Weapons used in the Vietnam War included: assault rifles, mortars, light machine guns, tanks, jets, helicopters, mines land traps and toxic gases that were intended to kill plant life in the area. However, toxic gases cause serious health problems. Vietnam War weapons were lightweight and had a greater firing range than weapons from previous wars. Both the United States and Vietnam used extremely lethal weapons that caused tons of damage domestically and cost both countries many casualties. The weapons used by American soldiers were the M-16, which is a "gas-powered, magazine-fed aircraft." rifle that fired a .223 caliber bullet. It could also fire 700 to 900 rounds per minute in fully automatic mode. The M-16 also had a secondary attachment called the M-203 which could fire a grenade up to 400 m with a loss radius of 5 m” (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 "a 105mm howitzer that fired high-explosive shrapnel bombs with a rate of fire of 3 to 8 rounds per minute" (History.com). The howitzer was also used as the M 60 machine gun by being mounted on tanks and helicopters. American soldiers used the M-79 40mm, also known as the thumper, which resembled a sawed-off shotgun. It could fire up to 300 yards and fired a 6.5 pound grenade. The M-72 is a lightweight BBMM anti-tank weapon that weighed 5.2 pounds. It was also used as an anti-bunker and fired a 1 kg rocket that could travel 300 meters. (173dairborne) » “The US military has used many different types of helicopters like the HU-1A. It had a T53-6-5 engine, which developed 700 horsepower and could hold up to 8,500 pounds... middle of paper ... helicopters, land mines, booby traps and poison gas. Each weapon had a different use: it could be used to kill people or to devastate the land and plant life of the area. The weapons of the Vietnam War were some of the most devastating weapons ever used in warfare, and due to the devastation, these 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 Historical reference center.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. Mgr Chris. “American Weapons of the Vietnam War.” Osprey Publishing Ltd 2007 6-185 print Meyerson, 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. Internet. 2/3/14.Weapons of the Vietnam War. Millitaryfactory.comVietnam/vietnam_warweapons.asp.web.2/28/14.