If you’re a pyromaniac, you should probably never be in charge of the Mark 77 Incendiary bombs. These powerful war tools cause a massive inferno mere seconds after exploding, and are used very sparingly as a result. It’s use was banned worldwide in 1980, after large populations of civilians were burnt alive by these weapons.
Mark 77 Incendiary bombs were used by the United States Marines during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. More recently, highly controversial reports of unauthorized use of these by the U.S. military have surfaced, but they are currently unproven and remain in the rumor zone at the moment.
The RIM-1616 Rolling Airframe Missile
Meet the U.S. Navy’s RIM-116 Rolling Airframe missiles. Although they are similar to Sea Sparrow missiles, there are a few differences between them. Rolling Airframe missiles are much lighter than Sparrows and have a smaller frame. The missile’s name comes from its ability to roll around in mid-flight, making it very hard to intercept.
Rolling Airframe missiles are very cheap relative to other U.S. Navy missiles, but can be quite effective nonetheless. These warfare devices have an effective range of 5.5 miles and can travel at up to 1,500 miles per hour. Their speed, rolling abilities, and low cost is what makes them a very attractive solution for Navy skirmishes.
The M136 AT4
The M136 AT4 is an unguided, portable rocket launcher that can fire a single light tank-destroying missile. There’s no recoil when shooting the rocket launcher, which is one of the reasons it’s so popular. The AT-4 was employed by the United States in almost every major war since the 1989 US Invasion of Panama, and is currently used in a vastly upgraded version.
The M136 AT4 fires highly explosive, piercing missiles fitted with HEAT warheads. This rocket launcher weighs 15 pounds and has a range of 0.2 miles. It’s a popular anti-vehicle weapon thanks to being very easy to carry and use in a large variety of warfare situations.
The M240
The M240 machine gun is a Caliber 7.62 mm NATO turret that can decimate even well-armored targets. M240s are usually fired from an integrated bipod or tripod, and can also be mounted on a vehicle. These weapons are quite heavy and weigh more than 25 pounds, which is why they are used almost exclusively when mounted.
The M240 uses an average cartridge of 7.62×51mm, and can hit targets up to 1,200 yards away when docket. The M240 shoots at rates of up to 100 rounds per minute, with a required barrel change every 10 minutes or so. It uses an air-cooling system to keep it from overheating, although short breaks are required between bursts.
The General-Purpose Bomb
General-purpose bombs are mainly used against larger targets, and have been in use since World War II. The U.S has since updated them, and branched these into a four unit family, called the Mark 80, which goes through up to the Mark 84. Each subsequent unit from the first to the latter weighs twice as much.
The main difference from the Mark 80 to the Mark 84 is basically size. Mark 81 and Mark 82 are the most popular ones in the family, and strike an effective balance between weight and precision. Mark 84’s weigh a whopping 2,000 pounds, and are only used in very specific cases due to their bias towards massive, earth scorching damage.