Marines fire an MK-153 shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapon during Fuji Viper at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Dec. 10, 2020. The exercise allows infantry units to maintain their lethality and proficiency in infantry and combined arms tactics.

The MK-153 launches from the shoulder, making it an excellent portable assault weapon for disrupting emplacements and reinforced positions a.k.a. bunkers. It also serves as an anti-armor rocket. Its maximum effective range against a tank-sized target is 500 meters. The MK-153 was originally introduced into the military in 1984 and is still in service today.

Recent applications of the MK 153 have included the addition of a thermobaric rocket which has the power to raze an entire building.