McDonnell Douglas Scorpion UFW

     Notes:  The Scorpion UFW (Urban Fighting Weapon) was originally designed in response to a US Military request for designs for the MPIM (MultiPurpose Individual Munition), a mid-1980s experimental program to test and possibly adopt a lightweight weapon for short-range combat, particularly for urban warfare.  The Scorpion was eventually rejected (along with almost everything that came out of the MPIM program), but reportedly the Scorpion is being given a new look by the US military.  The “winner” of the MPIM competition was the Predator short-range ATGM, though the Predator itself ended up being dropped from the budget shortly later.

     The Scorpion was a sort of disposable rocket launcher like the M72 KAW, but with a twist – the Scorpion was launched from a reinforced fiberglass tube that would be mounted under an assault rifle like an M203 or other underbarrel grenade launcher.  The Scorpion attaches to the bayonet lug at front of the host rifle, and by a ring-type adapter and/or a clip to the magazine well at the rear.  Attaching or detaching the Scorpion to the host weapon takes less than 30 seconds and no special training or tools.  The Scorpion has its own firing mechanism, consisting of a simple bar at the rear end of the module (in front of the magazine well for most rifles, and particularly the M16 for which the Scorpion was designed).  Though designed specifically for mounting underneath the M16, M16A1, and M16A2, the Scorpion could also be attached to most western-type assault rifles, battle rifles, and even some submachineguns; in game terms, one needs host rifle with a magazine well that projects below the rifle for a short length, and a bulk of at least 5 (or more precisely, about 4.65).  Adapters were planned that would take the place of a bayonet lug as well as allow more flexibility in installation.  The Scorpion launcher itself is 77.47 cm long; it did project a considerable distance beyond the end of the M16’s barrel.  In its container, the Scorpion is 81.3 cm long, and the container has a sling as well as rings to allow the Scorpion container to be carried more easily over the shoulder, or attached to other gear.

     The shooter of a Scorpion would use the sights of his own rifle; to further enhance accuracy, it was envisioned that the shooter could employ tracers fired from his rifle to increase his chances of a first-round hit.  (If this method is employed, every tracer [fired in semiautomatic mode] that hits before the shooter fires the Scorpion allows the shooter a +1 on his die roll when he actually fires the Scorpion, to a maximum of +3.)

     The lightweight reinforced fiberglass tube of the Scorpion included slots on the sides, venting the rocket’s firing charge exhaust without harming the shooter.  Though the Scorpion is not a totally recoilless weapon, it is very close to being so (enough to have no recoil in Twilight 2000 v2.2 terms).  Shortly after the rocket clears the launcher, the main rocket charge ignites.  The Scorpion rocket’s exhaust ports are angled, further decreasing the danger to the shooter from the rocket exhaust.  After the rocket clears the launcher, spring-loaded fins pop out, and the Scorpion is at that point like any other short-range rocket.  The design of the launcher and rocket meant the Scorpion presented virtually no backblast danger to the shooter and his fellow troops, and the Scorpion could be fired inside tight enclosures without a problem.  The original design of the Scorpion called for a 52mm rocket.  This was later increased to 66mm, giving the warhead a greater punch, and allowing the Scorpion to use modified forms of existing 66mm warhead designs.  I have included the 52mm and 66mm versions below for comparison and, well, “just because.”

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Though the eventual MPIM competition winner was a variant of the Predator Light ATGM, the Scorpion was adopted in limited quantities by special operations forces of the US and some Western European nations, and the regular military forces of the Israelis, South Koreans, and Taiwanese. 

Weapon

Caliber

Weight

Length

Price

Scorpion UFW (HEAT)

52mm

3.18 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$135

Scorpion UFW (HEAT-T)

52mm

3.54 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$282

Scorpion UFW (HE)

52mm

3.18 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$131

Scorpion UFW (HEDP)

52mm

3.18 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$139

Scorpion UFW (HESH)

52mm

3.18 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$152

Scorpion UFW (FRAG)

52mm

3.22 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$119

Scorpion UFW (Thermobaric)

52mm

3.54 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$360

Scorpion UFW (HEAT)

66mm

4.08 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$160

Scorpion UFW (HEAT-T)

66mm

4.54 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$320

Scorpion UFW (HE)

66mm

4.08 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$156

Scorpion UFW (HEDP)

66mm

4.08 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$165

Scorpion UFW (HESH)

66mm

4.08 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$182

Scorpion UFW (FRAG)

66mm

4.45 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$142

Scorpion UFW (Thermobaric)

66mm

4.54 kg

77.47cm (81.3cm in container)

$427

 

Weapon

Reload

Range

IFR

Round

Damage

Pen

Scorpion (52mm)

SS

167

Nil

HEAT

C3  B12

45C

 

SS

167

Nil

HEAT-T

C4  B12

36C/45C

 

SS

167

Nil

HE

C5  B20

Nil

 

SS

167

Nil

HEDP

C4  B16

22C

 

SS

167

Nil

HESH

C3  B14

36C

 

SS

167

Nil

FRAG

C3  B25

Nil

 

SS

167

Nil

Thermobaric

C10  B12

22C

Scorpion (66mm)

SS

172

Nil

HEAT

C5  B20

59C

 

SS

172

Nil

HEAT-T

C4  B20

47C/59C

 

SS

172

Nil

HE

C8  B30

3C

 

SS

172

Nil

HEDP

C6  B26

31C

 

SS

172

Nil

HESH

C5  B24

47C

 

SS

172

Nil

FRAG

C6  B38

0C

 

SS

172

Nil

Thermobaric

C16  B18

31C

 

European Theater Board M25

     Notes: In 1944, the Americans found itself fighting increasingly powerful German tanks.  Though this led in 1945 to the M20 Super Bazooka, The Generals wanted more, as at the end of World War 2, it looked like a war against the Russians was inevitable. At the War’s end, the US Army and Marines were using two calibers of Bazookas, as well as a 75mm recoilless rifle for infantry use. The Board had the bright idea to replace these three weapons with one: a double M20 Bazooka.  However, despite being an innovative concept, testing (both on test ranges and general infantry use, and combat use in the Korean War), the M25 was proven too heavy to tote around and to carry enough ammunition for it.

     The M25 was loaded like an M20.  The launcher used the front end of an M20; the rear section contained the loading chamber and, when loaded, the round itself.  Within two flips of a cocking lever, the firing chamber rotated to a loaded chamber.  A good gunnery team could keep up a high rate of fire, with the loader continually keeping the magazine loaded and the gunner firing at targets.  In addition, a full five-round magazine could be loaded onto the M25.

      The M25 was fed by a five-round chamber atop the weapon, with the loader keeping the chamber topped off.  Unfortunately, the M25 was quite a hefty weapon, weighing 22.68 kilograms even if unloaded.  The assembly therefore required a light tripod, made for the M25, to keep the M25 stable while he fired and the loader kept the magazine topped off.  And the M20’s warhead was no better than those of the M25 (being the same warhead), and the M2 and M20 were proving increasingly ineffective against Chinese armor.  No matter what the rate of fire was, the M20 warheads could inflict only so much damage on the Chinese armor (though the M25 was quite effective against personnel in the open, light armored vehicle, and soft-skinned vehicles.

     The front sight, trigger, and front of the barrels were identical to the M20.

     Though seeing some action in Korea, mostly near the end of the War, the M25 in the end got bad reviews from the troops using them (though they liked the firepower, they hated the weight of the weapon and the ammunition).  The M25 disappeared quickly after the Korean War.  (The nomenclature was re-used some sixty-odd years later for the M25 Punisher grenade launcher.) Some 1500 M25 rocket launchers were made.

     The M25 had a length of 152.4 centimeters, and as said above it had a weight of 22.68 kilograms unloaded.  This not include the 7-kilogram tripod, adapted from an AAA mount. At it’s time of inception, only the M28 HEAT and M29 HEDP rockets were available, as well as models of those rockets which are modified primarily in the area of tail fins and other accuracy measures. The M35 HEAT rocket was later available, which had improved accuracy and 30% more velocity. It was also designed with Korea’s miserable winter weather in mind.

 

Weapon

Caliber

Weight

Length

Price

M25

89mm

 29.68 kg

1.52 meters

$775

 

Ammunition

Caliber

Weight

Price

M28 HEAT

89mm

4.05 kg

$109

M29 HEDP

89mm

4 kg

$90

M35 HEAT

89mm

5 kg

$135

 

Weapon

ROF

Range

IFR

Round

Damage

Pen

M25

SA

115

Nil

M28 HEAT

C9  B30

82C

 

SA

55

Nil

M29 HEDP

C2  (B10)

Nil

 

SA

144

Nil

M35 HEAT

C9  B30

103C