Disposable Anti-Tank Weapon (DAW)

Disposable Anti-Tank Weapon (DAW)
DAW armed, unarmed, and Disposable Assault Weapon
Type	Disposable/Reloadable Shoulder-Fired Recoilless Rifle (Crew-Served Infantry Support/Anti-Tank Weapon)
Place of origin	The Empire of Common Territories
Service history
In service	2014-Present
Used by	TECT Armed Forces
Production history
Designer	Arrow Solutions
Designed	2010 (reintroduced in 2014)
Manufacturer	Wolf Armaments, Gewehr Foundries, Käufer Solutions
Unit cost	$800 NSD
Produced	2014-Present
No. built	N/A
Variants	Disposable System (single-use warhead), Reloadable Assault Weapon
Specifications
Weight	3 kgs (standard), 6.6 kgs (DLU)
Length	600 mm (unarmed), 880 mm (armed) 750mm (unloaded), 1,320 mm (loaded)
Caliber	80 mm (warhead)
Rate of fire	3 rounds per minute (practical)
Muzzle velocity	185 m/s
Maximum firing range	500 m (Disposable System) 2,000m (Assault Weapon)
Feed system	Disposable. Detachable single-rocket casing (Assault Weapon).
Sights	Iron sights. Telescopic sight (Assault Weapon).

The Disposable Anti-Tank Weapon or DAW (also known as the Panzerfaust-14/RPG-14) is a highly portable, single-use, anti-tank/fortification weapon similar to the M72 LAW. M72 was utilized widely in the Empire even after it became largely obsolete when destroying modern armor. Soldiers could carry the system easily, making them popular choices at disabling, destroying, or otherwise damaging enemy armor and fortifications. M72I, a clone of the M72 developed by Arrow Solutions, was introduced in 1982 to Imperial forces as a modern upgrade to the popular M27. Boasting an improved set of sights and modern warhead, M72I would continue being used and manufactured until 2006 when Arrow Solutions fulfilled its final M27I order. Arrow Solutions failed to secure future orders. Now relying on royalties, Arrow Solutions would begin developing a replacement to their M27I. DAW, or Disposable Anti-Tank Weapon, was in its early development in 2010 when Arrow Solutions, in default, was acquired by Wolf Armaments. DAW consists of a tube casing that holds the projectile, a recoilless HEAT round with LOVA propellant (RDX), and a second extendable tube inside the first that extends out the rear of the system. Other features include folding iron sights (glass interior), rear safety cap, arming handle (located on the top of the casing, it is slid into locking position), and a push-down trigger. DAW, like the M27 LAW, is designed to defeat lightly armored targets at close range and is capable of damaging heavier armored foes even at extended ranges. Although DAW was a considerably impressive upgrade to the existing M27I, consisting of modern ergonomics and improved warhead, the Imperial Armed Forces took little interest in the project. While the Empire only continues to buy limited reoccurring orders to replace stockpiles, colonial vassals such as Luttenried invested heavily into DAW and its subsequent variants.

DAW is still popular among ground troops to this day. Although less used in anti-tank units even as small as teams, Imperial and vassal infantry units often carry numerous DAW systems within the unit due to their effective warheads and lightweight carry load. Materials used to construct DAW (aside from the warhead) make the weapon system remarkably cheap compared to other anti-tank weapons, resulting in deep saturation among infantry throughout the Empire and her vassals. The casing material is constructed with high-impact resistant hard plastics that protect the casing from external damage. DAW is sealed with water-proof caps on both ends of the system as well as a safety cap over the rear end that protects the extending barrel section; this also allows users whom cancel their shots to shove the barrel back into the system and place the cap back onto the system. Once the safety cap at the rear is removed and the second tube extended, the water-proof seal in the second tube is broken. Interior of the first tube is lined with Eglin Steel (a cheap and durable super alloy steel) while the second tube is entirely made of the material. The second tube is also filled with a plastic granulate, minimizing the blast effect by the so-called recoilless countermass principle; this allows DAW to be fired from enclosed spaces since it does not have a significant backblast. A set of iron sights (glass interior presenting range information that illuminates at night) flip open and lock into place for the user to accurately aim onto targets at long ranges - the user can fold the sights down into their previously locked position if they choose to not fire the weapon. Upon firing, the striker in the rear tube impacts a primer, which ignites the propellant and launches the warhead forward. Once the warhead emerges from the launcher, six fins spring out from the base of the warhead, stabilizing its flight path. For safety purposes, DAW is not able to arm unless the second tube is extended - once extended, DAW's arming lever is no longer locked in place but can be returned into its locked state by collapsing the second tube into its original position. Furthermore, the warhead does not arm until it leaves the mouth of the launcher via a mechanical set-back system; a mechanical set-back is a safety device placed into the base of the detonator that grounds the circuit until the rocket has accelerated out of the tube - the acceleration causes a disk in the safety mechanism to rotate 90° in succession, ungrounding the circuit and arming the warhead. The circuit from the nose to the base of the detonator is then completed when the piezoelectric crystal is crushed on impact.

Reloadable Assault Weapon

The Reloadable Assault Weapon (Assault Weapon for short) is a portable casing and tube launcher based on the original DAW design. Largely designed for export markets, the Assault Weapon is variation of the Panzerfaust-11's design, utilizing the same sighting/firing unit. The only signifigant differences are the overall weight and warheads (11 is loaded from the front and extends out the barrel while 14 is encased and loaded into the rear of the firing unit) It was designed primarily to fulfill the TECT Armed Forces' conditions for acquisition of the weapon system; said conditions stipulated that DAW had to be compatible with the RPG-11 by means of utilizing the sighting/firing unit. Therefore Wolf Armaments crafted together a DAW rocket casing and a single firing tube identical to the RPG-11's. A user with the sighting/firing unit simply has to attach the unit to the barrel's body, arm the rocket, aim, and fire - from there the sighting/firing unit can be quickly detached and the casing disposed of. Aiming is done so by using the telescopic sight that can be used day or night; it consists of an LED battery to illuminate during nighttime (adjustable), a reticle that presents range according to size (range finder), and a range adjusting control. This basic sight has since been replaced with a computerized variant that assists operators with range and eye issues; programing can allow for connection to infantry battle systems (such as Future Soldier) for greater efficiency. The sighting/firing unit itself consists of a telescopic sight, an adjustable stock rest, a grip handle that is able to fold as well to minimize size or for preference, and a trigger mechanism that has a safety setting for arming of the warhead. Although not nearly as bought as the RPG-11, the TECT Armed Forces have purchased a large stockpile of Assault Weapon ammunition to pair with its RPG-11 sight/firing units.