the RPG-7

is this the AK 47 of bazookas?
i mean, EVERY SINGLE TIME i see pictures of guerillas/resistance movements in iraq/afghanistan/africa/colombia, they have those goddamn RPG-7's.
can anyone enlighten me on why it's so popular?

 

The RPG-7 was the standard portable anti-tank weapon of the Warzaw Pact countries, and the Soviets supplied them to basically anyone they saw fit. A lot of them have probably been spread through the black market as well. They have turned up in the hands of the IRA, and was ironically one of the weapons which caused most losses to the Soviets during their occupation of Afghanistan. In short; they were produced in huge numbers, and they´re available.

 

The AK47 of the RPG weapons, LoL, good description.

 

The RPG-7 is relatively cheap, worldwide available, reliable, effective, easy to handle and repair. These are the main reason for rebels to buy this weapon. Upgrades are also widely available.

Taken into service in 1961 in the soviet union, today standard infantry weapon in over 40 countries.

The RPG-7 is a shoulder-fired, muzzle-loaded, antitank and antipersonnel grenade launcher which launches a variety of fin-stabilized, oversized grenades from a 40mm tube.
The launcher with optical sight weighs 6.9 kilograms (15.2 pounds) and has a maximum effective range of 300 meters against moving point targets and 500 meters against stationary point targets.
The maximum range for antitank grenades against area targets is 920 meters, at which point the round self-destructs after its 4.5 second flight. The antipersonnel grenades reach over 1100 meters.
Among the production grenades are the PG-7, PG-7M, PG-7N, and PG-7VL antitank grenades with armor penetrability of up to 600mm of rolled homogeneous steel.
The PG-7VR is a tandem warhead designed to penetrate explosive reactive armor and the armor underneath.
The OG-7and OG-7M are high-explosive antipersonnel grenades.

The grenade as shown on the picture is a standard at grenade. (PG-7/M/N)

This weapon is produced under a variety of models, with bipods, carrying handles, double and single firing handles, poor to sophisticated optics and many different grenades. The chinese produced three sorts of grenades. 1 at grenades optimized to soviet armour 2 at grenades optimized to american armour 3 ap grenades.

 

Has anyone actually handled one? They are "stupid proof", an excellent example of Russian simplicity of design to function.

 

I held one at an air show they had in Winnipeg. The army had a bunch of weapons from all over the world (none worked of course) including the RPG7.

Like Anton said, they were so popular because so many were made and the Russians pretty much just gave them away. The VC and NVA during the Vietnam War probably used them to their full extent and then some, such as using the RPG's as a mini artillery. Another reason is their realibility and power. These things could easily rip apart even one of todays tanks, although they are easy to counter as the tip of the rocked is very fragile, so tanks were equipped with chain mail like sheets on both sides of the tank so when the rocket hit the sheet, the tip would break rendering the rocket useless. But since the upgrade of the RPG 7 to the RPG 7v (new tele sights) the weapon is increasingly deadly.

Also, they are so popular Afghanistan because the US bought millions of them through the black market in the 70s and 80s, and then gave them to the Mujahedeen to fight the Soviets during the Afghanistan war.

 

do you mean russian tanks or american tanks? i can't really believe that RPG can knock out an Abrams

 

With the right grenades, a trained crew and street battles or close combat it is possible to knock out a abrams with a RPG-7 (even with one rocket grenade). This is happening in Iraq today.

Do understand that when you fire with infantry anti armour weaponry you try to search the weakest point of the enemy tank or armoured vehicle.

For what I have read and saw in pictures and footage about the Abrams knocked out in Iraq it seems that the engine compartment, the turret entries, the suspension and the back of the abrams are the weak points. In the attack on Baghdad it is confirmed by US military that at least one Abrams tank was knocked out by one rpg grenade in the engine compartment.

Luckily for the Americans the average Iraqi insurgent doesn't really know how to handle the rpg or even the basic principles for effective urban combat. I've seen some footage of insurgents firing anti personel or older rpg-2 grenades at tanks. So the losses are ''low'' and it is likely that the insurgents will become experienced in how to attack the abrams.
But for now the iraqi's have much to learn before becoming a real effective danger for US troops.

 

RPG's

They were designed for use by a peasant mass army soldier so were made easy to explain & use just like the SKS & AK47 rifles mass produced and mass supplied. they will end up like the Lee Enfield rifle being used for another fifty years or so

 

I'm affraid both

 

but it has nothing to do with the piercing of the armor, you can kill any tank with a hit to the engine compartment, even if you can hit the magazine, which is locate on the rear of the turret, you can not kill this tank

 

It does has to do with the armour penetration capability of the rpg-7.
With a rpg-7 you can punch a hole in a abrams (up to 600mm). A frontal attack could cause a kill.

As you can see on footage and pictures of the iraqi and afghan insurgents they use the standard at grenade. Due to the reactive armour or hollow armour the us tanks and apc can survive direct hits. But when the insurgents use the anti reactive at grenade they can pierce the abrams.
On another occasion a rpg grenade pierced the hull of a abrams turret frontal. By miracle the tank did not explode and the crew survived.

Wether you "kill" by disabling its engine,suspension,optics or by piercing its armour the main thing is that when the tank cannot function anymore as a tanks is supposed to it is "killed". Why else would the us army abandon these tanks then? They can get them back to their bases and repair if the damage would not be that severe.

 

RPGs are the scourge of modern armour.
They're the only way the insurgents in Iraq can attempt to take a shot at the Abrams.

 

Anton, I have yet to see any Abrams pierced in its frontal or side armor. The Chobham armor the Brits invented (and continue to improve) is simply amazing. Now a rear engine compartment hit, or shot from above is another matter. And once the engine is shot, it's 70 tons of dead weight. It's no small matter to get one out in a sticky situation.

 

Also the depleted uranium armour is very strong.
Is that the fancy name of the armour you just said SgtBob (invented by the Brits)? Or is that different?

 

The RPG is indeed a very good weapon - as mentioned; easy to fire, to handle and to maintain (just like the Ak's, yes ). Somehow I never did like them, though - seems, oh, I don't know, unglamorous compared to western anti-tank weapons.

I do find it hard to belive that a RPG can knock out an Abrams, I must say. Haven't seen or heard about it yet either.

Best regards!

- Mr.Bluenote.

 

While I believ the tanks' engine compartment, rear and its tracks are vulnerable to the most primitive RPG, I am also pessimistic about an RPG penetrating the Abram or the Challenger's frontal armor. Afterall, the Chobham armor is inpenetrable, right?

 

Wrong, nothing is inpenetrable. hit something sufficiently and it will give way. I don't know how Chobham works exactly but it uses different technologies to defend against different rounds but nothing is inpenetrable. Also the tops of tanks are not well armoured and a good or lucky shot between the plates could possibly damage a modern tank.

 

Why not simply destroy the tracks with RPGs, thus immobilising the tank?

 

That is how lost af the M1's (taken out by enemy fire)in Iraq came about their downfall.