50 years of evolution

The M72 Light Assault Weapon (LAW) reached its 50th anniversary of production at Nammo Raufoss, Norway, in 2016. The M72 family has a rich and successful history, owed to its lightweight, robust design and intuitive operation system.

Continuous improvement and development have propelled the success of the weapon since the introduction of the basic M72 LAW. This journey continues with the qualification of the M72 Fire From Enclosure (FFE), demonstrating once again how the LAW consistently evolves to exceed user requirements while maintaining its compact size and lethal performance.

Although the LAW started out as the successor to the famous World War II bazooka, continuous developments with new and innovative technologies have kept the M72 family ready for current operations. Recent variants include two new Anti-Structure Munition (ASM) models: the M72A9 ASM and M72 ASM Reduced Caliber (ASM RC), designed to breach buildings and walls with and without fragmentation, respectively.

NEW TECHNOLOGY. NEW POSSIBILITIES

Perhaps the greatest development is the Fire From Enclosure (FFE) propulsion technology, allowing gunners to safely engage targets from confined spaces, such as inside buildings. This revolutionary enhancement removes the rocket motor from the weapon and uses Davis Gun propulsion principles to launch the projectile, resulting in a dramatic reduction in noise, back blast effects and launch signature. As the M72 FFE enters qualification, other development projects continue, including the M72 Airburst, M72 Fragmentation and fuzing improvements.

M72 Fire from enclosure (FFE)

TO BE CONTINUED

After decades of management by a consortium of companies, the M72 family is now owned entirely by the Nammo Group, and has been since 2007. Nammo is dedicated to the continued success and development of the M72 family; it plays a prominent role in the Shoulder Fired Systems (SFS) Business Unit, which was created as part of Nammo’s new corporate organization structure in 2016.

Continued development and system improvements for the M72 family are implemented at the two centers of excellence in Raufoss, Norway, and Mesa, Arizona. Close collaboration between the sites increases the development capacity and eliminates any project overlaps. The renowned role of M72 in the SFS Business Unit exemplifies the “One Nammo” spirit, as this international team works together to deliver a superior combat-enabling solution.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

As the M72 enters its next 50 years one thing is certain: with outstanding capabilities, modern fuzing and high-performance warheads, the future is brighter than ever. Teamwork, leadership, dedication and commitment are the hallmarks of the Nammo M72 team that continues to improve and deliver the very best M72 solutions to users around the world.

Test firing of the M-72 FFE, with the counter mass being ejected from the back, absorbing the back blast.