Disposable Anti-Tank Weapon (DAW)

Disposable Anti-Tank Weapon (DAW)
DAW armed, unarmed, and Disposable Assault Weapon
Type	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 (former), Wolf Armaments (current)
Designed	2010 (reintroduced in 2014)
Manufacturer	Wolf Armaments
Unit cost	$800 NSD
Produced	2014-Present
No. built	N/A
Variants	Standard, Disposable Assault Weapon
Specifications
Weight	3kgs (standard), 6.6kgs (DLU)
Length	600mm (unarmed), 880 mm (armed) 750mm (unloaded), 1,320 mm (loaded)
Caliber	80mm HEAT warhead
Muzzle velocity	185m/s
Effective firing range	200-400m
Maximum firing range	1,800m (with DLU only)
Feed system	Disposable. Detachable single-rocket casing (DLU only).
Sights	Iron sights (glass interior). Telescopic sight (DLU only).

The Disposable Anti-Tank Weapon or DAW (also known as the Panzerfaust-14/RPG-14) is a highly portable one-shot anti-tank weapon akin to the American M72 LAW. It consists of a tube casing that holds the projectile, a HEAT rocket with LOVA propellant (RDX), and a second tube inside the first that extends rearward; 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, was designed to defeat armored targets at close range (within two hundred meters) using a HEAT warhead; its light weight and simple design allowed anyone to operate the weapon system, and made DAW cheaper per-unit to use for any military in the world. The HEAT warhead is capable penetrating up to 550mm of RHA and is also effective at destroying defensive positions.

Originally designed by a small armaments company, DAW was presented to the TECT Armed Forces in 2010 along with Wolf Armaments' Panzerfaust-11 and other competitive designs during a bidding process for a standard anti-tank weapon for infantry forces. Arrow Solutions, DAW's designer, lost the bid to Wolf Armaments in 2011; military leaders preferred the reusable and multiple warhead variety offered with the Panzerfaust-11 - DAW seemed too cheap and flimsy to top military commanders. Months later, Arrow Solutions was bought out by Wolf Armaments after the company's debt had overcome them; successful Arrow Solutions products, including DAW, were redesigned and sold as Wolf Armaments products, or were totally scrapped altogether. DAW was presented to the TECT Armed Forces once more in 2013 as a compliment to the RPG-11 but was refused citing the RPG-11's successful record. After a few modifications (notably a new variant for compatibility with the RPG-11's sighting/firing unit and improved multipurpose warhead), the TECT Armed Forces only partially accepted the design for its lightweight mobility and cheaper price tag. DAW remains widely unused by the TECT Armed Forces, though large orders for the Assault Weapon ammunition have been made. Additional purchases for DAWs were made to equip the Home Guard and special force units.

Materials used to construct DAW make the weapon system remarkably cheap compared to other anti-tank weapons. 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. Once the safety cap at the rear is removed and the second tube extended, the water-proof seal in the second tube is broken - the tube can be collapsed again and protected using the safety cap but is susceptible to water damage in extreme conditions. 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 activating the rocket's motor. The rocket motor burns completely before leaving the mouth of the launcher, leaving almost no noticeable recoil; once the rocket emerges from the launcher, six fins spring out from the base of the rocket tube, 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.

Disposable Assault Weapon

The Disposable Assault Weapon (Assault Weapon for short) is a portable casing and tube launcher substitute to the original DAW design. It was designed to be solely used with the Panzerfaust-11's sighting/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.