The LRAC de 73mm Mle 1950 (lance-roquettes antichar de 73 mm modèle 1950 (LRAC 73-50)) was a French antitank rocket launcher produced and fielded in the 1950s. The LRAC fired a 73 mm (2.9 in) high explosive antitank projectile that was capable of penetrating over 11 inches (280 mm) of rolled homogenous armor when struck at a 90-degree angle of impact.[4] The LRAC 73-50 was replaced in French service by the LRAC F1. Used during the Korean War for the French Battalion of the United Nations Organisation, it pierced the armor of T-34 tanks.

LRAC 73-50
French 73mm LRAC
TypeAnti-tank rocket launcher
Place of originFrance
Service history
Used byFrance
Israel[1]
Morocco
WarsKorean War
First Indochina War
Algerian War
Six-day War
Lebanese Civil War[2]
Production history
ManufacturerDEFA
Specifications
Mass6.7 kg (14.7 lb)
Length1.2 m (3.9 feet)

Caliber73 mm
Rate of fire4 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity170 m/s (557.7 ft/s)
Effective firing range200 m (656.2 feet)
Maximum firing range1,200 m (3,937 feet)
FillingRDX/TNT[3]
Filling weight300 g (11 oz)
External image
LRAC 73-50
image icon LRAC 73-50, showing firing shield and sight
Moroccan troops with 73mm LRAC, 1960.

The LRAC 73-50 had a shield to protect the operator's face from the rocket's back-blast.[5]

References

edit
  1. ^ David Campbell (2016). Israeli Soldier vs Syrian Soldier : Golan Heights 1967–73. Combat 18. illustrated by Johnny Shumate. Osprey Publishing. p. 49. ISBN 9781472813305.
  2. ^ Kassis, 30 Years of Military Vehicles in Lebanon (2003), p. 26.
  3. ^ Bollendorf, p. 300.
  4. ^ COMHART Volume 10, p. 66.
  5. ^ "Musee Infanterie". musee-infanterie.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.

Bibliography

edit
  • Samer Kassis, 30 Years of Military Vehicles in Lebanon, Beirut: Elite Group, 2003. ISBN 9953-0-0705-5
  • J. E. Stauff, J. Guillot, and R. Dubernet, Comité pour l'histoire de l'armement terrestre (COMHART) Tome 10 Armements Antichars Missiles Guidés et Non Guidés, Délégué Général pour l'Armement, 1996
  • John Bollendorf, ST-CW-07-29-74 Projectile Fragment Identification Guide Foreign, Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington: GPO, 31 December 1973 (DIA Guide)