PIAT

Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank
PIAT at the Museum of Army Flying
Type	Anti-tank weapon
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1942–1950
Used by	British Empire & Commonwealth
Wars	Second World War 1948 Arab-Israeli War Korean War Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Production history
Designer	Major Millis Jefferis
Designed	1942
Manufacturer	Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd., various others.
Produced	August 1942
No. built	115,000
Specifications
Weight	32 pounds (15 kg)
Length	39 inches (0.99 m)
Muzzle velocity	250 feet per second (76 m/s)
Effective firing range	115 yards (110 m)
Maximum firing range	350 yards (320 m)
Sights	aperture sight
Filling	Hollow Charge
Filling weight	2.5 pounds (1.1 kg)
Detonation mechanism	Impact

The Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank (PIAT) Mk I was a British man-portable anti-tank weapon developed during the Second World War. The PIAT was designed in 1942 in response to the British Army's need for a more effective infantry anti-tank weapon, and entered service in 1943.

The PIAT was based on the spigot mortar system, that launched a 2.5 pound (1.1 kg) bomb using a powerful spring and a cartridge in the tail of the projectile. It possessed an effective range of approximately 115 yards (110 m) in a direct fire anti-tank role, and 350 yards (320 m) in an indirect fire 'house-breaking' role. The PIAT had several advantages over other infantry anti-tank weapons of the period, which included relative lack of muzzle smoke to reveal the position of the user, and an inexpensive barrel; however, the type also had some disadvantages, a difficulty in cocking the weapon, the fragility of the barrel, powerful recoil, and problems with ammunition reliability.

The PIAT was first used during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, and remained in use with British and Commonwealth forces until the early 1950s. PIATs were supplied to or obtained by other nations and forces, including the Soviet Union (through Lend Lease), the French resistance, the Polish Underground, and the Israeli Haganah (which used PIATs during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War). Six members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces received Victoria Crosses for their use of the PIAT in combat.

At the beginning of the Second World War, the British Army possessed two primary anti-tank weapons for its infantry: the Boys anti-tank rifle and the No. 68 AT Rifle Grenade. However, neither of these was particularly effective as an anti-tank weapon. The No. 68 anti-tank grenade was designed to be fired from a discharger fitted onto the muzzle of an infantryman's rifle, but this meant that the grenade was too light to deal significant damage, resulting in it rarely being used in action. The Boys was also inadequate in the anti-tank role. It was heavy, which meant that it was difficult for infantry to handle effectively, and was outdated; by 1940 it was effective only at short ranges, and then only against armoured cars and light tanks. In November 1941 during Operation Crusader, part of the North African Campaign, staff officers of the British Eighth Army were unable to find even a single instance of the Boys knocking out a German tank.