The 101st Airborne is one badass unit. But efficient and successful units don’t become so overnight, and don’t stay sharp just by reference. They need to get hands-on practice. In this case, it was time to “play” with three staples of conventional warfare: M18A1 claymore landmines, AT-4 rocket launchers, and M67 frag grenades. Unlike a conventional land mine, the M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel mine is command-detonated and directional, meaning it is fired by remote-control and shoots a pattern of metal balls into the kill zone like a shotgun. Used primarily in ambushes and as an anti-infiltration device against enemy infantry, it was developed for the U.S. Army and named after a large Scottish medieval sword.
The AT-4 rocket launcher is one of the most common light anti-tank weapons in the world. An unguided, portable, single-shot, recoil-less, smooth-bore weapon that gives infantry units the means to destroy or disable armored vehicles and fortifications. The M67 hand grenade is the “new kid in the block” when it comes to hand grenades. A further development of the M33 grenade, it’s the latest replacement for the grenades used during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the older “pineapple” grenade used since World War II. A fragmentation hand grenade with an effective casualty radius of about 49 feet, it has been in use since the latest stages of the Vietnam War. When things get hot and close and personal, these three bad boys come to play. Classic infantry toys.
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Do you think conventional weapons such as these still have a major role in today warfare? Sound off and share your opinions and comments in the section below.
