Gunner Errors When using the M72A2 LAW Sight
Abstract
An experiment was conducted to: (1) measure the accuracy of infantry LAW gunners performing the aiming tasks necessary to achieve effective fire with the M72A2 Light Antitank Weapon (LAW); and (2) determine whether gunner errors arose primarily from insufficient training, or from the complicated nature of the tasks themselves. Three groups of infantry advanced individual training (AIT) graduates, two of which had just received refresher training on the M72A2 LAW, were interviewed and tested on a mock-up of a LAW sight. The performance test required each subject to estimate the range to targets using stadia lines, and then to position the target in the sight mock-up in the correct manner to achieve a hit. Subjects who had received the refresher training were significantly more accurate in the performance tasks, and expressed more confidence in their ability to use the M72A2 sight effectively, than the subjects who had not; however, even the subjects who had received additional training made a substantial number of serious errors. It is concluded that the human performance tasks necessary to use the M72A2 LAW sight are complicated enough that inadequately trained gunners will make frequency and sizeable errors, thus significantly reducing the battlefield effectiveness of the LAW weapon system. Recommendations are proposed for improving training in these tasks.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1975
- Accession Number
- ADA016864
Entities
People
- Dominick J. Giordano
Organizations
- United States Army Materiel Command