M83 SADAR

''Reliable Anti-Armor Firepower at the Squad Level.'' - Colonial Marine Doctrine PublicationIntroduced during the Marine Reforms of the 2170s, the M83 SADAR (Shoulder-Launched Active-Homing Disposable Anti-Tank Rocket) is a man-portable Anti-Tank Launcher, designed to be light enough to provide Marine Squads with the firepower necessary to oppose enemy armor. While it is no longer as effective as it once was, owing to simplification of the design and advances in vehicular survival technologies, it is still commonly issued to Marines on operations as a means of fending off armored attacks and destroying lighter enemy vehicles.
== Design ==
The original design for the M83 SADAR originated in the late 2160s, when it was realized that infantry units deployed in conventional combat lacked adequate anti-armor firepower, leaving them vulnerable to enemy Main Battle Tanks. In order to be of use to Marines on the ground, the SADAR needed to be light enough to be portable and usable at a Squad level, while packing enough of a punch to effectively engage and neutralize armored threats.
=== Launcher System ===
The M83 SADAR Launch System is a disposable aluminum tube contained within a waterproof carbon fiber tube prior to deployment, designed to be lightweight and easy to carry for a Marine.
The Launch System is designed similarly to a Recoilless Rifle, thus a considerable backblast is generated by SADAR launches. Marines operating close to the SADAR operator must take care to avoid being caught in this blast. In earlier SADAR generations, the Launch System also contained a significant amount of electronic systems, designed to pre-program the 60mm HEAP projectile; the majority of this was stripped away in later variants to save on complexity, the original System's backup sight becoming the primary sight in use by Marines.
=== Attack Profile ===
In order to defeat the heavily-armored Main Battle Tanks commonly found on the battlefield, the early generations of M83 SADAR utilized an innovative Top-Down Anti-Armor (TDAA) Attack Profile. The TDAA profile meant that the relatively light 60mm HEAP (High Explosive, Armor-Piercing) was capable of penetrating the lightly-protected crew hatches and roof of a targeted armored vehicle, enabling it to easily neutralize the threat. 
Later-generation SADARs, due to demand on Armat and other weapons suppliers, omitted the TDAA Attack Profile in favor of a traditional flat-firing, ballistic arc profile. This simplified production by removing the need for logic systems or complex programming, thus enabling various producers to increase output dramatically, but consequently had a detrimental effect on the weapon's effectiveness against current-generation armored vehicles.
=== Propulsion ===
The 60mm HEAP Projectile features an inbuilt rocket motor, which provides the entirety of the projectile's thrust along its profile. Due to increased production pressure, a noted increase in failure rate for the M83 60mm HEAP projectiles has occurred, albeit that Armat have detected and rectified this issue, advising Marines on the ground as to means of 'Spot-fixing' the projectiles to ensure successful motor activation.
== Future ==
The M83 SADAR has been in service for almost twenty years, and due to the combined factors of armor technology improving, and the simplification of the M83 weapon system blunting its effectiveness against armored vehicles fielded today, it has been officially usurped in the majority of units by the M78 PIG. However, as the PIG requires a dedicated operator, some units requiring better availability of riflemen owing to shortages of personnel still operate the M83 as a stop-gap, owing to its continued effectiveness against lighter vehicles, as well as its ability to pose a threat to enemy armor if deployed in sufficient quantity.
Much like the M5 RPG, it is likely that the M83 SADAR will continue to find uses, even if those uses are not in its intended primary role as a front-line anti-armor weapon.
Category:Firearms