RPG/RPO Thread

Russian maritime grenade launcher goes into mass production

An old photo with all of types



From down to top:
RPG-18 Mukha
RPG-26 Aglen'
RPG-27 Tavolga
RPG-29 Vampire
RPO-A Shmel in the corner

I wonder if anyone have info about which types are mostly used from Russian army

George1 wrote:

I wonder if anyone have info about which types are mostly used from Russian army

The RPG-26 by far, and the RPG-7V2 of course.

Top range penetration of those: 200m and 440mm for RPG-26, 150m and 750mm for RPG-7 (or 500m and 400mm for lighter round, 300m and 550mm for standard round)

I am pretty sure that ATGMs are far more common than RPG-27/28/29.

One shot launchers:
RPG-18, RPG-22, RPG-26, RPG-27, RPG-28, RPG-30


Reusable launchers:
RPG-7, RPG-16, RPG-29, RPG-32

Russia Unveils ‘Abrams Killer’ Rocket




THE RPG, OR rocket-propelled grenade, has long been popular among insurgents, giving them a cheap anti-armor weapon that requires little training. The latest version is the RPG-30. And it allegedly can take out today’s toughest tanks. Recently shown on Russian television, the RPG-30 has already been described as an "Abrams Killer."

The RPG-30 is a new twist on counter-counter-measures. Back in the 1980’s, a new type of armor was introduced to defeat shaped-charge warheads. Reactive armor consists of explosive tiles; when struck by a projectile, they detonate — disrupting the armor-piercing jet produced by a shaped charge. The response to this was the tandem warhead, with a precursor charge that sets off the reactive armor tile followed by a main charge that does the damage.

Armor designers are now moving a step ahead to from reactive armor to active defenses, with systems like the Russian Arena, the much-hyped Israeli Trophy, and the forthcoming U.S. FCLAS. These detect an incoming round and launch a projectile to meet it, destroying or disrupting the threat by impact or blast. (Dense inert metal explosives, which spray out micro-shrapnel, are particularly suitable for this; they have a very limited radius of destruction and will not harm friendly troops nearby.)

The RPG-30 has 105mm tandem warhead reckoned to be capable of penetrating over 650mm of steel armor behind reactive armor. But its special feature is a second tube, firing a smaller-caliber decoy rocket a fraction of a second ahead of the real one. The idea is that active protection systems will engage the decoy, but will not be able to engage a second threat immediately afterwards.

TASS quotes an un-named expert (in Russian — I used Babelfish to translate) as saying that existing active protection systems can only engage a second target after a minimum of 0.2 seconds.

Russia

Rpg30_2The RPG-30 is made by Bazalt, who have not updated their website with details of the new rocket yet; then again, their News section only goes up to 2007. Whatever else it is, the RPG-30 does not look like it is designed to be an Abrams killer. The Abrams does not rely on either reactive armor or an active protection system. It just has an advanced version of traditional tank armor which incorporates sheets of high-density depleted uranium among other components.

In any case, there have already been cases of both U.S. Abrams and British Challenger II tanks being penetrated by the RPG-29, which also has a caliber of 105mm. It is not possible to armor a vehicle with more than 600mm of armor from every possible angle, and every tank will have some weak spots. However, the small warhead of an
RPG only punches a small hole and does relatively little damage beyond that; many vehicles have had multiple penetrating RPG hits and suffered only minor crew injuries.

What is interesting is that the Russians have pushed so far ahead with a weapon to tackle a threat which doesn’t even exist yet. One of the big selling points of the new multi-billion-dollar Future Combat System family of vehicles is that active technology will give 30-ton vehicles the same level of protection as
60-ton heavy armor like the Abrams. But if active protection can really be faked out by the RPG-30 and its successors, then the designers might have to do some re-thinking. Given the amount of pressure already being brought to bear on the FCS in these cash-strapped times, this might be significant.



Abrams killer, no; FCS killer, well….


http://www.wired.com/2008/11/russia-unveils/

max steel wrote:  Russia Unveils ‘Abrams Killer’ Rocket




THE RPG, OR rocket-propelled grenade, has long been popular among insurgents, giving them a cheap anti-armor weapon that requires little training. The latest version is the RPG-30. And it allegedly can take out today’s toughest tanks. Recently shown on Russian television, the RPG-30 has already been described as an "Abrams Killer."

The RPG-30 is a new twist on counter-counter-measures. Back in the 1980’s, a new type of armor was introduced to defeat shaped-charge warheads. Reactive armor consists of explosive tiles; when struck by a projectile, they detonate — disrupting the armor-piercing jet produced by a shaped charge. The response to this was the tandem warhead, with a precursor charge that sets off the reactive armor tile followed by a main charge that does the damage.

Armor designers are now moving a step ahead to from reactive armor to active defenses, with systems like the Russian Arena, the much-hyped Israeli Trophy, and the forthcoming U.S. FCLAS. These detect an incoming round and launch a projectile to meet it, destroying or disrupting the threat by impact or blast. (Dense inert metal explosives, which spray out micro-shrapnel, are particularly suitable for this; they have a very limited radius of destruction and will not harm friendly troops nearby.)

The RPG-30 has 105mm tandem warhead reckoned to be capable of penetrating over 650mm of steel armor behind reactive armor. But its special feature is a second tube, firing a smaller-caliber decoy rocket a fraction of a second ahead of the real one. The idea is that active protection systems will engage the decoy, but will not be able to engage a second threat immediately afterwards.

TASS quotes an un-named expert (in Russian — I used Babelfish to translate) as saying that existing active protection systems can only engage a second target after a minimum of 0.2 seconds.

Russia

Rpg30_2The RPG-30 is made by Bazalt, who have not updated their website with details of the new rocket yet; then again, their News section only goes up to 2007. Whatever else it is, the RPG-30 does not look like it is designed to be an Abrams killer. The Abrams does not rely on either reactive armor or an active protection system. It just has an advanced version of traditional tank armor which incorporates sheets of high-density depleted uranium among other components.

In any case, there have already been cases of both U.S. Abrams and British Challenger II tanks being penetrated by the RPG-29, which also has a caliber of 105mm. It is not possible to armor a vehicle with more than 600mm of armor from every possible angle, and every tank will have some weak spots. However, the small warhead of an
RPG only punches a small hole and does relatively little damage beyond that; many vehicles have had multiple penetrating RPG hits and suffered only minor crew injuries.

What is interesting is that the Russians have pushed so far ahead with a weapon to tackle a threat which doesn’t even exist yet. One of the big selling points of the new multi-billion-dollar Future Combat System family of vehicles is that active technology will give 30-ton vehicles the same level of protection as
60-ton heavy armor like the Abrams. But if active protection can really be faked out by the RPG-30 and its successors, then the designers might have to do some re-thinking. Given the amount of pressure already being brought to bear on the FCS in these cash-strapped times, this might be significant.



Abrams killer, no; FCS killer, well….


http://www.wired.com/2008/11/russia-unveils/

Soviet-era anti-tank weapons were already more than capable of destroying Abrams MBT's lol....

Russian Army receives cutting-edge antitank rocket launchers — manufacturer

The advanced RPG-30 antitank rocket launchers were designed for punching through any active protection systems mounted on armored vehicles

NIZHNY TAGIL, September 11. /TASS/. The Russian army is receiving advanced RPG-30 antitank rocket launchers, NPO Bazalt Director General Vladimir Porkhachyov told TASS at the Russia Arms Expo 2015 (RAE 2015) international arms show on Friday. "The RPG-30 has entered service and is being fielded with the Army," he said.

According to the director general, the latest rocket launcher is second to none in the world, because it is designed for punching through any active protection systems mounted on armored vehicles to enhance their survivability.

Porkhachyov commented that all active protection systems shared the same philosophy, i.e. radar acquisition of an incoming antitank missile and its elimination at a short or long range with warheads, fragments and high-explosive effect. Those systems have common drawbacks, however, i.e. long reaction time. This was taken into consideration by the developer of the RPG-30.

"The novelty of the Russian rocket launcher is that two rockets are fired at the target at the same time. One is a so-called ‘agent provocateur’ 42 mm in caliber, followed a bit later by a primary 105-mm tandem warhead rocket," he said.

The first rocket trips the target vehicle’s active protection system that kicks in to eliminate it, while the second rocket with the post-explosive reactive armor penetration capability exceeding 600 mm slips past the defenses and hits the target. The rocket launcher has a range of 300 m.

According to Porkhachyov, potential buyers have been very keen on the RPG-30. "At RAE 2015, our stand was visited by Saudis who were very interested in the weapon," he said.

George1 wrote:Russian Army receives cutting-edge antitank rocket launchers — manufacturer

The advanced RPG-30 antitank rocket launchers were designed for punching through any active protection systems mounted on armored vehicles

NIZHNY TAGIL, September 11. /TASS/. The Russian army is receiving advanced RPG-30 antitank rocket launchers, NPO Bazalt Director General Vladimir Porkhachyov told TASS at the Russia Arms Expo 2015 (RAE 2015) international arms show on Friday. "The RPG-30 has entered service and is being fielded with the Army," he said.

According to the director general, the latest rocket launcher is second to none in the world, because it is designed for punching through any active protection systems mounted on armored vehicles to enhance their survivability.

Porkhachyov commented that all active protection systems shared the same philosophy, i.e. radar acquisition of an incoming antitank missile and its elimination at a short or long range with warheads, fragments and high-explosive effect. Those systems have common drawbacks, however, i.e. long reaction time. This was taken into consideration by the developer of the RPG-30.

"The novelty of the Russian rocket launcher is that two rockets are fired at the target at the same time. One is a so-called ‘agent provocateur’ 42 mm in caliber, followed a bit later by a primary 105-mm tandem warhead rocket," he said.

The first rocket trips the target vehicle’s active protection system that kicks in to eliminate it, while the second rocket with the post-explosive reactive armor penetration capability exceeding 600 mm slips past the defenses and hits the target. The rocket launcher has a range of 300 m.

According to Porkhachyov, potential buyers have been very keen on the RPG-30. "At RAE 2015, our stand was visited by Saudis who were very interested in the weapon," he said.

Expect testing in Ukraine.

KoTeMoRe wrote:

George1 wrote:Russian Army receives cutting-edge antitank rocket launchers — manufacturer

The advanced RPG-30 antitank rocket launchers were designed for punching through any active protection systems mounted on armored vehicles
....................................-30.jpg[/img]

Expect testing in Ukraine.

Given what ukrops use this would be total overkill...

KoTeMoRe wrote:

George1 wrote:Russian Army receives cutting-edge antitank rocket launchers — manufacturer

The advanced RPG-30 antitank rocket launchers were designed for punching through any active protection systems mounted on armored vehicles

NIZHNY TAGIL, September 11. /TASS/. The Russian army is receiving advanced RPG-30 antitank rocket launchers, NPO Bazalt Director General Vladimir Porkhachyov told TASS at the Russia Arms Expo 2015 (RAE 2015) international arms show on Friday. "The RPG-30 has entered service and is being fielded with the Army," he said.

According to the director general, the latest rocket launcher is second to none in the world, because it is designed for punching through any active protection systems mounted on armored vehicles to enhance their survivability.

Porkhachyov commented that all active protection systems shared the same philosophy, i.e. radar acquisition of an incoming antitank missile and its elimination at a short or long range with warheads, fragments and high-explosive effect. Those systems have common drawbacks, however, i.e. long reaction time. This was taken into consideration by the developer of the RPG-30.

"The novelty of the Russian rocket launcher is that two rockets are fired at the target at the same time. One is a so-called ‘agent provocateur’ 42 mm in caliber, followed a bit later by a primary 105-mm tandem warhead rocket," he said.

The first rocket trips the target vehicle’s active protection system that kicks in to eliminate it, while the second rocket with the post-explosive reactive armor penetration capability exceeding 600 mm slips past the defenses and hits the target. The rocket launcher has a range of 300 m.

According to Porkhachyov, potential buyers have been very keen on the RPG-30. "At RAE 2015, our stand was visited by Saudis who were very interested in the weapon," he said.

Expect testing in Ukraine.

Test on what?

Better to supply RPG-30 to Hezbolla and test it on Merkawa Trophy systems.

105mm OKFOL filled usual warhead of the 1980s, as used on RPG-7 or RPG-27.... Nothing fancy here.

RPG-28 is much better to kill a tank.

America’s Worst Nightmare: Russia Unveils ‘Merciless’ Anti-Tank Grenade

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.

The RPG-30 is a man-portable, disposable anti-tank rocket launcher with a single shot capacity. It was designed to challenge reactive armor and active protection systems on tanks.

The RPG-30 cleared its testing program and entered service in 2012–2013 and was immediately put on the Pentagon’s list of “asymmetrical threats to the US armed forces.”

The RPG-30 is not sold abroad yet and will not be any time soon, even though it enjoyed a great deal of interest from China, India, Lebanon, Cuba and the CIS countries.

And also from the US, Canada, Germany, France and Italy whose representatives were trying hard to learn the secrets of “merciless Russian grenade.”

The RPG’s main round, the PG-30, is a 105-mm tandem-shaped charge with a range of 200 meters and a stated penetration capability in excess of 600 mm of rolled homogeneous armor.

Reactive armor, including explosive reactive armor, 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 addition to the main round in its main tube, the RPG-30 also features a smaller diameter precursor round in a side tube.

The precursor round is fired shortly before the main round and acts as a decoy, tricking the target's active protection into engaging it.

The APS is not ready to engage again until 0.2–0.4 seconds later, allowing the main round time to hit the target.

The 105mm PG-30 grenade is almost identical to the one used by the RPG-29 “Vampir” launcher, which made easy work of Israel’s Merkava tanks in Lebanon and the US M1A2 Abramses and British Challengers in Iraq.

The RPG-30 is smaller than its RPG-29 predecessor being just over a meter long compared with the cumbersome 2 meter Vampir.

In the Russian armed forces the RPG-30 is used alongside older RPG-22 and RG-26 versions which are very effective against trucks and light-armored AFVs.

The RPG-30 was designed with more serious targets in mind though as it can knock out heavy tanks, even those protected by modern reactive armor.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/russia/20150918/1027179302/russia-grenade-launcher.html#ixzz3m5kSohLl

New Jordanian RPG-32 launch module for wheeled platforms, allegedly developed jointly with Belarus.

Pocket Rocket: Russia Gets State-of-the-Art, Super-Small Grenade Launcher

The Bur, the world's most compact multi-shot grenade launcher, has been put into service with Russia's anti-terror units, according to the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

Russia's anti-terror units have received the most compact multi-shot grenade launcher in the world, RIA Novosti quoted the newspaper Izvestia as saying.

The Bur's is just 74.2 centimeters long, the height of an average kitchen table. It weighs just 3.5 kilograms (7 pounds, 11.46 ounces).

For comparison's sake, the weight of the most famous Soviet-developed rocker launcher, the RPG-7, is about 7 kilograms.

http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160627/1041997397/russia-grenade-launcher-service.html

Simply out of curiosity, could someone enlighten me as to the name (or chemical composition if you're really good) of the propellant used for the PG-7V and the tandem PG-7VR for the RPG-7?

OminousSpudd wrote: Simply out of curiosity, could someone enlighten me as to the name (or chemical composition if you're really good) of the propellant used for the PG-7V and the tandem PG-7VR for the RPG-7?

I assume suppliers for the propellants are the same for more than one producer.

https://www.jmu.edu/cisr/research/OIG/Afghanistan/low%20res/06-Rocket.pdf

Militarov wrote:

OminousSpudd wrote: Simply out of curiosity, could someone enlighten me as to the name (or chemical composition if you're really good) of the propellant used for the PG-7V and the tandem PG-7VR for the RPG-7?

I assume suppliers for the propellants are the same for more than one producer.

https://www.jmu.edu/cisr/research/OIG/Afghanistan/low%20res/06-Rocket.pdf

Cheers mate, that'll do it.

OminousSpudd wrote:

Militarov wrote:

OminousSpudd wrote: Simply out of curiosity, could someone enlighten me as to the name (or chemical composition if you're really good) of the propellant used for the PG-7V and the tandem PG-7VR for the RPG-7?

I assume suppliers for the propellants are the same for more than one producer.

https://www.jmu.edu/cisr/research/OIG/Afghanistan/low%20res/06-Rocket.pdf

Cheers mate, that'll do it.

Np, glad to help.

Cool weapon. Very effective against enemy hideouts, bunkers, caves & tunnels.

Its good they are still keeping the basics covered and investing in the next generation of RPGs. Too often people think that just because these are on the relative low end of sophistication doesn't mean they can't take down even multi-million dollar MBTs in a well executed ambush. And there are close to a hundred Abrams wrecks in some desert boneyard that could attest to this.

lyle6 wrote:Its good they are still keeping the basics covered and investing in the next generation of RPGs. Too often people think that just because these are on the relative low end of sophistication doesn't mean they can't take down even multi-million dollar MBTs in a well executed ambush. And there are close to a hundred Abrams wrecks in some desert boneyard that could attest to this.

The thing is that most vehicles do not event MBT level armor to warrant using the high end anti-armor weapons, Konkurs is from the 70's and can take any modern (medium weight) IFV/APC now and in the near future, and RPG's can be use on many things besides vehicles, like light/temporary fortifications. Sandbags may be good against small arms fire, but not against rpg strikes.

The RPG-7 is called "poor mens artillery". You can use it for everything, not just killing tanks.