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NOTE: This article is about the USMC's SMAW launcher in ArmA 2. For the U.S. military's SMAW rocket launcher in ArmA 3's CSLA Iron Curtain Creator DLC, see SMAW (CSLA). |
| « | The SMAW (Shoulder-launched Multipurpouse Assault Weapon) is a small rocket weapon, which operates as a portable anti-armor rocket launcher. It fires highly-explosive dual-purpose rockets with an effective range of 500 m and is useful against bunkers, masonry, concentrated walls and light armor. Armoury Description[1]
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The SMAW (full name: Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon[2]) is an 83 mm rocket launcher used exclusively by the U.S. Marines in ArmA 2.
Overview[]
The SMAW is a reloadable, shoulder-launched, unguided, 83 mm rocket launcher.
It is able to load and fire rockets fitted with either high-explosive anti-armour (HEAA) or high-explosive dual purpose (HEDP) warheads, and has an effective range of up to 550 metres. The launcher is fitted with a magnified optical sight that has a magnification strength of 4x.[CfgWp 4][CfgWp 5][Formula 1]
The primary medium anti-tank launcher wielded by USMC squads operating in Chernarus at the height of Operation Harvest Red, the SMAW is designed to complement the lighter M136 while being more versatile and being capable of tackling non-armoured vehicle threats.
In terms of capabilities, the SMAW is almost identical to its Army counterpart, the MAAWS. Both offer a magnified optic for aiming, have virtually identical munitions (with only minor launch velocity differences), and have two types of rockets designed for either anti-vehicle (HEAA) or anti-personnel/structure use (HEDP).
Where the SMAW mostly differs is its optical sight: it does not have an integral rangefinder like the MAAWS does but compensates by allowing the user to wear their own night vision goggles while looking through it. Storage-wise, the SMAW's rockets are lighter to carry as they only take up two inventory slots.[CfgMa 2][CfgMa 3] MAAWS rockets on the other hand, require three slots and limits its user to being able to make use of two per person (without a backpack or assistant). A SMAW operator can comfortably carry up to three rockets at once while having the same number of slots available for their primary weapon.
But just like the MAAWS, the SMAW is not designed to be used against Main Battle Tanks or any other heavily armoured ground vehicles. The SMAW's HEAA warhead is not powerful enough to penetrate the thick armour of modern MBTs such as the T-90. In the case of the latter, it is strongly advised to use dedicated ATGM launchers instead, as attempting to use the SMAW against such threats will simply result in the user wasting their supply of rockets.
Optics[]
The SMAW's optical sight does not allow for zeroing to be manually adjusted. It has a fixed magnification of 4x zoom.[CfgWp 4][CfgWp 5][Formula 1] It is not possible to toggle any enhanced vision modes, though the sight does allow the operator to wear their own night vision goggles whilst they are looking through it.
Recoil curves[]
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Charts/graphs are not available on mobile. Please switch to desktop mode in order to see them.
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Munitions[]
The SMAW can load and fire two types of rockets.[CfgWp 6] Both types of rockets will occupy up to two[CfgMa 2][CfgMa 3] inventory slots:
HEAA[]
SMAW HEAA
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Base damage value | 480[CfgAm 1] |
| Splash damage value | 12[CfgAm 2] |
| Warhead type | High-Explosive Anti-Tank |
| Blast radius (metres) | 1.2[CfgAm 3] |
| Launch velocity (m/s) | 220[CfgMa 4] |
| Maximum speed (m/s) | 220[CfgAm 4] |
Standard-issue anti-tank rocket. Uses a high-explosive anti-armour (HEAA) warhead.
The SMAW's HEAA rocket is designed to pierce through the armour of Infantry Fighting Vehicles like the BMP-2 or BMP-3. It can also be used to bring down fortified structures that would otherwise be resistant to non-AT munitions and explosives.
Because HEAA rockets are designed to be used exclusively against vehicles, the warhead has a very tiny splash radius on impact (in spite of the deceptively large visual effect) and will barely inflict any damage to infantry targets unless a direct hit is scored.
The HEAA rocket has an effective range of up to 550 metres. HEAA rockets are always fired with an initial velocity of 220 m/s.[CfgMa 4] They will continue to maintain this velocity for 1 second after launch.[CfgAm 5][CfgAm 4] Its fuse will automatically detonate the rocket if it does not impact a target after 6 seconds of flight time.[CfgAm 6]
HEDP[]
SMAW HEDP
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Base damage value | 150[CfgAm 7] |
| Splash damage value | 40[CfgAm 8] |
| Warhead type | High-Explosive |
| Blast radius (metres) | 12[CfgAm 9] |
| Launch velocity (m/s) | 220[CfgMa 5] |
| Maximum speed (m/s) | 220[CfgAm 10] |
Anti-personnel rocket. Uses a high-explosive dual purpose (HEDP) warhead.
The SMAW's HEDP rocket is a multi-role munition. It can be brought to bear against both infantry and vehicles thanks to the large splash radius of its warhead. A downside of this is that its penetration power is greatly reduced, and will be unable to inflict much (if any) damage on armoured vehicles. As a result, the HEDP rocket should only be used as a last resort against unarmoured/light armour vehicular targets (e.g. Vodniks).
HEDP rockets have an effective range of up to 550 metres. It has an initial launch velocity of 220 m/s[CfgMa 5] and a maximum in-flight speed of 220 m/s.[CfgAm 10] The warhead has a blast radius of 12 metres.[CfgAm 9] If the HEDP rocket fails to hit a target within 6 seconds of being launched, its fuse will automatically detonate the rocket.[CfgAm 11]
Trivia[]
- ArmA 2's SMAW lacks the ability to make use of the 7.62 mm/9 mm spotting rifle that is usually fitted onto the right side of real Mk 153 launchers.[2]
- Like the Javelin, the in-game SMAW incorrectly uses the same reloading animation as the RPG-7V. In reality, the system is reloaded by removing the (emptied) rear casing and attaching a new one to the end of the launcher tube.[3]
- Prior to Patch 1.07's release (pre-Operation Arrowhead), AI units with SMAWs would often miss their targets even if they were completely stationary.[4]
- Until the latest Steam version patches (Community Configuration Project/CorePatch), fired SMAW rockets were extremely small and did not match the size of the launcher tube. This was fixed by the CCP's release which corrected the proportions of in-flight SMAW rockets.[5]
- CorePatch also added hidden "big" versions of both SMAW rockets that specifically take up three inventory slots as opposed to only two (Classnames: SMAW_HEAA_Big[CfgMa 6], SMAW_HEDP_Big[CfgMa 7]).[6] However, both rockets are not available in USMC supply crates by default and can only be spawned in via scripting commands or through the use of a custom addon to "unlock" them.
Gallery[]
Config/script references[]
CfgAmmo
CfgMagazines
CfgWeaponsFormula |
References[]
- ↑ Bohemia Interactive a.s., 2009, AT/AA Launchers, Arma 2, viewed 5 March 2025, <https://www.arma2.com/arma-2-weaponry/ataa-launchers>.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Marine Corps Training Command 2015, INTRODUCTION TO CREW SERVED WEAPONS B3M4078 STUDENT HANDOUT, United States Marine Corps Training Command, viewed 23 May 2024, <https://www.trngcmd.marines.mil/Portals/207/Docs/TBS/B3M4078%20Introduction%20to%20Crew%20Served%20Weapons.pdf?ver=2015-05-07-103621-683>.
- ↑ AiirSource Military, Barnoski, B 2015, AT-4 Rocket & SMAW Rocket In Action, 17 July, viewed 9 February 2018, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1k_R5Lpjss>.
- ↑ .kju et al. 2009, Arma 2: Version History, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 19 May 2024, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_2:_Version_History#Version_1.07>.
- ↑ Foltyn, D, Španěl, M et al. 2013, Roadmap - Arma 2: Community Configuration Project, DevHeaven, viewed 19 May 2024, <http://web.archive.org/web/20130627131748/https://dev-heaven.net/projects/arma-2-ccp/roadmap>. (archived link)
- ↑ Mazzon, M et al. 2019, CorePatch, GitHub, viewed 19 May 2024, <https://github.com/Goliath86/CorePatch/blob/master/Changelog.txt>.
External links[]
See also[]
Weapons of comparable role and configuration[]
- MAAWS (U.S. Army counterpart, ArmA 2: OA only)
 USMC - Armoury (ArmA 2)
| |
|---|---|
| Handguns | M1911 .45 • M9 9 mm |
| Submachine guns | MP5 9 mm |
| Shotguns | M1014 |
| Carbines | M4A1 5.56 mm (M4A1 M203) |
| Assault rifles | M16A4 5.56 mm (M16A4 M203) |
| Designated marksman rifles | DMR 7.62 mm • Mk12 SPR 5.56 mm |
| Sniper rifles | M107 .50 • M24 7.62 mm (M40A3) |
| Squad automatic weapons | M249 SAW 5.56 mm |
| Machineguns | Mk 48 Mod 0 7.62 mm • M240 7.62 mm |
| Launchers | FGM-148 Javelin • FIM-92F Stinger • M136 • SMAW |
| Static | M2 • M252 • Mk19 • M119A1 • Searchlight • Stinger • TOW |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. | |