Disposable launchers

Fireteams will typically carry light anti-tank weaponry if enemy armor is expected to be present in an area. Generally, this will result in the team's rifleman being given a single-shot light anti-tank weapon like the AT-4 or M136. The anti-tank rifleman will carry out their normal rifleman duties, and in the event that enemy armor is encountered, they will immediately transition into anti-tank mode and attempt to take it out based upon their team and squad leader's directives.

As their name implies, light anti-tank launchers are an effective weapon for usage against light armor such as armored personnel carriers, while heavier armor such as that found on main battle tanks will require multiple impacts from LAT weaponry to defeat.

A disposable launcher is a man-portable launcher that meets the following criteria:

• Is not guided
• Is not re-loadable (i.e. is single-use/disposable)

The following table contains the effect range of various launchers against the different types of targets, and the maximum range after which the warhead will self-destruct.

Hit non-moving (static) targets:

• Within the effective range of the weapon
• While using a unguided weapon system

Hit moving (non static) targets:

• Within the effective range of the weapon
• While using an unguided weapon system

When shooting an unguided rocket, use the following criteria to determine the part of a vehicle to aim for:

• Will the rocket penetrate? Generally the front of the vehicle will be the strongest part, while the rear will be the weakest. Impact angle should be as close to 90° as possible.  
• Will the rocket cause damage? The rocket needs to hit a certain part of a vehicle to do damage to it. The best components to hit are the turret and the engine, with worst being the passenger compartment. Keep in mind different types of ammunition will affect the type and amount of damage a vehicle takes from a hit.

Prioritize vehicle targets based on the following factors:

• Urgency of the threat: immediate threats should be engaged first, with vehicles posing no threat either engaged last or not engaged at all.
• Success chance: every engagement should have the highest possible likelihood to succeed. In any case, refrain from shooting when:
  • the target is out of range
  • the target is moving too fast
  • the target cannot be effectively damaged
• Future considerations: do not engage vehicles when doing so might have negative effect later. e.g. shooting an AT-4 at a technical, when expecting BMPs.

Engage a structure using a launcher, after obtaining permission from the element leader, by:

• hitting inside the structure with an HE warhead
• hitting the outside of the structure with a warhead that has a penetrating effect (e.g. HESH)