Weapons used in the Vietnam War included: assault rifles, mortars, light machine guns, tanks, jets, helicopters, land mines, booby traps, and poisonous gases that were intended to kill plant life in the area. However, poisonous gases cause serious health problems. Vietnam War weapons were lightweight and had a longer firing range than weapons from previous wars. Both the United States and Vietnam used extremely lethal weapons that caused tons of land damage and cost both countries many human casualties. The weapon used by US soldiers was the M-16, which is a "gas-operated, magazine-fed aircraft". rifle that fired a .223 caliber round. It could also fire 700-900 rounds per minute in full automatic mode. The M-16 also had a secondary attack called the M-203 that could launch a grenade up to 400 meters with a damage radius of 5 meters” (Meyerson). American soldiers also used the M-60 light machine gun which could be mounted on tanks and helicopters and used as an artillery weapon. They also used "the 105mm howitzer which fired explosive shrapnel bombs at a rate of fire of 3 to 8 rounds per minute" (History.com). The howitzer was also used like the M 60 machine gun being mounted on tanks and helicopters. American soldiers used the 40mm M-79, also known as a thumper, which looked like a shotgun. It could fire up to 300 meters and throw a 6.5-pound grenade. The M-72 is a light BBMM anti-tank weapon that weighed 5.2 pounds. It was also used as an anti-bunker and launched a 1 kg rocket that could travel 300 meters. (173dairborne)” “The US Army has used several types of helicopters such as the HU-1A. It had a T53-6-5 engine, which put out 700 horsepower and could support up to 8,500 pounds... middle of paper... helicopters, land mines, booby traps, and poisonous gas. Each weapon had a different use and could be used to kill people or cause devastation to the land and vegetation of the area. The weapons of the Vietnam War were among the most devastating weapons ever used in warfare, and due to the devastation, those weapons were never used again. Works Cited Goldsborough, James O. “France, The European Crisis and the Alliance.” Foreign Affairs 52.3 (1974): 538-355. Historical reference center. Web, February 3, 2014. Bishop Chris. “American armaments of the Vietnam War”. Osprey publishing Ltd 2007 6-185 printMeyerson, Joel D. "Machine Gun". Advanced World Book. World Book, 2014 Web. February 3, 2014. Weapons of the Vietnam War. History. com. Vietnam War: Aerial Weapons. Network. 2/3/14.Weapons of the Vietnam War. Millitaryfactory.comVietnam/vietnam_warweapons.asp.web.2/28/14.