Viper Credit - via Andreas Parsch

Man-portable unguided line-of-sight antitank rocket developed as a successor to the U.S. Army's Lightweight Antitank Weapon. Not put into production.

Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch

General Dynamics FGR-17 Viper

The Viper was man-portable unguided line-of-sight antitank 70 mm rocket developed as a successor to the U.S. Army's 66 mm LAW (Lightweight Antitank Weapon) system. Development of the original LAW began in 1958 at Redstone Arsenal, and in March 1961 the LAW became fully operational as Rocket, 66 mm HE Antitank M72. There are also improved variants of the M72 rocket, designated M72A1, M72A2 and M72A3.

In 1975, a replacement program for the LAW was initiated under the name ILAW (Improved LAW), with General Dynamics as prime contractor. The name was subsequently changed to Viper in January 1976, and the designation XFGR-17A was assigned. The allocation of an MDS rocket designator to this weapon is remarkable, because such nomenclature is usually not assigned to unguided line-of-sight rockets. Viper was intended to replace both the original M72 LAW and the FGM-77 Dragon first-generation man-protable antitank missile.

In August 1981, production of the XM132 Viper rocket (possibly designated FGR-17A, but I have no confirmation for this) was approved, and it was planned to procure up to 90000 Viper rockets for the U.S. Army. This was not to be, however, because in October 1983, the whole Viper program was cancelled. I have found no quotes for the reasons of the cancellation, but it's likely that the improvements of the Viper compared to the LAW weren't big enough to warrant mass production. At the same time, the AAWS-M (Advanced Antitank Weapon System - Medium) program was initiated to develop a new portable antitank missile, and AAWS-M ultimately led to the FGM-148 Javelin.

Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!

Data for XFGR-17A:

[1] Redstone Arsenal Historical Information Website

Manufacturer: SDC. Total Mass: 3.73 kg (8.22 lb). Core Diameter: 0.0700 m (0.2290 ft). Total Length: 0.70 m (2.29 ft). Maximum range: 0.25 km (0.15 mi). Cruise engine: Solid rocket. Maximum speed: 3.73 kph (2.31 mph).