Mk 153 SMAW

Mk 153 Mod 0 SMAW - 83mm

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 13 lbs (5.9 kg) with the MBS and just 8.5 lbs (3.9 kg) 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: 29.9 in (76 cm) (launcher unit), 54 in (137.2 cm) (with Mk 3 Mod 0 HEDP rocket loaded)

Weight: 16.9 lbs (7.7 kg) (Mod 0 launcher unit), 29.3 lbs (13.3 kg) (Mod 0 with Mk 3 Mod 0 HEDP rocket loaded), 13 lbs (5.9 kg) (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 - ????

M141 SMAW-D

Collapsed M141 SMAW-D launcher with unencased HEDP rocket - 83mm

Extended M141 SMAW-D launcher with unencased HEDP rocket - 83mm

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: 32 in (81.3 cm) collapsed, 55 in (139.7 cm) extended

Weight: 15.7 lbs (7.1 kg)

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

B-300 - 82mm

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: 57 in (144.8 cm) loaded

Weight: 8 lbs (3.65kg) empty, 18 lbs (8.2 kg) 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.