The U.S. Army version of the RPG, the superior M3 "Multi-role Anti-armor Anti-personnel Weapon System" (MAAWS), is being enhanced to make it lighter and capable of being fired inside a room.

The M3, which is classified as a recoilless rifle, only began being issued to all the army's brigade combat teams in 2015 at the rate of one M3 launcher per platoon. It's the U.S. military designation for the Carl Gustaf M3 recoilless rifle originally made in Sweden.

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This anti-tank and anti-personnel weapon weighs 8.5 kg and is reusable since it's made from metal/carbon fiber. The breech-loading M3 fires an 84 mm round.

More important, it outranges the RPG. The M3 can deliver its warhead to over 700 meters against a stationary target (effective range) compared to the RPG-7's 200 meters effective range. The M3 has a maximum range of 1,000 meters against stationary targets.

The U.S. Army is testing new recoilless rifle technology that lightens the weight of the M3 by three kilograms; makes it more ergonomic and allows it to be fired inside rooms or houses. Testers at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland are evaluating upgrades to the M3.

Maneuver officials at Fort Benning, Georgia are also conducting tests of the new Shoulder Launched Individual Munition, or SLIM, as part of the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments, or AEWE 2017.

SLIM is a new lightweight, disposable shoulder-fired rocket made by Aerojet Rocketdyne. It weighs 14.9 pounds and is designed to be safely fired from inside enclosures without causing hearing or respiratory system damage.

At 14.9 pounds, it lightens the soldier load; increases engagement lethality and flexibility by eliminating the need for multiple specialized rocket systems with single purpose warheads.

The Individual Assault Munition, or IAM, is a next-generation, shoulder-launched munition being designed for use by the Objective Force Warrior.

IAM will also contribute to survivability by enabling soldiers to engage targets from protected positions without exposing themselves to enemy fire. The new weapon is being designed to combine the best capabilities of the M72 LAW, M136 AT4, M136E1 and M141 BDM and replace them in the Army arsenal.

TagsM3 "Multi-role Anti-armor Anti-personnel Weapon System" (MAAWS), U.S. Army, RPG, recoilless rifle, Carl Gustaf M3 recoilless rifle, Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments