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 |