M20 recoilless rifle

M20 recoilless rifle
An M20 recoilless rifle in action during the Korean War
Type	Recoilless anti-tank weapon
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Used by	United States
Wars	World War II Korean War First Indochina War Algerian War[1] Portuguese Colonial War Lebanese Civil War Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War Salvadoran Civil War Western Sahara War
Production history
Designed	1944
Produced	1945
Variants	Type 56
Specifications
Mass	103 lb (47 kg)
Length	82 in (2.1 m)
Barrel length	65 in (1.7 m)
Crew	1 or 2[2]
Shell	75 x 408 mm R[3] HE, HEAT, Smoke
Shell weight	20.5–22.6 lb (9.3–10.3 kg)
Caliber	75 mm (3.0 in)
Recoil	Recoilless
Carriage	M1917A1 tripod
Elevation	−27° to +65°
Traverse	360°[2]
Muzzle velocity	1,000 ft/s (300 m/s)
Maximum firing range	3.9 mi (6.3 km)[2]

The M20 recoilless rifle is a U.S. 75 mm caliber recoilless rifle T21E12 that was used during the last months of the Second World War and extensively during the Korean War. It could be fired from an M1917A1 .30 caliber machine gun tripod, or from a vehicle mount, typically a Jeep. Its shaped charge warhead, also known as HEAT, was capable of penetrating 100 mm of armor. Although the weapon proved ineffective against the T-34 tank and most other tanks during the Korean War, it was used primarily as a close infantry support weapon to engage all types of targets including infantry and lightly armored vehicles. The M20 proved useful against pillboxes and other types of field fortifications.