Light anti-tank weapons became very popular during the Second World War. The Germans achieved particular success in this field, with their “Faustpatrons” that knocked out even heavy tanks. The Soviet soldiers also enjoyed the trophy faustpatrons with great pleasure, since the USSR had no such weapons in World War II.
The appearance of Soviet RPGs
Based on German developments after the war, the RPG-2, the first Soviet anti-tank grenade launcher, was created. And already on its basis in 1961 the legendary RPG-7V was created. Decoding the name is simple.
She repeats the RPG-2 marking with slight modifications. "Manual anti-tank grenade launcher. Type 7. Type B shot." The main difference between the RPG-7 and the previous modification was the presence of an active-jet engine along with a powder charge, which allowed to increase the range and accuracy with a decrease in recoil. RPG-7V is the most massive anti-tank grenade launcher in the world.
The first use of a grenade launcher in Vietnam showed its high efficiency. Most American armored vehicles of the time, including heavy tanks, could not oppose anything to grenade launchers. The Israelis began to suffer heavy losses from RPGs during conflicts with the Arabs. Soviet weapons pierced homogeneous armor of any thickness and only the appearance of multilayer armor became a salvation for Western tanks.
Grenade launcher design
The grenade launcher includes a barrel with an open sight, trigger mechanism and fuse and striking mechanism. At later versions, an optical sight is also installed. The barrel, which houses the tail of the shot, looks like a smooth pipe with an expansion chamber in the middle. The pipe is connected to the barrel using thread. At the front of the nozzle is a nozzle, which is two converging cones. At the rear of the nozzle is a bell having a safety plate to prevent contaminants from entering the breech. On the trunk in front there is a cutout for fixing the grenade, and on top are a folding sight and front sight.
Below the barrel is the trigger mechanism located inside the pistol grip. Behind the main handle there is an additional one, designed to more comfortable hold the weapon when firing. On the left side of the barrel is a bracket for mounting an optical sight. To the right are sling attachments that allow you to attach the belt. Two symmetrical birch wood pads are attached to the trunk, which protect the shooter's hands from burns. The resource of the barrel is 250-300 shots.
Aim
In the modification of the RPG-7V grenade launcher, they began to equip it with an optical sight with a 2.7x magnification. The scope includes three scales - the main aiming scale, the side correction scale and the rangefinder scale, designed for a height of 2.7 meters, that is, the height of the silhouette of the tank. The scope scale is marked with divisions at a price of 100 m. The mechanical sight in this case remains on the weapon, but is auxiliary. It is characteristic that both sights have a mechanical adjustment of the temperature correction.
Calculation and use
The standard calculation of a grenade launcher is two people. But the second is needed only as a carrier of ammunition during prolonged firing. The shot itself is fired by one person without assistance, due to the light weight of the weapon and the lack of serious recoil.
In most local conflicts, RPGs are used precisely by this principle, as a convenient means for eliminating single armored targets, which does not interfere with a quick retreat. The calculation of two people is convenient for the destruction of transport columns, allowing you to quickly destroy the outer cars and lock the column. In a frontal confrontation with tanks, the grenade launcher has no chance to live long without changing his position.
Firing shot
To do this, cock the trigger, then remove the weapon from the fuse. After that, the shot is made by pressing the trigger. In this case, the trigger rotates upward and strikes the striker. The striker jerks up and breaks the capsule at the bottom of the rocket engine. At the same time, a beam of fire from the capsule ignites the powder in the charging chamber. Powder gases, expanding, push the rocket. As soon as the rocket begins to move, a capsule is pierced on the rocket’s pyro-retarder, and the retarding compound begins to burn.
In flight
After departure from the barrel due to inertia and air flow, the stabilizing planes of the rocket are revealed.
When the rocket flies about 20 meters, the moderator combustion gets to the jet engine checkers, and the main jet engine starts to work. He works for about half a second and manages to disperse the rocket to 300 m / s from the original 120 m / s.
In flight, the grenade rotates around its longitudinal axis due to the pressure of the air flow on the stabilizing blades. The rotation speed is up to 30-40 revolutions per second. Rotation in this case performs the same functions as in rifled weapons. Despite the fact that compared to a bullet doing several thousand revolutions per second, an RPG shell rotates very slowly, it is this rotation that gives the grenade the ability to maintain a trajectory. This is especially true taking into account the positioning of RPGs as a weapon focused on cheap mass production and the production tolerances that are inevitable in this case are large, compared with Western models.
Explosive charge
At a distance of 2.5 to 18 meters from the muzzle end, an electric detonator is cocked in the rocket. In contact with an obstacle, the drummer under the influence of inertia hits the detonator. Detonator detonation and grenade explosion. If during the flight the grenade does not stumble on the target, then after 4-6 seconds it will self-destruct.
Modifications
The long-term operation of the grenade launcher in a variety of conditions did not actually reveal any significant shortcomings in the performance characteristics of the RPG-7V. Therefore, the main areas in which it was modernized were the modernization of sights and the improvement of armor penetration of ammunition. An exception was the landing modification of the RPG-7V. The performance characteristics of the weapons for the Airborne Forces are changed due to the limited length of the grenade launcher in the stowed position. The weapon should not stick out over the shoulder of the paratrooper and interfere with the parachute. Therefore, in the RPG-7D modification, the launch tube is connected to the pipe dryly due to protrusions on the pipe and recesses on the pipe. This allows you to transport the grenade launcher in the folded position. Also, the fuse has been changed, which does not allow a shot to be fired without a complete connection of the pipe and pipe. Among other modifications can be noted options 7H and 7DN with a night sight. Option 7B1 is equipped with a PGO-7V3 sight. The last Russian version of the 2001 RPG-7D3 differs only in small changes in the old sight. There are even RPG-7s made by the USA Airtronic USA Mk.777, which is an indicator of the quality of these weapons.
Anti-tank ammunition and armor penetration
However, as with any grenade launcher, the differences in the performance characteristics of the RPG-7V and later modifications lie to a greater extent not in the design of the weapon, which in essence is a tube with a striker, but in ammunition. Penetration of various shots varies greatly. Most RPG-7 rounds are cumulative ammunition, but there are shrapnel modifications to destroy infantry.
The weight of the PG-7V base charge is 2.6 kg. The maximum armor penetration of a cumulative charge is 330 mm. The next modification was the PG-7VM, which, while maintaining the basic characteristics, received better accuracy and resistance to side winds. This model also has a more stable fuse.
The armored penetration improved to 400 mm was already received by the PG-7VS variant. In this shot, a more powerful charge was applied and the atomization of the cumulative jet was reduced .
To defeat new tanks with composite armor, the ammunition PG-7VL "Luch" was created. It differs in armor penetration up to 500 mm of homogeneous armor and a new fuse of increased reliability.
The most advanced cumulative ammunition at the moment is the 1988 PG-7VR Summary. It has an easily recognizable complex shape due to the tandem warhead. The first weaker charge of 64 mm caliber is designed to destroy dynamic protection or anti-cumulative screen. The second main charge of 105 mm caliber pierces the main armor of the target. This shot in the stowed position is transported disconnected due to its long length. The warhead is attached to the jet engine using a threaded connection, which allows you to remove it during transportation. The jet engine and propellant charge of this shot do not differ much from the PG-7VL variant, with the exception of special springs that help to open the stabilizer planes. The weight of the "Summary" is almost two times higher than the previous versions and is 4.5 kg. But, at the same time, the ammunition allows penetrating armor equivalent to 600 mm homogeneous and plus dynamic protection. These indicators make the cheap Soviet RPG-7 dangerous even for modern western tanks, at least when shelling the stern.
Shrapnel ammunition
Although, relative to anti-tank weapons, the RPG-7 is primarily intended for the destruction of armored vehicles, its low weight and simplicity turn it into a universal weapon. Therefore, ammunition is also in demand for the destruction of manpower on the ground or in light shelters. Shot OG-7V "Shard" is a fragmentation munition without a jet engine. During the explosion creates about a thousand fragments that hit targets on an area of 150 square meters. m. Can be used against light shelters and unarmored vehicles.
Thermobaric ammunition
More dangerous and perfect ammunition is TBG-7V Tanin. It has a thermobaric warhead, creating the so-called "volumetric explosion". The blast wave penetrates into the premises even when the ammunition is detonated at a distance of 2 meters from the window or embrasure. The total diameter of the projectile zone is up to 20 meters, which is comparable to the standard 120 mm artillery ammunition. The maximum volume of the room in which the volumetric effectively affects manpower is 300 cubic meters. m. But in addition to the explosion, fragments are also a serious damaging factor, which, due to the use of the thermobaric mixture, have an increased initial velocity. This shot also destroys light equipment. When a warhead gets into armor up to 20 mm thick, a hole is burned in it, and the cumulative jet hits the crew. With such a hit, the pressure inside the machine disrupts even the closed landing hatches.
Use against tanks
At the time of launch of the TTX series, the RPG-7V allowed him to hit any modern battle tank. The effectiveness of the grenade launcher has been repeatedly proven in Vietnam and during the Arab-Israeli wars. It can be called the best means of anti-tank defense of the second half of the XX century in terms of price-quality ratio.
However, the adoption in the 1980s of a new generation of Western tanks with multilayer armor and the use of dynamic protection led to the need to improve the grenade launcher. It was this that led to the creation of the “Summary” variant with tandem ammunition. It should be noted that in most major conflicts since the collapse of the USSR there are very conflicting examples of the use of RPG-7 against modern tanks. There are cases of machine damage from a single shot, as well as cases of receiving more than 10 hits from an RPG without the presence of armor. From this it can be inferred that in each individual case many factors must be taken into account. First of all, the place of contact. Frontal armor is several times more stable than stern. Then the presence of dynamic protection, anti-cumulative screens and foreign objects on the armor. Finally, the speed and direction of the armored vehicle and the angle of attack of the cumulative jet.
Thus, the RPG-7, along with the Kalashnikov assault rifle, can be called one of the best examples of Soviet infantry weapons, recognized around the world and having its own image and popularity.