24 September 2003 | 1 Comment
L-39 AT Rifle
The 1930s trend was to build AT rifles to counter enemy armor, especially the lighter vehicles. Finland followed the suit and just before Winter War in late 1939 the 20mm L-39 AT rifle entered service. It proved to be excellent weapon in it’s class with semiautomatic operation, 10-round clip and capability to penetrate 20mm of armor in 60 degrees angle at a distance of 300 meters. This fearsome weapon weighs 49kg and is 2,24 meters long, making it cumbersome like all other AT rifles. Needless to say it proved ineffective against late-war armor and in the summer battles of 1944 it was modified to shoot down armored ground-attack planes. Curiously, it was retained as an anti-helicopter weapon until 1980s.
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This weapon would be effective against light armoured vehicles along the BMP/BTR class.Also against hovering helos.
However,cumbersome to move unless winter warfare was the operational time.
Hence effective during the Russian invasion.
If available to taliban now,it would wreck the CH-47 fleet.Am inexpensive alternative to missles.