Armbrust (Crossbow) German 67mm Unguided Anti-Tank Recoilless Weapon

The Armbrust is a preloaded, disposable, shoulder-fired antitank weapon. It has a low signature and low IR (infrared) detectability and can be safely fired from small enclosures or rooms. The muzzle does not emit smoke or blast and no flash can be seen from the rear. Only .8 m clearance is required between the rear of the weapon and the wall. It is quieter than a pistol shot. The entire weapon is considered a round of ammunition and the launcher is thrown away once the weapon is fired. The system is also manufactured by Singapore industries. Armbrust (German: Crossbow) is a lightweight unguided anti-tank weapon designed and developed by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm of Germany, who later sold its manufacturing rights to Chartered Industries of Singapore (the predecessor of ST Kinetics). The Armbrust is a recoilless weapon and is one of the few weapons of this kind that may safely be fired in an enclosed space. The propellant charge is placed between two pistons with the projectile in front of one and a mass of shredded plastic in the rear. Unlike most recoilless weapons, it is a true counter-shot weapon, as the mass of the projectile is equal to the mass of the counterweight and they are ejected from the barrel at the same initial velocity. When the weapon is fired, the propellant expands, pushing the two pistons out. The projectile is forced out of the front and the plastic out of the back. The plastic disperses on leaving the back of the barrel and is quickly stopped by air resistance. The pistons jam at either end of the barrel, locking the hot gases inside. Its warhead can penetrate up to 300 mm of armored steel. Since 2004, Armbrust's has gradually been replaced by the Israeli-German-Singapore co-developed MATADOR.