Camp Fuji, Japan. (July 10, 2024): When you hear the word “Bazooka”, it conjures World War II images of gallant infantrymen confronting an enemy tank at point blank range. In this photo by Corporal Anna Geier, Marines with 4th Marine Regiment fire the modern version of the Bazooka, the M3E1 Multi-purpose Anti-armor Anti-personnel Weapon System or (MAAWS).

The Bazooka was adopted by the Army in World War II to attack tanks and fortified positions at extremely close range. The weapon consisted of a steel tube equipped with a hand grip, a trigger, and a sighting mechanism. Today’s MAAWS is a reloadable, recoilless rocket that is reusable and can fire illumination, smoke, and airburst rounds. It is designed for anti-personnel, armor penetration, and bunker busting. Unlike its predecessors, the MAAWS has greater range and can hit moving targets with the aid of its modern fire control system. The system incorporates an integrated laser range finder and a modular ballistic computer capable of programming high explosive air-bursting ammunition and engaging moving targets at up to 2,000 feet.

The weapon is operated by a two-man crew, a gunner who carries and fires the weapon and a loader who carries four rounds of ammunition. As the gunner takes aim, the loader checks the area behind the weapon for people and obstacles in the back-blast area. Unlike its single shot cousin, the M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon (LAW), the additional rounds available to the MAAWS increase an infantry squad’s options when attacking targets.

Over the next five years, the Army and Marine Corps are expected to field more than 2,500 of these lightweight weapons to their close combat forces. Each unit costs around $20,000 with its ammunition adding $500 to $3,000 per round depending on the projectile type.

Since 2022, Ukrainian forces have used the MAAWS in combat against Russian tanks and infantry to devastating effect. According to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, a MAAWS was used to destroy the first of Russia’s most sophisticated T-90M main battle tanks.