Shoulder-fired
The rocket launchers category includes shoulder-fired missile weapons, any weapon that fires a rocket-propelled projectile at a target yet is small enough to be carried by a single person and fired while held on one's shoulder. Depending on the country or region, people might use the terms "bazooka" or "RPG" as generalized terms to refer to such weapons, both of which are in fact specific types of rocket launchers. Bazooka is an American anti-tank weapon which was in service in 1942–1957. Rocket-propelled grenade, better known as RPG, is a Soviet anti-tank weapon.
Other forms of shoulder-launched rocket weapons include anti-tank guided missile, a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily-armored vehicles, as well as Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), which provides shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. A smaller variation is the gyrojet, a small arms rocket launcher with ammunition slightly larger than that of a .45-caliber pistol.
Recoilless rifles are sometimes confused with rocket launchers. However, the recoilless rifle merely fires a large projectile, not a projectile that continues to propel itself after leaving the barrel of the weapon.
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