Despite the popular misconception that shaped charges "melt" tank armor, the shaped charge does not depend in any way on heating or melting for its effectiveness; that is, the superplastic metal jet from a shaped charge impact on armor forms mainly due to a sudden and intense mechanical stress and does not melt its way through armor, as its effect is purely due to kinetic energy in nature. However, as tank armor increased in thickness and effectiveness, the anti-tank guns needed to defeat them became increasingly heavy, cumbersome and expensive. [21] Well-sloped armor also gives some protection because the shaped charge is forced to penetrate a greater amount of armor due to the oblique angle. Mark IV tanks, however, had slightly thicker armor. Soviet RPGs were used extensively during the Vietnam War (by the Vietnam People's Army and Vietcong),[11] as well as during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan by the Mujahideen and against South Africans in Angola and Namibia (formerly South West Africa) by SWAPO guerillas during what the South Africans called the South African Border War. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com. [32] The most noteworthy use of RPGs against aircraft in Afghanistan occurred on 6 August 2011 when Taliban fighters shot down a U.S. CH-47 Chinook helicopter killing all 38 personnel on board including SEAL Team 6 from a range of 220 meters. The No 68 was fired from a rifle using the Mills grenade cup launcher. RPGs are generally loaded from the front.[1]. The RPG-2 was developed in 1949 and went into Soviet and Combloc military service in the 1950s. At the time, Soviet helicopters countered the threat from RPGs at landing zones by first clearing them with anti-personnel saturation fire. As the U.S.-supplied Stinger surface-to-air missiles became available to them, the Afghans abandoned RPG attacks as the smart missiles proved especially efficient in the destruction of unarmed Soviet transport helicopters, such as Mil Mi-17. So-called PRIGs (Propelled Recoilless Improvised Grenade) were improvised warheads used by the Provisional IRA. Even though the RPG-30 "Kryuk" anti-tank grenade launcher took a back seat to the formidable Armata tank at this year’s Russia Arms Expo, specialist interest in this deadly weapon was nonetheless just as great. It was not clear if investigators have contacted him or if he was the driver at the time of the incident. [30] In areas where vehicles were confined to a single path (a mountain road, swamps, snow, urban areas), RPG teams trapped convoys by destroying the first and last vehicles in line, preventing movement of the other vehicles. RPG does not stand for “Rocket Propelled Grenade”, but rather is the Russian abbreviation for “Ruchnoy Protivotankoviyy Granatomyot” or “Hand-held Anti-Tank Grenade Launcher”. It can work in a different situation. Bazooka is the common name for a man-portable, tube launched, recoilless rocket antitank weapon, widely fielded by the United States Army. Before the adoption of the shaped charge, anti-tank guns and tank guns relied primarily on kinetic energy of metal shells to defeat armor. This led to situations where infantry could find themselves defenseless against tanks and unable to attack tanks. There, she was introduced to the world of Superfund sites while covering several municipalities and also spent time covering state and federal courts. For added protection, vehicles may be retrofitted with reactive armor; on impact, reactive tiles explode or deform, disrupting the normal function of the shaped charge. [7] Although a number of large caliber guns were developed during the war that were capable of knocking out the most heavily armored tanks, they proved slow to set up and difficult to conceal. To further increase the chance of success, the teams took up positions at different elevations where possible. However, unlike the RPG-27, there is a smaller diameter precursor round in a smaller side barrel tube in addition to the main round in the main tube. Its aforementioned ease of use and cheapness allowed it to be produced in enormous quantities and tens of thousands of them were p… These warheads are affixed to a rocket motor which propels the RPG towards the target and they are stabilized in flight with fins. Tanks are the most threatening for the ground troops because they have high damage capacity and can destroy buildings and ground army on the large scale. Recent German systems were able to reduce reaction delay to mere milliseconds, cancelling this advantage.[20]. However, heavily armored vehicles, such as main battle tanks, are generally too well armored to be penetrated by an RPG, unless weaker sections of the armor are exploited. [5] This led to the concept of anti-tank guns, a form of artillery specifically designed to destroy armored fighting vehicles, normally from static defensive positions (that is, immobile during a battle). Physical index. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department released this photo on Dec. 25, 2020 of an an anti-tank rocket propelled grenade launcher that deputies reported finding in the backseat of … [8] Most anti-tank guns were developed in the 1930s as improvements in tanks were noted,[4] and nearly every major arms manufacturer produced one type or another. By 1961, the M72 LAW was in use. [18] The American army is ranking the RPG-29 threat to American armor as high; they have refused to allow the newly formed Iraqi army to buy it, fearing that it would fall into the hands of insurgents.[19]. The driver lost part of a foot and two more of the crew were injured, but the driver was able to reverse 2.4 km (1.5 mi) to an aid post. Various warheads are also capable of causing secondary damage to vulnerable systems (especially sights, tracks, rear and roof of turrets) and other unarmored targets. The launcher is designed so that the rocket exits the launcher without discharging an exhaust that would be dangerous to the operator (an issue that tended to affect the earliest RPG weapon systems such as the German Panzerschreck, which featured a metal shield for the operator attached to the launch tube). It was also issued to support and headquarters elements. Multiple shooters were also effective against heavy tanks with reactive armor: The first shot would be against the driver's viewing prisms. Others are reloadable, such as the Soviet RPG-7 and the Israeli B-300. Some types of RPG are reloadable with new rocket-propelled grenades, while others are single-use. Details and condtion see pics. However, modern heavily armored vehicles, such as main battle tanks, are generally too well protected (with thick composite or reactive armor) to be penetrated by an RPG, unless less armored sections of the vehicle are exploited. An anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher was found in a car abandoned in Grand Terrace after the vehicle was struck by a bullet, authorities say. Britain put the first anti-tank grenade into the field during the Second World War in late 1940 with the No 68 AT Grenade, which was one of the first "any" type anti-tank weapons of the shape charge or HEAT type. The RPG-7 was designed by the Bazalt company in 1961 and later adopted by the Soviet Army in the same year. The very first tanks, the British Mark I, could be penetrated by these weapons under the right conditions. [7] The latter generation of low-recoil anti-tank weapons, which allowed projectiles the size of an artillery shell to be fired from a man's shoulder, was considered a far more viable option for arming infantrymen.[4]. The RPG-30 is a man-portable, disposable anti-tank rocket launcher with a single shot capacity. During World War I the Germans were the first to come up with an improvised anti-tank grenade by taking their regular "potato masher"stick grenade and taping two or three more high explosive heads to create one larger grenade. [17] In May 2008, The New York Times disclosed that an American M1 tank had also been damaged by an RPG-29 in Iraq. The British Army eventually followed many Western forces when it adopted the American Bazooka and it was this weapon that officially ended the PIAT's reign. Linh returned to her home state of California in 2019. In combat, after arming, the grenade was thrown on top of the slowly advancing tank where the armor was thin. Armies found that they needed to give infantry a human-portable (i.e., can be carried by one soldier) weapon to defeat enemy armor when no wheeled anti-tank guns were available, since anti tank rifles were no longer effective. For example, if a soldier or other fighter launches an RPG at a hovering helicopter, even if the helicopter releases chaff flares, engages in signal jamming or releases radar-fooling foil, this will have no effect on a typical RPG warhead in flight, even if these measures might protect against more sophisticated surface-to-air missiles. Similar solutions are active protection systems (APS), engaging and destroying closing projectiles, such as the Russian Drozd and Arena, as well as the recent Israeli TROPHY Active Protection System. The RPG-32 Hashim was designed and developed by Bazalt for the Jordanian Armed Forces in 2005. During the First (1994–1996) and Second Chechen Wars (1999–2009), Chechen rebels used RPGs to attack Russian tanks from basements and high rooftops. Launchers available for sale directly from the leading Military and Defence Supplier ☆Armshield Ltd☆. Both missed the target, with one hitting a Yugoslav Airlines's DC-9 instead.[29]. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The United States Army developed a lightweight antitank weapon (LAW) in the middle 1950s. A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. The small arms were used to button the tank up and keep any infantry occupied, while the RPG gunner struck at the tank. They were then able to create mayhem as their comrades attacked from the outside.[34]. A rocket-propelled grenade (often abbreviated RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. The weapons are now in service with the Royal Jordania… With reloadable RPGs, a new rocket can be inserted into the muzzle of the weapon after firing. The static nature of trench warfare in World War I encouraged the use of shielded defenses, even including personal armor, that were impenetrable by standard rifle ammunition. [7] In order to penetrate armor they fired specialized ammunition from proportionally longer barrels to achieve a higher muzzle velocity than field guns. The Mujahideen also utilized the 4.5-second timer on RPG rounds to make the weapon function as part of a flak battery, using multiple launchers to increase hit probabilities. To assure a kill, two to four RPG shooters would be assigned to each vehicle. It is a recoilless weapon, which is easy to use, and effective against armored vehicles. Since then, the ERA has been replaced with a Dorchester block and the steel underbelly lined with armor, as part of the 'Streetfighter' upgrade, which was a direct response to this incident. The incident was not made public until May 2007; in response to accusations, the MoD said "We have never claimed that the Challenger 2 is impenetrable." The most common types of warheads are high explosive (HE) and high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds. They eliminated the outermost sentries and searchlights with the rockets, then made it into the inner wall, which they also punched through. Russian and Israeli vehicles also use active protection systems such as Drozd, Arena APS or Trophy. An RPG comprises two main parts: the launcher and a rocket equipped with a warhead. In this type of warhead, the shape of the explosive material within the warhead focuses the explosive energy on a copper (or similar metal) lining. Since most of the readily available RPG-7 rounds cannot penetrate M1 Abrams tank armor from almost any angle, it is primarily effective against soft-skinned or lightly armored vehicles, and infantry. Using RPGs to initiate the attack, they blew through the wall and killed a number of Salvadorean soldiers. Other articles where Antitank grenade is discussed: grenade: …type of grenade is the antitank grenade, which contains a special shaped-charge explosive that can pierce even the heavy armour of a tank. Unlike the RPG, it is reloaded from the breech-end rather than the muzzle. [20] Reactive armor, including explosive reactive armor (ERA), can be defeated with multiple hits into the same place, such as by tandem-charge weapons, which fire two or more shaped charges in rapid succession. In the 2000s, they were still being used widely in conflict areas such as Chechnya, Iraq, and Sri Lanka. What was needed was a means of delivering the shaped charge warhead from a distance. The weapon's simplicity, low cost, ruggedness, and efficiency made it one of the most popular anti-tank weapons in the world and it has been used from the Vietnam War to the present day. [citation needed] Militants have also used RPGs against helicopters: Taliban fighters shot down U.S. CH-47 Chinook helicopters in June 2005 and August 2011; and Somali militiamen shot down two U.S. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters during the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. Anti-tank grenades were usually fired with the grenade fully seated on the launcher tube. [33] An earlier anti-aircraft kill by the Taliban occurred during Operation Red Wings, on 28 June 2005 when a Chinook helicopter was destroyed by unguided rocket propelled grenades. An anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher was found in a car abandoned in Grand Terrace after the vehicle was struck by a bullet, authorities say. Technical information about the Tiger tank . The term "rocket-propelled grenade" is a backronym; it stems from the Russian language РПГ which stands for ручной противотанковый гранатомёт (transliterated as "ruchnoy protivotankovy granatomyot", which has the initials "RPG"), meaning "handheld anti-tank grenade launcher", the name given to early Russian designs.[2][3][4]. Grant Wardlaw, Political terrorism: Theory, Tactics and Counter-Measures (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989), 27, Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon, Mk 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW), Specific types of RPGs (current, past and under development) include, period following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, "RPG-7 - Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launcher - History, Specs and Pictures - Military, Security and Civilian Guns and Equipment", "Modern Pirate Weapons - RPG7 - MaritimeSecurity.com", "Operation in Sadr City Is an Iraqi Success, So Far", "Army News - News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times", "AirTronic PSRL-1 (RPG-7USA) Anti-Armor / Anti-Personnel Shoulder-Fired Rocket Launcher", "The RPG-7 On the Battlefields of Today and Tomorrow, by Mr. Lester W. Grau, Foreign Military Studies Office, Fort Leavenworth, KS, Infantry May-August 1998", "Russian-Manufactured Armored Vehicle Vulnerability in Urban Combat: The Chechnya Experience", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rocket-propelled_grenade&oldid=1007102063, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2019, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2014, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from December 2013, Articles with disputed statements from August 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 February 2021, at 13:44. In response, the Mujahideen prepared dug-in firing positions with top cover, and again, Soviet forces altered their tactics by using air-dropped thermobaric fuel-air bombs on such landing zones. In Afghanistan, Mujahideen guerrillas used RPG-7s to destroy Soviet vehicles. Rocket-propelled grenade launcher found in car…, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Rocket-propelled grenade launcher found in car in Grand Terrace, 1 family member stabbed, another shot in Canyon Lake, Don Peters, coach of groundbreaking 1984 Olympic team, faces sexual abuse lawsuit, Dry weekend ahead for Southern California after more rain, heavy snow in mountains, Irvine man gets more than 9 years in prison for armed cell phone store robberies across Southern California, Hawthorne man gets 212 years for collecting insurance after driving off of San Pedro wharf, killing 2 autistic sons. The earliest devices which could be referred to as grenade launchers were slings, which could be used to throw early grenado fuse bombs. The resulting narrow jet of metal can defeat armor equivalent to several hundred millimeters of RHA, such as that used in light and medium armored vehicles. This prevented the rifle from functioning semi-automatically since the gas used to cycle the action was vented out the valve screw. The driver had fled on foot, but officers found the vehicle’s rear window had been shattered by a bullet entering through the passenger side, which then struck the inside windshield and landed on the dashboard. In the case of the RPG-7, the rocket is launched by a gunpowder booster charge, and the rocket motor ignites only after 10 metres.
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