The introduction of reactive and active armors on combat vehicles of the then Warsaw Pact countries started a development in the technology of the ability of the warheads, the effective range and the optical sights of anti-tank recoilless rifles were therefore improved substantially.

Despite these technological improvements, the primary role of the recoilless firing system as the most effective weapon against armored tanks, at a distance up to 600 m (2,000 ft), remained the most important to infantrymen until the late 1990s.

The Bundeswehr at the time was equipped with the aging Panzerfaust 44 and the heavy Carl Gustaf 84 mm recoilless rifle.

The latest incarnation of the Panzerfaust 3, the PzF 3-IT-600, can be fired from ranges up to 600 m (2,000 ft) thanks to an advanced computer-assisted sighting and targeting mechanism.

Both new weapons are expected to help facilitate the transition in German military doctrine from preparation for major tank battles to urban and low-level warfare.

The penetration performance of the Panzerfaust 3 is due to the shaped charge principle and the quick response of the percussion fuse; the effect on the target does not depend on the impact velocity.

The rear of the tube, filled with plastic granulate, minimizes the blast effect by the so-called recoilless countermass principle.

An optical sight with line pattern fixed to the reusable firing mechanism enables it to engage moving or static targets.

To ensure night combat ability, a night-vision device or residual light amplifier can be set up in front of the optical sight.

It is meant to cope with the fact that some soldiers have had difficulties with the regular sight, as its scope is quite complex to the untrained eye.