Saturday, June 10, 2017

Golez: I understand that among the major killers of Philippine troops in the current Marawi siege are RPGs and snipers. Here's a brief on RPGs or Rocket Propelled Grenades from MilitaryFactory.com

I understand that among the major killers of Philippine troops in the current Marawi siege are RPGs and snipers. Here's a brief on RPGs or Rocket Propelled Grenades from MilitaryFactory.com:
"The RPG-7 is an inherently compact weapon... It provides generally lightly-armed troopers with necessary firepower to stop vehicles on approach or unseat defenders. The resulting "back blast" of the firing rocket is relatively minimal and this allows the RPG to be fired from enclosed spaces such as buildings and from covered outdoor positions. Its operation is also quite basic, requiring little training on the part of the user, which lends itself well to rebel forces and other less-organized fighters. Despite its sheer simplicity, the influence of the RPG-7 on the battlefield cannot be overstated."
"Over 9,000,000 examples of the RPG-7 have been produced since 1961 by Bazalt, Degtyarev and others. It is locally manufactured in no fewer than a dozen countries and can be found in the military inventories of nearly forty nations worldwide - from Afghanistan and Albania to Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Chinese version is designated "Type 69" and Vietnam knows it as the "B-41". For Sudan, the weapon is the "Sinar" and is produced by the Military Industry Corporation. Bulgaria designates their stock as "ATGL-L"
"Design (Internal, Dimensions and Weights)
"Firing Action: Shoulder-Fired; Single-Shot; Reusable Launch Tube
Available Caliber(s): 40mm
Ammunition Count / Feed: Single-Shot
Overall Length: 950 mm (37.40 inches)
Barrel Length: 950 mm (37.40 inches)
Weight (Empty): 17.42 lb (7.90 kg)
Sighting Assist: Standard Iron; Optional Optics Set"
"Performance
"Muzzle Velocity: 377 feet/sec (115 m/sec)
Rate-of-Fire (RoF): 4 rounds-per-minute (rpm)
Typical Range: 984 feet (300 meters; 328 yards)
"Global Operators / Customers
"Albania; Armenia; Afghanistan; Algeria; Bangladesh; Cambodia; China; Cuba; Cyprus; Egypt; Indonesia; Iran; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Kazakhstan; Laos; Lebanon; Libya; Malaysia; Malta; Mexico; Myanmar; Mongolia; North Korea; Pakistan; Peru; Philippines; Russia; South Africa; Soviet Union; Sudan; Syria; Vietnam"
"Model Variants
RPG-7 - Base Series Designation
RPG-7V1 - Base Production Model Designation
RPG-7V2 - Current RPG-7 Model in use
RPG-7D3 - Paratrooper Model
Type 69 RPG - Chinese Production Designation
RPG-7USA - US designation; Picatinny Rails
From Wikipedia:
"Soviet RPGs were used extensively during the Vietnam War (by the Vietnam People's Army and Vietcong),[7] 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. In the 2000s, they were still being used widely in conflict areas such as Chechnya, Iraq, and Sri Lanka. 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."
"In Afghanistan, Mujahideen guerrillas used RPG-7s to destroy Soviet vehicles. To assure a kill, two to four RPG shooters would be assigned to each vehicle. Each armored-vehicle hunter-killer team can have as many as 15 RPGs.[22] 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. This tactic was especially effective in cities. Convoys learned to avoid approaches with overhangs and to send infantrymen forward in hazardous areas to detect the RPG teams."
Multiple shooters were also effective against heavy tanks with reactive armour: The first shot would be against the driver's viewing prisms. Following shots would be in pairs, one to set off the reactive armor, the second to penetrate the tank's armor. Favored weak spots were the top and rear of the turret.[16][23]
"In the period following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the RPG became a favorite weapon of the insurgent forces fighting U.S. troops. 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. Even if the RPG hit does not completely disable the tank or kill the crew, it can still damage external equipment, lowering the tank's effectiveness or forcing the crew to abandon and destroy it. Newer RPG-7 rounds are more capable, and in August 2006, an RPG-29 round penetrated the frontal ERA of a Challenger 2 tank during an engagement in al-Amarah, Iraq, and wounded several crew members.[13]
"RPGs were a main tool used by the FMLN's guerrilla forces in the Salvadoran Civil War. For example, during the June 19, 1986 overrun of the San Miguel Army base, FMLN sappers dressed only in black shorts, their faces blacked out with grease, sneaked through barbed wire at night, avoiding the searchlights, they made it to within firing range of the outer wall. Using RPGs to initiate the attack, they blew through the wall and killed a number of Salvadorean soldiers. They eliminated the outermost sentries and searchlights with the rockets, then made it into the inner wall, which they also punched through. They were then able to create mayhem as their comrades attacked from the outside."
"During the First (1994–1996) and Second Chechen Wars (1999–2009), Chechen rebels used RPGs to attack Russian tanks from basements and high rooftops. This tactic was effective because tank main guns could not be depressed or raised far enough to return fire, in addition, armor on the very top and bottom of tanks is usually the weakest. Russian forces had to rely on artillery suppression, good crew gunners and infantry screens to prevent such attacks. Tank columns were eventually protected by attached self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (ZSU-23-4, Tunguska-M1) used in the ground role to suppress and destroy Chechen ambushes. Chechen fighters formed independent "cells" that worked together to destroy a specific Russian armored target. Each cell contained small arms and some form of RPG (RPG-7V or RPG-18, for example). The small arms were used to button the tank up and keep any infantry occupied, while the RPG gunner struck at the tank. While doing so, other teams would attempt to fire at the target in order to overwhelm the Russians' ability to effectively counter the attack. To further increase the chance of success, the teams took up positions at different elevations where possible. Firing from the third and higher floors allowed good shots at the weakest armor (the top).[26] When the Russians began moving in tanks fitted with explosive reactive armor (ERA), the Chechens had to adapt their tactics, because the RPGs they had access to were unlikely to result in the destruction of the tank."


RPG-7 Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) Launcher


The simple-to-use-yet-lethal Soviet-era RPG-7 rocket launcher proved popular from the outset - remaining in use with dozens of countries even today.

 Updated: 2/1/2017; Authored By Staff Writer; Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com

The RPG-7 ("Ruchnoy Protivotankoviy Granatomet") was the follow-up in the family of Soviet-originated "RPG" man-portable, shoulder-fired, anti-tank rocket launchers (generically referred to as "RPGs"). The Soviet design could trace its roots back to the American "Bazooka" and German "Panzerfaust' launchers of World War 2 and many examples of these weapons came into the hands of Soviet troopers throughout the conflict. The RPG-7, like those rocket projecting systems before it, was devised as an inexpensive and easy-to-produce and operate, one-man, single-shot weapon for the purpose of defeating armor at range. Despite its 1961 introduction, the system maintains a faithful following and its production reach has meant that the weapon continues to see frontline service in a plethora of modern conflicts. Its qualities are such that the series is a favorite of organized national armies as well as rebels and guerrilla fighters the world over.

The RPG-7 is a further development of past RPG variations - from the earlier RPG-2, RPG-3 and RPG-4 rocket projectors - and can fire a variety of warhead types including FRAG (FRAGmentation), HEAT (High-Explosive, Anti-Tank) and HE (High-Explosive) rounds. The FRAG projectile is a 4lb munition relying on 210 grams of A-IX-1 explosive. There are two major HEAT projectiles in the PG-7VL single-stage and PG-7VR tandem charge. The former weighs 5.7lb and the latter 9.9lb. Diameter is 93mm and 64mm respectively and these munitions can penetrade between 500mm and 750mm of Rolled Homogenous Armor (RHA). The TBG-7V is a thermobaric projectile of 9.9lb weight with a listed caliber of 105mm.

Overall weight of the weapon is 15lb and overall length is 950mm (37.4 inches) making the system both lightweight and compact to carry. Grenades leave the muzzle at 115 meters per second and effective ranges are out to 200 meters (maximum achievable range is 920 meters). Sighting is through traditional static iron sights but optics are also supported as is a red dot reflex sighting device. At about 50 meters, the operator can achieve hit probability as high as 100% though this drops to half that at about 200 meters away from the target (of course many factors influence accuracy). Its effectiveness is not necessarily in the ability to stop light-armored vehicles but also to provide shock value to dug-in enemy troops.




RPG-7 Technical Specifications



Service Year: 1961
Type: Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) Launcher
National Origin: Soviet Union
Manufacturer(s): Bazalt - Russia; Defense Industries Organization - Iran; Airtronic USA, Incorporated - USA


Design (Internal, Dimensions and Weights)


Firing Action: Shoulder-Fired; Single-Shot; Reusable Launch Tube
Available Caliber(s): 40mm
Ammunition Count / Feed: Single-Shot
Overall Length: 950 mm (37.40 inches)
Barrel Length: 950 mm (37.40 inches)
Weight (Empty): 17.42 lb (7.90 kg)
Sighting Assist: Standard Iron; Optional Optics Set

Performance


Muzzle Velocity: 377 feet/sec (115 m/sec)
Rate-of-Fire (RoF): 4 rounds-per-minute (rpm)
Typical Range: 984 feet (300 meters; 328 yards)

Global Operators / Customers


Albania; Armenia; Afghanistan; Algeria; Bangladesh; Cambodia; China; Cuba; Cyprus; Egypt; Indonesia; Iran; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Kazakhstan; Laos; Lebanon; Libya; Malaysia; Malta; Mexico; Myanmar; Mongolia; North Korea; Pakistan; Peru; Philippines; Russia; South Africa; Soviet Union; Sudan; Syria; Vietnam

Model Variants


RPG-7 - Base Series Designation
RPG-7V1 - Base Production Model Designation
RPG-7V - Single-stage HEAT projectile; up to 330mm penetration.
RPG-7VL - Single-stage HEAT projectile; up to 500mm penetration; anti-vehicle and anti-fortification.
RPG-VR - Tandem HEAT projectile; up to 600-700mm penetration; heavy-armored targets including reactive armor.
OG-7V - Fragmentation Projectile; 23ft effective range; anti-personnel.
TBG-7V - Single-stage thermobaric projectile; 33ft effective range; anti-personnel; urban usage.
RPG-7V2 - Current RPG-7 Model in use
RPG-7D3 - Paratrooper Model
Type 69 RPG - Chinese Production Designation
RPG-7USA - US designation; Picatinny Rails
B-41 - Cambodian and Vietnamese Designation












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