relatively large in comparison with the payload and the two opposite acceleration sections lead to relatively long tubes. A safety distance to the weapon must be held. Due to a novel damming, the Panzerfaust PzF 3 can also be used in closed rooms.
The ammunition of the Panzerfaust consists of the projectile, the propellant charge, and a so-called inert counter-mass. The burnup of the propellant charge between the projectile and the counter-mass leads to a pressure which accelerates oppositely projectile and counter-mass. The Panzerfaust can be adapted to a variable recoil compensation (time, distance, force) by choosing adjustable parameters masses, speed, and distances of the counter-mass as well as the projectile way.
In order to compensate the recoil, a momentum corresponding to the muzzle momentum in the opposite direction must be generated at the time the shot is fired. For the PzF 3 (a Davis gun), the mass of the standard grenade is 3.8 kg; it is fired with a muzzle velocity of 165 m/s. The muzzle momentum is therefore 627 Ns, and the muzzle energy 51.7 kJ. The counter-mass consists of approx. 3 kg iron powder in a fabric bag. There is no recoil if the counter mass is ejected at about 210 m/s. Their energy thus amounts to about 65.5 kJ.
Easily recognizable from frequent appearances in films and video games, rocket propelled grenades are one of the most strategically significant innovations of the 20th century. An RPG is ostensibly an anti-tank weapon that's fired from the shoulder, but these weapons are commonly employed against infantry and helicopters. The RPG is inexpensive, easy to transport, and capable of inflicting damage that other small arms can't.
The earliest modern RPGs came about during World War II -- the American Bazooka and the German Panzerfaust. Produced in large numbers for use by the Germans, the Panzerfaust was one of the more effective anti-tank weapons used during World War II and was used to great effect against enemy tanks during the war, due to its use of a shaped charge. RPGs later saw widespread use during the Vietnam War, and continue to be used to great effect in conflicts in the Middle East in present day.
The most iconic RPG is likely the Soviet RPG-7, which is commonly featured in mainstream media, but there are variations on this technology from all over the world. In the 1950s, the United States developed the Light Anti-Tank Weapon, or LAW -- a disposable rocket launcher effective against vehicles. Today, the Marine Corps uses the Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon, essentially a modernized LAW.
The impact of the RPG on global conflicts is substantial. Because these weapons are so plentiful and easily moved, they can be supplied to a fighting force at very low cost. Cheap though RPGs might be, they are capable of making an impact disproportionate to their price tag.
The Panzerfaust 3 is a modern disposable recoilless anti-tank weapon, which was developed between 1978 and 1985 and put into service by the Bundeswehr in 1992. It was first ordered in 1973 to provide West German infantry with an effective weapon against contemporary Soviet armour, thereby replacing West Germany's aging PzF 44 Light Lanze launchers and the heavy Carl Gustaf 84 mm anti-tank recoilless rifle manufactured in Sweden. The Panzerfaust 3 is operated by at least 11 countries and has first seen combat in Afghanistan.
The Panzerfaust 3 series of launchers is a compact, lightweight, shoulder-fired, unguided antitank weapon series. It consists of a disposable canister with a 110-mm warhead and reusable firing and sighting device. The DM12 and DM12A1 projectile consists of a shaped-charge warhead and is filled with Octol 7030, while the tandem DM22 warheads are made of PBX octogene (ca. 95% ß-HMX) including the propulsion unit. The penetration performance of the Panzerfaust 3 is due to the shaped charge principle and the quick response of the percussion fuze; the effect on the target does not depend on the impact velocity. The Panzerfaust 3 is light enough to be carried and fired by one person. It can be fired from enclosures since it does not have a significant backblast; the rear of the tube, filled with plastic granulate, minimises the blast effect by the so-called recoilless countermass principle. The booster propellant for the projectile in its tube is ignited by a bolt via a spring mechanism. Once ejected from the launcher, the projectile coasts a safe distance and then the rocket motor is ignited, boosting it to its maximum speed, after which it coasts until impact.
The gunner carries at least two rounds, while the assistant grenadier carries an additional three rounds. As a safety precaution, the built-in fuse for the warhead is released by a safety mechanism. This arms the warhead after a flight distance of approximately five meters. Once armed, the warhead will detonate on impact, and as a safety when the rocket's propellant runs out. This safeguards against live ammunition staying around and causing hazards to all in the future.
The Panzerfaust 3 is distributed in a special package including spare parts and a cleaning kit. The package contains a launcher, ejector and spring, extractor, dummy extractor plug, bolt-head retaining pin, plastic cleaning rod with brass tip, bore and chamber brushes, camel's hair brush and a prismatic bore scope. It takes several minutes to assemble and load the launcher. The ergonomic design of the controls, such as handles, launcher, barrel shape and optical sight, is a predefined standard. All controls are easy to handle in all shooting positions (lying, kneeling or standing).
After the weapon is fired, the firing mechanism with the attached optical sight is removed and the barrel thrown away, the firing mechanism is reusable. The effective combat range of Panzerfaust 3 is from 15 to 300 metres against moving targets and from 400 to 600 metres against static ones. An optical sight with line pattern fixed to the reusable firing mechanism enables it to engage moving or static targets. To ensure night combat capability, a night-vision device or residual light amplifier can be set up in front of the optical sight.
The Bundeswehr's ammunition is only sufficient for a few days of a potential armed conflict. A recently published order for new rocket-propelled grenades shows that there is currently no change in the era of significantly more weapons to combat main battle tanks. According to this, the Federal Ministry of Defense is now ordering 2,500 shots for the "Panzerfaust 3 IT" weapon from the manufacturer Dynamit Nobel Defense (DND) from Burbach in Siegerland. According to the ministry, it is only "a replacement measure for the ammunition handed over to Ukraine". This is intended to bring the "ammunition stocks of the Bundeswehr back up to target". According to an overview from December 20, 2022, the Federal Republic had officially delivered 3,000 Panzerfaust 3 cartridges and 900 grips to the Ukrainian armed forces. That would even be 500 shots more than those being ordered to fill the gap.
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