PzF 44

Infobox Weapon
name=PzF 44 2A1


caption=
origin=flagcountry|Germany
type=Antitank rocket launcher
is_ranged=yes
service=1960's–1980's
used_by=Germany
wars=
designer=
design_date=
manufacturer=Dynamit Nobel
unit_cost=
production_date=
number=
variants=
spec_label=
weight=7.8 kg
length= 880 mm
part_length=
width=
height=
diameter=
crew=
cartridge=
caliber= 44mm barrel, 67mm warhead
barrels=
action=
rate=
velocity= 168 m/s (muzzle)
210 m/s (max)
range=
max_range= ~ 400 m
feed=
sights= Telescope

The PzF 44 2A1 (also called "Lanze" or "Panzerfaust") is a disposable recoilless antitank weapon developed around 1960 and put into service by the Bundeswehr shortly thereafter. It was developed to provide West German infantry with a modern replacement for the Bazooka that they had previously used. As such, it was the first German antitank rocket developed after World War II, a conflict in which German hand-held antitank weapons such as the Panzerfaust played a prominent rôle during 1944-45. The Lanze was a product of a period in which the German army was reequipped with locally-developed arms and equipment and retired the aging U.S. gear that had formed their initial arsenal.

The Lanze's 1.5 kg high explosive antitank (HEAT) DM-32 projectile could penetrate 370 mm of rolled homogeneous armor and hit moving targets at a range of 300 meters. The Lanze could also fire a multi-purpose warhead. During the 1980's, the PzF 44 was replaced by the Panzerfaust 3.

External links

* [http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jiw/del01339.html Jane's extract on the PzF 44]