MARA (anti-tank weapon)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2017) |
| MARA | |
|---|---|
 MARA anti-tank rocket launcher | |
| Type | Anti-tank rocket launcher |
| Place of origin | Argentina |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Argentina |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 4.2 kg (9.3 lb) |
| Length | 70 cm (unarmed) 100 cm (armed) |
| Caliber | 78 mm |
| Muzzle velocity | 170 m/s (560 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 200m |
| Maximum firing range | 350m |
| Sights | front post and rear ladder sights |
The MARA is a portable one-shot 78 mm unguided anti-tank weapon, designed and manufactured in Argentina by Fabricaciones Militares (DGFM). The solid rocket propulsion unit was developed by CITEFA.
History
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2015) |
In the 1990s, the Argentine Army identified the need to replace obsolete short-range infantry antitank weapons in use, Such as the PDEF-40 rifle grenade, with a modern weapon similar to the AT4 locally developed and built,
The MARA Project was started by DGFM in the late 1990s, and in February 2005 the weapon was tested at the “Fábrica Militar Fray Luis Beltrán”.
Description
[edit]
The MARA is a weapon of 78 mm caliber with a fiberglass launcher tube 70 cm in length when transported that is extended to 1 meter when ready to fire. The launcher weighs about 4.2 kg, can be reused up to five times when using training ammunition, and is disposable when firing live ammunition.
The anti-tank projectile is fin-stabilized, and is propelled by the rocker motor to a speed of about 170 meters per second. It is able to penetrate 300mm of steel armor, and the sighting system's accuracy allows to hit 1 m2 target at a distance of 200 meters.
Specifications
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2015) |
The MARA looks like the M72 LAW but is slightly different in size. Its sling swivels are on the bottom, so the user doesn’t need to remove the sling before firing. It is usually painted sand, olive drab, or drylands camouflage with white markings.
For ammunition, a 73 mm rocket is used, similar to the 66 mm rocket in the M72 LAW. The rocket can penetrate 300 mm of armor, and once fired, has six folding fins that open immediately out of the barrel to keep it stable in flight. For training, an empty launcher can be reloaded up to five times. [1]
Users
[edit]See also
[edit]- M72 LAW – (United States)
- M80 Zolja – (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
- RPG-18 / RPG-22 – (Soviet Union)
- RPG-76 Komar – (Polish People's Republic, Poland)
References
[edit]- ^ "MARA Single-use anti-tank rocket launcher". Pakistan Defence. 30 July 2017. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ SISTEMAS MARA Y ATAN DE MUY CORTO ALCANCE (accessed 2015-02-28)
Further reading
[edit]- Jones, Richard D.; Ness, Leland S. (2013). IHS Jane's Weapons Infantry: 2013-14. Vol. 39th edition. London, United Kingdom: Janes Information Group. ISBN 978-0710630599.