Panzerfaust 3 Country Germany Type Anti-tank rocket launcher Manufacturer Dynamit Nobel AG Introduction 1985 Specifications Weight *12.9 kg one round hollow charge warhead (28.4 lb) 13.3 kg one round tandem hollow charge warhead (29.3 lb) 13.3 kg one round bunkerbuster warhead (29.3 lb) 2.3 kg firing unit (5.1 lb) Length 950 mm (37 in) Caliber 60mm barrel, 110mm warhead Muzzle velocity 115 m/s Maximum range ~ 920 m (1000 yd) (self detonates) Sights UP-7V Telescopic sight

The Panzerfaust 3 is a modern and disposable recoilless anti-tank weapon developed between 1978 and 1985 and put into service by the Bundeswehr in 1992. It was first ordered in 1973 to provide West German infantry with an effective weapon against contemporary Soviet armour thereby replacing West Germany\'s aging PzF 44 Lanze rocket launchers.

The Panzerfaust 3 consists of a disposable launcher tube holding the projectile and a reusable firing and sighting unit. The projectile consists of a shaped-charge warhead filled with Amatol/Syndril and a shaft including the propulsion unit.

The Panzerfaust 3 can be fired from enclosed spaces since it doesn\'t have a too dangerous a backblast; The rear of the tube, filled with plastic granulate, minimizes the blast effect by the so-called recoilless countermass principle. The booster propellant for the projectile in its tube is ignited by a bolt via a spring mechanism. Once ejected, the rocket motor is ignited.

As safety precautions, the built-in fuse for the warhead is released by a safety mechanism. This arms the warhead after a flight distance of approximately five meters, keeping the crew safe after firing. Once armed, the warhead can explode when it hits a solid object, or when the rocket\'s propellant runs out.

The main drawback is obviously that it has only a single shot and soldiers have to get dangerously close to penetrate heavily armoured targets. Many soldiers also found it very heavy and cumbersome, and its firing mechanism and tube tended to get damaged and jam under battlefield conditions. In addition, the rocket warhead itself was found to be ineffective against heavy armour and armour of newer types and had to be redesigned.

In consequence, the improved PzF 3-T replaced the original model in the late 1990s, introducing a dual hollow charge \"tandem\" warhead to defeat Explosive Reactive Armour. This means that the spike projecting from the warhead itself also contains an explosive charge to set off the reactive armour and free the path to the real armour for the main warhead. The latest incarnation of the Panzerfaust 3, the PzF 3-IT-600, can be fired from ranges up to 600 meters thanks to an advanced computer-assisted sighting and targeting mechanism.

As of 2005, there were two additional models in the development or testing stage, both relying on smaller and therefore lighter warheads. Those were the RGW (Rückstossfreie Granatwaffe, Recoilless Grenade Weapon - which would make it just like the original in name and operation.) in calibers 60 and 90 millimeters. Both new weapons are expected to help facilitate the transition in German military doctrine from preparation for major tank battles to urban and low-level warfare.