Mk 153 SMAW

The Mk 153 SMAW (Shoulder-launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon) is a reloadable shoulder-fired rocket launcher designed by McDonnell Douglas and manufactured by Nammo Talley, and used by the United States Marine Corps (and the US Army during Desert Storm). Essentially an enhanced version of the Israel Military Industries B300 launcher developed to replace the M72 LAW in USMC service following the collapse of the FGR-17 Viper program in 1983, the weapon consists of a reusable launcher unit which incorporates the weapon's sights and trigger, and encased pre-loaded rockets which are inserted into the rear of the launcher unit. A variety of projectiles are available: the Mk 3 Mod 0 high-explosive dual purpose (HEDP), Mk 6 Mod 0 high-explosive anti-armor (HEAA), Mk 80 Mod 0 novel explosive (NE, thermobaric) and Mk 7 Mod 0 practice rocket for training.
The Mod 0 variant mounts a British-designed magazine-fed, primer-actuated semi-automatic spotting rifle developed for the LAW 80 on the right-hand side of the launcher assembly. This feeds from 6-round magazines which are included in the end cap of each rocket: they are normally inserted into the side of the cap, though the HEAA rocket mounts the magazine in a side projection resembling a grenade safety lever because the HEAT warhead's long standoff rod occupies the middle of the end cap. The spotting rifle fires a special 9mm tracer round, the Mk 217 Mod 0, designed to match the ballistics of the rocket. This consists of a 9mm bullet in a necked-out 7.62mm NATO casing, propelled by a .22 Hornet blank which is placed inside the 7.62mm case. The setting back of the Hornet case inside the parent NATO case is what unlocks the weapon's action: it is an unusual variant of blowback operation. The spotting rifle and launcher use the same trigger: this is mechanically linked to the spotting rifle, and fires the rocket using an electromagnetic link. A switch directly above the pistol grip governs which of the two is fired when the trigger is pulled.
Provision is made to mount an AN/PEQ-2 laser aiming module as an alternative to the spotting rifle. The weapon has open iron sights as standard, and can also mount a Mk 42 Mod 0 day sight or AN/PVS-4 or AN/PVS-17B night sight.
The most current version is the Mk 153 Mod 2 (known during development as FOTS, "Follow-On To SMAW"), which mounts an electronic Modular Ballistic Sight (MBS) that replaces the spotting rifle, incorporating a laser rangefinder, a ballistic computer which produces an offset reticle for indirect aiming, and a built-in thermal sight. Due to the lack of the spotting rifle this variant is much lighter, the launcher unit weighing with the MBS and just without it. 56 Mod 2s were delivered in 2016, with the entire existing inventory scheduled to be replaced by 2020.
The Mk 153 SMAW and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
== Mk 153 SMAW ==
(1984-present (Mod 0), 2016-present (Mod 2))
Type: Rocket launcher
Length: (launcher unit), (with Mk 3 Mod 0 HEDP rocket loaded)
Weight: (Mod 0 launcher unit), (Mod 0 with Mk 3 Mod 0 HEDP rocket loaded), (Mod 2 launcher unit)
Calibre: 83mm rocket, 9x51mm spotting rifle
Capacity: 1 rocket, 6 9x51mm rounds in detachable box magazine (stored in rocket cap)
Fire modes: Safe / fire (launcher), safe / semi-auto (spotting rifle)
=== Film ===
Title 	Actor 	Character	Note 	Date
Kick-Ass 	Stu Riley 	Huge Goon	Referred to as "Bazooka"; mock-up	2010
Kick-Ass 	Aaron Johnson	Kick-Ass 	Referred to as "Bazooka"; mock-up	2010
The A-Team	Brian Bloom 	Pike 	 	2010
Rampage 	 	U.S. Army	 	2018
=== Television ===
Title 	Actor	Character	Note 	Date
Ultimate Weapons	 	soldiers 	Firepower;archive footage	2010
=== Video Games ===
Game Title 	Appears as 	Mods 	Notation 	Release Date
Vampire The Masquerade: Redemption 	 	 	 	2000
Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain 	SMAW 	 	 	2004
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat 	SMAW 	 	USMC faction 	2005
Project Reality 	 	With ACOG scope, firing HEAA and HEDP rockets 	with functional spotting rifle 	2005
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror 	SMAW 	2 distinct variants exist, one is a standard SMAW; the second is an Anti-tank version	 	2006
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow 	 	 	Only used by AI 	2007
Syphon Filter: Combat Ops 	 	 	 	2007
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames 	Anti-Tank Launcher	 	 	2008
ArmA II 	 	 	 	2009
Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising	 	With AN/PVS-4 Thermal Scope 	 	2009
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light 	"Rocket Launcher" 	 	 	2010
Battlefield 3 	SMAW 	 	 	2011
Operation Flashpoint: Red River 	 	 	 	2011
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 	SMAW 	 	Incorrectly shown as disposable	2011
Medal of Honor: Warfighter 	SMAW 	 	 	2012
Battlefield 4 	SMAW 	 	 	2013
Ironsight 	EMP Launcher 	 	Fires lock-on EMP warheads 	2018
Krunker 	SMAW 	 	Incorrectly holds 3 rockets 	2019
Squad 	Mk 153 SMAW 	HEAT, AP warheads and usable spotting rifle 	Added in V3.0 Update, 2022 	2020
=== Anime ===
Title 	Character 	Note 	Date
Macross Zero 	UN marines 	 	2002 - 2004
Guilty Crown 	Gai Tsutsugami 	 	2011 - 2012
Waiting in the Summer 	Men in Black 	 	2012
Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil	Inspector Quinn Erari	 	2014
Sword Art Online II 	 	Seen on sign	2014 - ????
Gushing over Magical Girls 	Kiwi Araga 	 	2024
==M141 SMAW-D==
The M141 SMAW-D is a disposable single-shot launcher, the result of the US Army's Bunker Defeat Munition (BDM) program. This project produced entries from FFV, who submitted a weapon derived from the M136 AT4, the FFV AT8, and the winning entry from McDonnell-Douglas. The SMAW-D launcher has little in common with the Mk 153, but the rocket is based on the one used by it, with the same HEDP warhead but with a shortened burn time for the booster. It appears to have inspired the later Israeli SHIPON disposable launcher
Due to issues with Congress questioning the similarity of the Army's BDM and the Marine Corps' FGM-172 SRAW programs, procurement of the SMAW-D was limited to 6,000 units.
(1999-present)
Type: Rocket launcher
Length: collapsed, extended
Weight: 
Calibre: 83mm
Capacity: 1 rocket
Fire modes: Safe / fire
=== Film ===
Title 	Actor 	Character 	Note 	Date
Bad Boys II 	Antoni Corone	D.E.A. Agent Tony Dodd	 	2003
Cradle 2 the Grave	DMX 	Anthony Fait 	Used as part of vault-busting rig	2003
War of the Worlds 	 	U.S. Marine 	AN/PVS-4 night-vision scope 	2005
Skyline 	 	U.S. Marine 	 	2010
Bad Boys for Life 	Jacob Scipio 	Armando Armas 	 	2020
=== Television ===
Title 	Actor 	Character 	Note 	Date
NCIS 	 	 	"Split Decision" Seen on website 	2003
Arrested Development 	 	 	"Burning Love" (S2E9), on a shelf in a gun store	2005
24 	 	Cheng's man 	 	2007
Burn Notice 	 	Mercenary 	"Loose Ends, Part 1" (S1E11) 	2007
24 	Doug Hutchison	Davros 	With red dot scope 	2010
Lost 	 	 	"Cabin Fever"; Seen loaded on helicopter 	2004 - 2010
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles	 	Human resistance fighter	 	
=== Video Games ===
Game Title 	Appears as 	Mods	Notation	Release Date
America's Army	Bunker Defeat Munition (BDM)	 	 	2002
=== Anime ===
Character 	Title 	Note	Date
Weapon dealers	Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig	 	2004 - 2005
== B-300 ==
The SMAW is an improved variant of the B-300, which was developed in the seventies by IMI, based on the French LRAC F1 launcher. It was intended to replace Israeli stocks of the obsolete M20 "Super Bazooka", but budget limitations meant it was never adopted in quantity and issue was largely limited to special forces units. It is no longer in production, and is slowly being replaced in service by a disposable derivative with a detachable fire control unit, the SHIPON, which was introduced in 2003, and by the RAFAEL MATADOR.
(1980-2000s)
Type: Rocket launcher
Length: loaded
Weight: 8 lbs (3.65kg) empty, loaded
Calibre: 82mm
Capacity: 1 rocket
Fire modes: Safe / fire
=== Film ===
Title 	Actor 	Character 	Note	Date
The Delta Force	Chuck Norris	Maj. Scott McCoy	 	1986
The Delta Force	Steve James 	Bobby 	 	1986
==See Also==
* Nordic Ammunition Group - A list of all firearms manufactured by Nammo.
* Israel Military Industries - A list of all firearms manufactured by IMI.
Category:Gun
Category:Missile Launcher