The backblast area is a
cone-shaped area behind a
rocket launcher
A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile.
History
The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few in ...
, rocket-assisted takeoff unit or
recoilless rifle
A recoilless rifle, recoilless launcher or recoilless gun, sometimes abbreviated "RR" or "RCL" (for ReCoilLess) is a type of lightweight artillery system or man-portable launcher that is designed to eject some form of countermass such as propel ...
, where hot gases are expelled when the rocket or rifle is discharged. The backblast area is dangerous to ground personnel, who may be burned by the gases or exposed to
overpressure
Overpressure (or blast overpressure) is the pressure caused by a shock wave over and above normal atmospheric pressure. The shock wave may be caused by sonic boom or by explosion, and the resulting overpressure receives particular attention when m ...
caused by the explosion.
In confined spaces, common in
urban warfare, even the operators themselves may be at risk due to deflection of backblast by
walls or sturdier civilian vehicles behind them.
Soft launch methods diminish backblast by ejecting the projectile some distance before its main rocket motor ignites. Backblast can also be reduced by adding a countermass that is expelled out the rear of the weapon. For example, the
AT4-CS (confined space variant) uses saltwater, along with a lower-velocity projectile.
File:M72A2 LAW 1969.jpg, Packing crates are used to demonstrate the danger of the M72 LAW
The M72 LAW (light anti-tank weapon, also referred to as the light anti-armor weapon or LAW as well as LAWS: light anti-armor weapons system) is a portable one-shot unguided anti-tank weapon. The solid rocket propulsion unit was developed in th ...
back blast
File:A-1 Backblast area and surface danger zone.PNG, Backblast area for FGM-148 Javelin
File:Firing an AT4.jpg, A US Army soldier firing the M136 AT4 (2007)
File:US Army AT4 CS live-fire training.jpg, A US Army soldier firing the AT4-CS (2020)
References
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Anti-tank rockets