John I'd disagree with the way you state your point above. While the M202 went through a developmental phase like all munitions, I doubt that the XM-191 existed for long enough to characterize it as existing in the US inventory. I know that I've never seen one, and have never spoken to anyone that has seen one. The M202 rocket itself is extremely rare, the one that Pat shows above is one of only a handful of actual (non-BS pieces) that I've seen across the country. Stating that the US had two types makes it sound as if they were stockpiled. If you want to count minor developmental models you could probably say that the US had a couple of hundred types, going back to a dozen or so for the 2.36-inch. I would tend to discount the XM191 on this basis.
Each of the articles linked seem a bit weak. The first is written by a non-technical person that doesn't seem to know much about ordnance (LAWS? Thickened Pyrotechnic Agent?) and the second is overly emotional and relying on assumption and "failure to deny" to make their case. I personally doubt very much that the M202 was in theater in Afghanistan, the bulk of these systems were produced in the 1960s-70s and neither the motor propellant or the pyrophoric agent ages terribly well. Refitting the systems would make no sense as everything would need to be replaced. What the author failed to realize or explore was the Russian advancements (and US consequential interest) in thermobarics, well advanced beyond the M202. A little info got out on US entry into the field back around the entry into Afghanistan, then everything went quiet. That would seem like a much more likely scenario than deploying an obsolete and potentially hazardous (to the user) 30-40+ year old system.
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