9 X 33 TRAINER FOR 112mm APILAS ROCKET

Research notes

Training cartridge for the 112mm APILAS (Armor-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System) that was developed by GIAT during the late 1970’s as a response to a request for proposals from the French armed forces for a new recoilless infantry anti-tank weapon. The 112mm APILAS is a cumbersome and heavy piece of ordnance and the main drawback is the significant backblast that can result in serious injury or death and damage to property with a danger area of up to 50m, resulting in troops not allowed to fire more that 2 to 3 per day. It also makes it immediately visible to the enemy. The training cartridge consists of an otherwise standard launch tube containing a breech-loading, single-shot rifle, that mimics the ballistics of the APILAS rocket. Cartridges are made by Lapua in Finland.