Americans and Europeans have announced that they won’t be sending soldiers to Ukraine to assist Volodymyr Zelenskyy's troops. On the other hand, weapons to carry out operations against the Russian army will be sent to enable the locals to defend themselves. Among them, is the fearsome AT4 tank killer.
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The tank-killing weapon
As reported by Business Insider, the AT4, or Anti-Tank 4 Confined Space, is a basic weapon of the US Army. It is provided to young recruits so that they can get to grips with its portable launchers. The particularity of this weapon is that it is unguided and fires an 84 mm cartridge. The AT4 can be carried with a rifle and its high mobility is recognised. It’s a single shot use, so only one shot is possible and the body of the weapon is often left afterwards.
It is used on light tanks, but can still cause significant damage to battle tanks if fired properly. Bunkers, guarded buildings or troop transports can also be targeted. In terms of specs, this is a light weapon, weighing 7.6 kg, measuring 1 m with hollow charge ammunition. The ‘bullet’ launched goes at more than 220 m/s at the exit of the barrel. Its maximum range remains 400 meters even if at this distance the precision is not always guaranteed.
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The United States, Ukraine's supplier
In order to fight against Vladimir Putin's army, which also includes ruthless weapons in its ranks, the Ukrainian defence forces are going to receive around 6,000 AT4 launchers from the US, as announced by Washington in the week of 14 March. In total, in addition to these ‘tank killers’, the Ukrainians will receive nearly 17,000 weapons of all kinds. Sweden, which manufactures AT4s with the Bofors company, will supply 5,000 unique launchers.
This article has been translated from Gentside FR.
