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L6 Wombat

 
L6 Wombat

 
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L6 Wombat
 
 
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The L6 Wombat, (Weapon Of Magnesium, Battalion, Anti-Tank) was a 120 mm calibre recoilless anti-tank rifle
Recoilless rifle

A recoilless gun or recoilless rifle is a lightweight form of weapon that allows the firing of a heavier projectile than would be practical with a recoiling weapon....
 used by the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
. They were used until anti-tank guided missile
Anti-tank guided missile

An anti-tank guided missile or anti-tank guided weapon is a Missile guidance missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily-armored tanks and other armored fighting vehicles....
s such as Vigilant
Vickers Vigilant

The Vickers Vigilant was a British MCLOS wire guided anti-tank missile used by the British Army. It was licence-built for the US Marine Corps as Clevite in the USA....
 and MILAN
Milan

Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy....
 took their place.

The Wombat replaced the earlier BAT and MoBAT weapons, themselves developments of the wartime "Ordnance, RCL, 3.45 in
Ordnance, RCL, 3.45 in

The 3.45 inch RCL was a British recoilless rifle weapon, designed by Charles Dennistoun Burney during the Second World War. Delayed by problems due to wear upon firing, it did not see action, as was hoped, in the Far East....
" recoilless rifle, and was in turn replaced by anti-tank guided missiles.






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Wombat Recoilless Weapon
The L6 Wombat, (Weapon Of Magnesium, Battalion, Anti-Tank) was a 120 mm calibre recoilless anti-tank rifle
Recoilless rifle

A recoilless gun or recoilless rifle is a lightweight form of weapon that allows the firing of a heavier projectile than would be practical with a recoiling weapon....
 used by the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
. They were used until anti-tank guided missile
Anti-tank guided missile

An anti-tank guided missile or anti-tank guided weapon is a Missile guidance missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily-armored tanks and other armored fighting vehicles....
s such as Vigilant
Vickers Vigilant

The Vickers Vigilant was a British MCLOS wire guided anti-tank missile used by the British Army. It was licence-built for the US Marine Corps as Clevite in the USA....
 and MILAN
Milan

Milan is the second largest city of Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. It is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the Regions of Italy capital of Lombardy....
 took their place.

The Wombat replaced the earlier BAT and MoBAT weapons, themselves developments of the wartime "Ordnance, RCL, 3.45 in
Ordnance, RCL, 3.45 in

The 3.45 inch RCL was a British recoilless rifle weapon, designed by Charles Dennistoun Burney during the Second World War. Delayed by problems due to wear upon firing, it did not see action, as was hoped, in the Far East....
" recoilless rifle, and was in turn replaced by anti-tank guided missiles. The Wombat was usually mounted on a small two wheeled trolley - when locked to the trolley the weapon was towed by a towing eye on the gun barrel itself. The Wombat was also mounted on the FV432/40
FV432

The FV432 is the armoured personnel carrier variant of the British Army's FV430 series of armoured fighting vehicles. Since its introduction in the 1960s it has been the most common variant, being used for transporting infantry on the battlefield....
 armoured personnel carrier
Armoured personnel carrier

Armoured personnel carriers are armoured fighting vehicles developed to transport infantry on the battlefield. They usually have only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortar ....
.

The usual round for Wombat was a HESH which it could fire out to around 1,000 m.Other ammunition types include the canister and modified canister rounds. The latter releasing flechettes or small darts, in a "shotgun" effect. These rounds could be used against infantry in the open.

During the cold war era, NATO and British Royal Marine forces used the Swedish made Snow Trac
Snow Trac

The Snow Trac is a small personal Snowcat that is roughly the size of a modern compact car....
 as a carrier for the L6 Wombat in the snow covered mountains of Norway.

Variants


  • BAT, Battalion Anti Tank
The original towed gun complete with a heavy armoured shield.


  • L4 MOBAT
A BAT with the shield removed to lighten it and a spotting weapon added. It could be towed by an Austin Champ
Austin Champ

The Austin Champ was the civilian version of a British Army vehicle made by the Austin Motor Company. The army version was officially known as "Truck, 1/4 ton, CT, 4x4, cargo & FFW, Austin Mk.1" however the civilian name "Champ" was universally, if unofficially applied to the vehicle....
 or later the Land Rover


  • L6 WOMBAT (Weapon Of Magnesium BAT)
A new build weapon with lightweight carriage which meant it was usable by mobile troops such as the Parachute Regiment or Royal Marine Commandos. It was also fitted to vehicles such as the FV432
FV432

The FV432 is the armoured personnel carrier variant of the British Army's FV430 series of armoured fighting vehicles. Since its introduction in the 1960s it has been the most common variant, being used for transporting infantry on the battlefield....
 or a 3/4 ton Portee Land Rover
Land Rover

Land Rover is an all-terrain vehicle and Multi Purpose Vehicle manufacturer, based in Solihull, West Midlands , England, now operated as part of the Jaguar Land Rover business owned by Tata Motors of India....
. Could engage targets out to 2000 meters with .5 Browning fitted if the strike could be observed by a third party.


  • L7 CONBAT ("Converted BAT")
A conversion of the MoBAT or BAT with the .5 Browning spotting rifle.