Great. Another weapon we have to worry about some whack-job getting and using against a school.
Defense Tech: War is hell. But it???s worse when the Marines bring out their new urban combat weapon, the SMAW-NE. Which may be why they???re not talking about it, much.
This is a version of the standard USMC Shoulder Mounted Assault Weapon but with a new warhead. Described as NE – “Novel Explosive”- it is a thermobaric mixture which ignites the air, producing a shockwave of unparalleled destructive power, especially against buildings.
smaw-ne sequence.JPGA post-action report from Iraq describes the effect of the new weapon: “One unit disintegrated a large one-storey masonry type building with one round from 100 meters. They were extremely impressed.” Elsewhere it is described by one Marine as “an awesome piece of ordnance.”