This 1970s Era Missile Is Still Being Used Today to Deadly Effect

During the 1970s, the United States engaged in the Vietnam War and the Cold War with the Soviet Union, withdrawing combat troops in 1973 and exiting after the fall of Saigon in 1975. Special task forces monitored the Soviet Union, Afghanistan, and Iran for potential threats to democracy. The decade ushered in a new era of U.S. military equipment, with a generation of American-made small arms and missile systems reshaping soldier loadouts for decades. Notable systems include the BGM-71 TOW/TOW-2 and modern rifle designs such as the M14 and M16. A catalog of small arms from Military Factory was used to identify guns introduced in the 1970s, ordered alphabetically, and supplemental data covered type, year introduced, manufacturer, firing action, caliber, and feed.

During the 1970s, the United States was involved in two slow-burning conflicts, the Vietnam War and the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In 1973, after slogging through a decade of a costly, divisive, and ever-intensifying conflict in Vietnam, U.S. combat troops left the country. With the fall of Saigon in April 1975, the government made its exit from the Southeast Asian jungles. They would then turn their attention to the Soviet Union.

These changes ushered in a new era of the U.S. military. While this was true for all the higher-ups in a broad sense, the average American soldier would also see a new generation of weapons come to light. A new generation of weapons, including modern designs like the M14 and the M16, would go on to impact how U.S. soldiers were equipped for decades to come. These were the American-made guns of the 1970s.

To identify American guns introduced in the 1970s, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of small arms from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, arms, and aircraft. We ordered these guns alphabetically. Though these guns were developed in the 70s, it is important to note some of them were not used by the military until years later. We included supplemental information regarding the type of small arm, year introduced, manufacturer, firing action, caliber, and feed.

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