Brazil – M18A1 Recoilless Rifle

Last updated on March 12th, 2019 at 02:37 pm

Brazil’s M18A1 recoilless rifle is a copy of the American M18A1, which is no longer used by the American Army.

The M18A1 is suited to the South American arena of combat, where it is particularly effective against APCs and lightly armored vehicles.

Weighing 55 pounds (25kg) and with a length  62 inches (1.56m), the M18A1 recoilless rifle can be mounted on a 4 x 4 vehicle or even used as a shoulder-fired weapon with a two man crew.

The M18A1 can fire a  2.24 inch (57mm) caliber round at a muzzle velocity of 1200ft/s (365m/s), giving it an effective range of  492yards (450m). The maximum range of the M18A1 is nearly 4400yards (4000m).

Heat and HE rounds can be fired.

It is claimed that the M18A1 has a barrel life of 2,500 rounds.

US soldier firing an M18A1 recoilless rifle during the Korean War

Guerilla forces have sometimes found the M18A1 useful against government forces, because the rocket launcher is easy to use in an ambush.

Although it might damage light-wheeled vehicles and some old APCs, the Brazilian M18A1 recoilless rifle is not likely to be an effective weapon against today’s heavier armored vehicles.