490:
514:
534:, the device is externally almost identical in design to a single-shot rocket launcher: the key difference is that the launch tube is a gun that launches the projectile using a pre-loaded powder charge, not a hollow tube. Weapons of this type can either encase their projectile inside the disposable gun tube, or mount it on the muzzle: the latter allows the launching of an above-caliber projectile. Like single shot rocket launchers, the need to only survive a single firing means that single-shot recoilless weapons can be made from relatively flimsy and therefore very light materials, such as
510:
complex recoil damping mechanism is not necessary. Despite the name, it is rare for the forces to completely balance, and real-world recoilless rifles do recoil noticeably (with varying degrees of severity). Recoilless rifles will not function correctly if the venting system is damaged, blocked, or poorly maintained: in this state, the recoil-damping effect can be reduced or lost altogether, leading to dangerously powerful recoil. Conversely, if a projectile becomes lodged in the barrel for any reason, the entire weapon will be forced forward.
20:
32:
373:
317:
158:
562:"cartridge," for example, contains the propellant charge inside a double-ended piston assembly, with the projectile in front, and an equal countermass of shredded plastic to the rear. On firing, the propellant expands rapidly, pushing the pistons outward. This pushes the projectile forwards towards the target and the countermass backwards providing the recoilless effect. The shredded plastic countermass is quickly slowed by
576:
131:: heavier recoilless rifles are mounted on light tripods, wheeled light carriages, or small vehicles, and intended to be carried by crew of two to five. The largest versions retain enough bulk and recoil to be restricted to a towed mount or relatively heavy vehicle, but are still much lighter and more portable than cannon of the same scale. Such large systems have been replaced by guided
502:
double-ended gun with a conventional sealed breech, which fires identical projectiles forwards and backwards. Such a system places enormous stress on its midpoint, is extremely cumbersome to reload, and has the highly undesirable effect of launching a projectile potentially just as deadly as the one launched at the enemy at a point behind the shooter where their allies may well be.
144:
846:
226:, the development of recoilless weapons ("Dinamo-Reaktivnaya Pushka" (DRP), roughly "dynamic reaction cannon") began in 1923. In the 1930s, many different types of weapons were built and tested with configurations ranging from 37 to 305 mm (1.5 to 12.0 in). Some of the smaller examples were tested in aircraft (
566:
and is harmless at a distance more than a few feet from the rear of the barrel. The two ends of the piston assembly are captured at the ends of the barrel, by which point the propellant gas has expanded and cooled enough that there is no threat of explosion. Other countermass materials that have been
614:
at a safe distance, from the early 1950s until the US Military's inventory of surplus ammunition for these weapons was exhausted in the 1990s. They were then replaced with M40 106 mm recoilless rifles, but following a catastrophic in-bore ammunition explosion that killed one of the five-man gun
525:
to engage the rifled gun tube and spin-stabilize the projectile. The casing of a recoilless rifle round is often perforated to vent the propellant gases, which are then directed to the rear by an expansion chamber surrounding the weapon's breech. In the case of single-shot recoilless weapons such as
427:
began to supplant recoilless rifles in the anti-tank role. While recoilless rifles retain several advantages such as being able to be employed at extremely close range, as a guided missile typically has a significant deadzone before it can arm and begin to seek its target, missile systems tend to be
285:
also showed great interest in aircraft-mounted recoilless weapons to allow their planes to attack tanks, fortified structures and ships. These included the unusual Düsenkanone 88, an 88 mm recoilless rifle fed by a 10-round rotary cylinder and with the exhaust vent angled upwards at 51 degrees
297:
The US did have a development program, and it is not clear to what extent the German designs were copied. These weapons remained fairly rare during the war, although the
American M20 became increasingly common in 1945. Postwar saw a great deal of interest in recoilless systems, as they potentially
407:
could be fired off a man's shoulder or from a light tripod, and fired an 11 lb (5 kg) wallbuster shell to 1,000 yards. The larger
Ordnance RCL. 3.7in fired a 22.2 lb (10 kg) wallbuster to 2,000 yd (1.8 km). Postwar work developed and deployed the BAT (Battalion, Anti
509:
which is nearly equal to the rearward momentum (recoil) imparted to the system by accelerating the projectile. The balance thus created does not leave much momentum to be imparted to the weapon's mounting or the gunner in the form of felt recoil. Since recoil has been mostly negated, a heavy and
463:
Front-line recoilless weapons in the armies of modern industrialized nations are mostly man-portable devices such as the Carl Gustav, an 84 mm weapon. First introduced in 1948 and exported extensively since 1964, it is still in widespread use throughout the world today: a huge selection of
501:
There are a number of principles under which a recoilless gun can operate, all involving the ejection of some kind of counter-mass from the rear of the gun tube to offset the force of the projectile being fired forward. The most basic method, and the first to be employed, is simply making a
75:
as well as a thinner-walled barrel, and thus the launch of a relatively large projectile from a platform that would not be capable of handling the weight or recoil of a conventional gun of the same size. Technically, only devices that use spin-stabilized projectiles fired from a
464:
special-purpose rounds are available for the system, and the current variant, known as the M4 or M3E1, is designed to be compatible with computerized optics and future "smart" ammunition. Many nations also use a weapon derived from the Carl Gustav, the one-shot
416:
on the MOBAT and an
American M8C spotting rifle on the WOMBAT: the latter fired a .50 BAT (12.7x77mm) point-detonating incendiary tracer round whose trajectory matched that of the main weapon. When tracer rounds hits were observed, the main gun was fired.
309:(20 mm m/42); the British expressed their interest in it, but by that point the weapon, patterned after obsolete anti-tank rifles, was too weak to be effective against period tank armor. This system would form the basis of the much more successful
615:
crew at Alpine
Meadows Ski Resort, California, in 1995 and two further in-bore explosions at Mammoth Mountain, California, within thirteen days of each other in December 2002, all such guns were removed from use and replaced with surplus 105 mm
480:
is also technically a recoilless gun, since its rocket-powered projectile is launched using an explosive booster charge (even more so when firing the OG-7V anti-personnel round, which has no rocket motor), though it is usually not classified as one.
428:
lighter and more accurate, and are better suited to deployment of hollow-charge warheads. The large crew-served recoilless rifle started to disappear from first-rate armed forces, except in areas such as the Arctic, where
106:
Because some projectile velocity is inevitably lost to the recoil compensation, recoilless rifles tend to have inferior range to traditional cannon, although with a far greater ease of transport, making them popular with
553:
Since venting propellant gases to the rear can be dangerous in confined spaces, some recoilless guns use a combination of a countershot and captive piston propelling cartridge design to avoid both recoil and
204:, connected two guns back-to-back, with the backwards-facing gun loaded with lead balls and grease of the same weight as the shell in the other gun. His idea was used experimentally by the British as an anti-
456:, is still very common in conflict zones throughout the world, where it is used as a hard-hitting strike weapon in support of infantry, with the M40-armed technical fulfilling a similar combat role to an
181:
in the 15th or early 16th century. This design was of a gun which fired projectiles in opposite directions, but there is no evidence any physical firearm based on the design was constructed at the time.
489:
354:, a muzzle-loaded recoilless launch system for tactical nuclear warheads intended to counteract Soviet tank units, was developed in the 1960s and deployed to American units in Germany.
505:
The most common system involves venting some portion of the weapon's propellant gas to the rear of the tube, in the same fashion as a rocket launcher. This creates a forward directed
63:
system or man-portable launcher that is designed to eject some form of countermass such as propellant gas from the rear of the weapon at the moment of firing, creating forward
448:, which mounted six M40 rifles on a light (9 short tons (8.2 t; 8.0 long tons)) tracked chassis. They were largely used in an anti-personnel role firing "beehive"
658:
513:
538:. Recoilless gun launch systems are often used to provide the initial thrust for man-portable weapons firing rocket-powered projectiles: examples include the
403:
defences, but was not required in the D-Day landings of 1944. He went on to produce further designs, with two in particular created as anti-tank weapons. The
287:
84:
variants (which can be fin-stabilized or unstabilized) are recoilless guns. This distinction is often lost, and both are often called recoilless rifles.
338:, later followed by the 105 mm M27: the latter proved unreliable, too heavy, and too hard to aim. Newer models replacing these were the 90 mm
726:
Description des machines et procédés pour lesquels des brevets d'invention ont été pris sous le régime de la loi du 5 Juillet 1844: N.S. 33. 1879, 2
818:
444:
in Alaska used the M67 in its special weapons platoons, as did the Ranger
Battalions and the US Army's Berlin Brigade. The last major use was the
369:. All are found quite commonly around the world in the inventories of former Soviet client states, where they are usually used as anti-tank guns.
234:) and saw some limited production and service, but development was abandoned around 1938. The best-known of these early recoilless rifles was the
741:
633:
791:
441:
330:, recoilless rifles were found throughout the US forces. The earliest American infantry recoilless rifles were the shoulder-fired 57 mm
751:
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to the barrel so it could pass through the host aircraft's fuselage rather than risking a rear-vented backblast damaging the tail, and the
412:. This was too large to be transported by infantry and was usually towed by jeep. The weapon was aimed via a spotting rifle, a modified
494:
306:
257:
artillery and anti-tank support that could be parachuted into battle. The 7.5 cm LG 40 was found to be so useful during the
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The Soviet Union adopted a series of crew-served smoothbore recoilless guns in the 1950s and 1960s, specifically the 73 mm
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71:. This allows for the elimination of much of the heavy and bulky recoil-counteracting equipment of a conventional
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192:
The first recoilless gun known to have actually been constructed was developed by
Commander Cleland Davis of the
91:(since these also operate on a recoilless launch principle), the key difference is that recoilless weapons fire
99:. While there are rocket-assisted rounds for recoilless weapons, they are still ejected from the barrel by the
521:
Recoilless rifle rounds for breech-loading reloadable systems resemble conventional cased ammunition, using a
468:, which was originally developed in 1984 to fulfil an urgent requirement for an effective replacement for the
452:. In 1970, the Ontos was removed from service and most were broken up. The M40, usually mounted on a jeep or
404:
350:, but designated otherwise to prevent accidental issue of incompatible M27 ammunition). In addition, the
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round, also developed recoilless designs. Burney demonstrated the technique with a recoilless 4-gauge
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The earliest known example of a design for a gun based on recoilless principles was created by
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290:, a gargantuan 14-inch (355.6 mm) weapon designed to be mounted under the fuselage of a
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305:
During World War II, the
Swedish military developed a shoulder-fired 20 mm device, the
112:
31:
246:. Two were captured by the Finns and tested; one example was given to the Germans in 1940.
299:
258:
254:
253:("light gun" '40), a simple 75 mm smoothbore recoilless gun developed to give German
227:
88:
808:"United States Military Artillery for Avalanche Control Program:A Brief History in Time"
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59:, sometimes abbreviated to "RR" or "RCL" (for ReCoilLess) is a type of lightweight
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150:, mounted with 105 mm RCL gun which destroyed most of the tanks during the
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399:. His "Burney Gun" was developed to fire the Wallbuster shell against the
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559:
506:
413:
205:
119:
units, where portability is of particular concern, as well as with some
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Tank) series of recoilless rifles, culminating in the 120 mm
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35:
Diagram of the operation of a recoilless rifle using a vented case
30:
18:
432:
used to provide after-launch power to wire-guided missiles like
531:
517:
M40 Recoilless Rifle ammunition, showing the perforated casing
465:
294:. None of these systems proceeded beyond the prototype stage.
269:
set to work creating more powerful versions, respectively the
242:. A small number of these mounted on trucks saw combat in the
249:
The first recoilless gun to enter service in
Germany was the
602:
and 105 mm M27 recoilless rifles were used by the U.S.
668:. Vol. 55. December 2015. pp. 1–4. Archived from
440:
would fail due to extremely low temperatures. The former
123:
and infantry fire support units. The greatly diminished
127:
allows for devices that can be carried by individual
583:team using a 105 mm M27 Recoilless Rifle for
298:offered an effective replacement for the obsolete
219:and intended to be installed on other aircraft.
815:USDA Forest Service National Avalanche Center
87:Though similar in appearance to a tube-based
8:
277:. These weapons were loosely copied by the
743:Improvised Home-Built Recoilless Launchers
476:program the previous year. The ubiquitous
567:used include inert powders and liquids.
315:
650:
420:During the late 1960s and early 1970s,
384:The British, whose efforts were led by
497:, showing the propellant gas backblast
185:In 1879, a French patent was filed by
67:that counteracts most of the weapon's
771:. Motorbuch Verlag. pp. 259–261.
103:of a conventional propelling charge.
7:
746:. www.paladin-press.com. p. 3.
80:barrel are recoilless rifles, while
707:Olcer, Nuri Y.; Lévin, Sam (1976).
784:Sgt. Reckless: America's War Horse
767:Dieter Hedwig; Heinz Rode (2002).
495:Carl Gustaf 8.4cm recoilless rifle
334:and the tripod-mounted 75 mm
14:
844:
695:Las Armas Modernas de Infantería
666:Small Arms Survey Research Notes
346:(which was actually 105 mm
824:from the original on 2017-08-09
786:. Regnery History. p. 19.
710:Recoilless rifle weapon systems
636:(Man Portable Anti-Tank System)
288:Sondergerät SG104 "Münchhausen"
27:on its M79 "wheelbarrow" tripod
1:
376:Polish soldiers operating an
169:flying boat, with a parallel
311:Carl Gustav recoilless rifle
610:as a system for triggering
442:6th Light Infantry Division
16:Type of light artillery gun
890:
165:mounted in the nose of an
769:Luftwaffe Secret Projects
629:List of recoilless rifles
472:after the failure of the
386:Charles Dennistoun Burney
275:10.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 42
271:10.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40
236:Model 1935 76 mm DRP
693:Julio, S. (April 1953),
251:7.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40
200:. His design, named the
640:Newton's laws of motion
152:1971 Indo-Pakistani war
782:Hutton, Robin (2014).
595:
518:
498:
405:Ordnance, RCL, 3.45 in
381:
323:
189:for a recoilless gun.
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28:
612:controlled avalanches
604:National Park Service
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307:Pansarvärnsgevär m/42
160:
146:
95:using a conventional
34:
22:
853:at Wikimedia Commons
740:DeMarco, F. (2017).
659:"Recoilless Weapons"
598:Obsolete 75 mm
593:Inyo National Forest
425:wire-guided missiles
321:M67 recoilless rifle
212:weapon mounted on a
163:Davis recoilless gun
97:smokeless propellant
25:M40 recoilless rifle
326:By the time of the
302:in infantry units.
173:. Photo circa 1918.
49:recoilless launcher
729:(in French). 1885.
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519:
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388:, inventor of the
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214:Handley Page O/100
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133:anti-tank missiles
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29:
872:Anti-tank weapons
867:Recoilless rifles
851:Recoilless rifles
849:Media related to
793:978-1-62157-263-3
585:avalanche control
458:attack helicopter
430:thermal batteries
259:invasion of Crete
240:Leonid Kurchevsky
179:Leonardo da Vinci
171:Lewis machine gun
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300:anti-tank rifle
255:airborne troops
228:Grigorovich I-Z
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89:rocket launcher
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677:. Retrieved
670:the original
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571:Civilian use
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523:driving band
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504:
500:
493:Firing of a
474:FGR-17 Viper
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248:
238:designed by
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232:Tupolev I-12
224:Soviet Union
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187:Alfred Krupp
184:
176:
105:
101:deflagration
86:
56:
48:
40:
38:
528:Panzerfaust
267:Rheinmetall
198:World War I
129:infantrymen
861:Categories
828:2018-04-11
679:2018-04-02
646:References
579:1981 U.S.
536:fiberglass
438:BGM-71 TOW
434:M47 Dragon
390:Wallbuster
328:Korean War
244:Winter War
161:1.57-inch
82:smoothbore
53:smoothbore
617:howitzers
556:backblast
454:technical
446:M50 Ontos
410:L6 WOMBAT
313:postwar.
283:Luftwaffe
210:submarine
208:and anti-
202:Davis gun
109:paratroop
61:artillery
819:Archived
623:See also
560:Armbrust
507:momentum
414:Bren Gun
206:Zeppelin
591:in the
548:MATADOR
470:M72 LAW
397:shotgun
348:caliber
279:US Army
222:In the
194:US Navy
139:History
790:
750:
558:. The
485:Design
422:SACLOS
281:. The
217:bomber
125:recoil
93:shells
78:rifled
73:cannon
69:recoil
65:thrust
45:rifled
822:(PDF)
811:(PDF)
673:(PDF)
662:(PDF)
540:RPG-7
478:RPG-7
378:SPG-9
359:SPG-9
263:Krupp
261:that
148:Jonga
788:ISBN
748:ISBN
546:and
526:the
436:and
393:HESH
367:B-11
363:B-10
273:and
265:and
230:and
115:and
600:M20
587:at
532:AT4
530:or
466:AT4
344:M40
340:M67
336:M20
332:M18
167:F5L
47:),
23:An
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39:A
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