| Guthroth | 17 Nov 2015 11:22 a.m. PST |
Here's a few questions for some ex-service people.
If you fire a WW2 bazooka what is the danger space behind it ? A cone obviously, but what length ? Connected question, how far back is someone who is facing the blast likely to be affected, and how much closer can you stand if you have your back to it ?
Is the danger space different for a modern weapon like a Carl-Gustav ?
Finally, same questions for an RPG-7 ?
TIA |
 Legion 4  | 17 Nov 2015 11:37 a.m. PST |
You mean "Back Blast Area" … IIRC, I know the M72 LAW had a BBA of 20-30 yards. And all the weapons you mentioned you generally couldn't fire inside a structure. Unless a warehouse or something like that. The noise would be still be very loud ! link |
| Guthroth | 17 Nov 2015 12:08 p.m. PST |
Wow ! That's much bigger than I thought. Effectively a 30 degree cone back 25m. If my gamers try that they are in for a real shock ! |
| wizbangs | 17 Nov 2015 12:19 p.m. PST |
We all got trained in the use of the weapon & were aware of the back blast. To be fair you should warn them ahead of time. :) |
| Guthroth | 17 Nov 2015 12:23 p.m. PST |
I'm planning a pulp-type game and they might get hold of one, so I just wanted to know what the consequences would be. Cheers |
| TNE2300 | 17 Nov 2015 12:47 p.m. PST |
"…you generally couldn't fire inside a structure" where not to fire a rocket launcher
link |
| MajorB | 17 Nov 2015 1:22 p.m. PST |
I think a WW2 bazooka would have a bigger back blast area than a more modern LAW. |
 Saber6  | 17 Nov 2015 1:32 p.m. PST |
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| Jemima Fawr | 17 Nov 2015 2:06 p.m. PST |
I don't know the details, but I do remember that the CG's back-blast area was massive and described to us Crabs in terms of 'a football pitch'. |
| Legion 4 | 17 Nov 2015 2:29 p.m. PST |
Well I remember training and instructing the M72, in the late '70s. One of the first things to do is the check back blast area … |
| Mako11 | 17 Nov 2015 2:47 p.m. PST |
I've seen one, which I think was for the Carl Gustav. 90 degree arc to the rear, and 20 – 30m lethal zone. About a 90 – 100m danger zone, where injury could result. Just saw one for the TOW, which I'd saved. Lethal zone 50m to the rear in a 90 degree arc, and a Zone 1 Danger Area of 50m, in a 180 degree arc to the rear sides of the launcher (outside of the 90 degree arc directly behind the tube), presumably due to the possibility the operator might need to swivel onto a target to fire. 75m Danger Zone 2, in the 90 degree rear arc. |
| Mark 1 | 17 Nov 2015 7:52 p.m. PST |
We are mixing weapons types in our discussion. Even the Military.com video linked above is mixed up on the weapons description. The video in the link is titled "Where not to fire a rocket launcher". But the weapon is an SPG-9, which is not a rocket launcher but rather a recoilless gun. So also the Carl Gustav and the RPG-7 are recoilless guns (although the RPG is a recoilless gun that fires a rocket). The M72 LAW and the bazooka were, on the other hand, rocket launchers. I'm not 100% sure if the TOW just launched it's rocket, or fired it with a recoilless charge for the rocket to ignite later. While the difference may seem trivial, if you are a military history buff you really should know and understand the differences. RCLs have much higher over-pressures at the breach, while rocket launchers, by nature of the moving motor, do not have nearly so great of a spike of pressure at the moment of launching. Still impressive, but not as great as an RCL. Because of this, the RCL is likely to do greater harm over a longer distance (or wider cone) in it's backblast area. It will also tend to be louder. And it will tend to be constructed more heavily. On the other hand the rocket launcher will not be as accurate (unless firing a guided projectile) and will have greater potential to do backblast damage in FRONT of the projector (while the rocket motors are supposed to burn out in the tube, bazooka-style weapons are notorious for spitting back some residual rocket exhaust into the faces of the operating crew). -Mark
(aka: Mk 1) |
