Firing from Inside a Building

Anti-Armor Systems in the Urban Environment Firing from Inside a Building Must be of sturdy construction 7 feet high ceiling Floors should be 15ft X 15ft Need 20 square feet room ventilation 7 by 3 foot door is sufficient Remove all glass Stay forward of rear of launcher Wear hearing protection Provide support for the crew to egress the building. Backblast Consideration outdoor Loose rubble and debris 90 degree fan for 90 meters to the rear Debris should be cleared for 30 meters Backblast Considerations Indoor Hearing damage Overpressure not a factor to the gunner Room should be 7 feet high and a floor size of 15 X 12 feet 20 square feet of ventilation to the rear and sides of weapon Wetting the floor will minimize signature Summary Provides anti-mechanized support to infantry units Employment affected by: Dead space Range Obstacles To be successful in an urban environment, all military forces must use combined arms. We know this, and so does our enemy. In order to counter the enemy's combined arms threat, the successful employment of Anti-Armor Weapons Systems is critical. (4) Firing from inside a building. Whenever possible firing a TOW from inside a building should be avoided. However, when the mission dictates that this must be done, the following should be taken into account. (a) The building must be of sturdy construction (b) The ceiling should be at least 7 feet high (c) The floor size of the room should be no less than 15 by 15 feet, larger if possible (d) At least 20 square feet of room ventilation should exist, preferably to the rear of the weapon. An open 7 by 3-foot door is sufficient. Removing sections of interior partitions can create additional ventilation (e) All glass must be removed from windows and all objects that can be picked up by the weapons backblast must be removed. (f) All personnel in the room should be forward of the rear of the launcher (g) All personnel in the room should wear double hearing protection and ballistic goggles. (h) After firing of the missile it is imperative that the gun crew has support to egress from the building. A TOW crew of 2 men cannot relocate the system due to bulk of the separate components. This is why the TOW should only be ground mounted as a last resort. (1) Backblast effects in the open urban environment are more hazardous due to loose rubble and the channeling effects of narrow streets / alleys. (2) The blast zone for the AT-4 is a 90-degree fan that extends approximately 90 meters to the rear of the weapon. Debris should be cleared from the 90-degree fan to a distance of 30 meters. (1) Backblast effects on troops firing from enclosed spaces presents no serious hazards, except hearing damage, even when the overpressure is enough to produce structural damage to the building (hearing protection required). (2) There is no substantial degradation of gunner’s accuracy as a result of overpressure. (3) Nevertheless, gunners should take advantage of every opportunity to maximize ventilation to the extent that it does not affect the camouflage / cover of the firing position. (4) The building should be of sturdy construction (especially the roof) with a ceiling at least 7 feet high and a floor size of at least 15 feet x 12 feet. (5) 20 square feet of ventilation should exist to the rear and sides of the weapon. (6) All personnel should be forward of the weapon when it is fired. Wetting the floor will minimize signature /obscuration.