The RPG-7 has been one of the most irreplaceable weapon systems last 60 years.
Today, we cannot even imagine a minor clash without this reliable, popular, low cost,
simple, and reasonably powerful shoulder-launched anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
It is everybody's favourite.
Now, we are investigating the RPG-7, the 60-year enemy of the armour.
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The RPG-7 derives its name from the initials of the Russian words "Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy
Granatomyot", meaning "portable anti-tank grenade launcher".
But fortuitously, the abbreviation RPG also refers to the rocket-propelled grenade in
English.
We cannot imagine a battle without the RPG-7, the most widely used anti-armour weapon in
the world, including in Hollywood movies.
The super-soldier John Rambo, who fought against the communists, could not help but pose with
an RPG-7.
Its story goes back to the Second World War.
Of course, the Red Army quickly realized how effective was the German Panzerfaust against
the armoured vehicles.
And in 1944, the Soviet engineers began to develop the RPG-1 based on this weapon.
However, the USSR was dissatisfied with this first study, and it started working on the
RPG-2 in 1947.
But, in the early 1950s, the modern western main battle tank began to have thicker armour
plates.
Besides, the Soviet Army now had many different anti-tank weapons, such as the RPG-2, RKG-3
grenade, VG-45 rifle grenade, SPG-82 rocket launcher, and B-10, B-11 recoilless gun.
This diversity caused a logistical nightmare.
So, in 1954, when the RPG-2 entered service, the Soviet Army requested the development
of a rocket-propelled grenade launcher capable of more accurate shooting at longer ranges.
It would also replace all RPG-2, RKG-3, VG-45, SPG-82, B-10 and B-11.
Developed as the answer to this demand, the RPG-7 won the competition over its rival RPG-4.
The Soviet Army took the delivery of the first RPG-7s in 1961.
It was a squad-level anti-tank weapon.
During the First Cold War years, every squad in the Soviet motorised and airborne divisions
had one RPG-7.
The paratroopers used the RPG-7D, which could be broken into two parts for ease of carriage.
During the last 60 years, many countries have produced under licence or cloned the RPG-7.
Its local production variants are named model TIP-57 in Albania, ATGL-L in Bulgaria, Type
69 in China, PG-7 in Egypt, Sageg in Iran, Al-Nassira in Iraq, MA-10 in Myanmar, AG-7
in Romania, Sinar in Sudan, PSRL-1 in the USA, and B41 in Vietnam.
The other know producers of the weapon are former Czechoslovakia, Georgia, Moldova, Nigeria,
North Korea, Pakistan, Poland, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
But, we should add that the RPG-7 is also produced under the counter by many illegal
groups.
Also, the Armenian N-2 multiple rocket launcher is one of its notable local improvised variants.
Besides, the Romanians developed the three-barrel variant of the RPG-7, called AGI 3x40.
The rear half of the tube has a wooden sheath to protect the gunner from the effect of heat
or cold.
The firing of the weapon is highly similar to rifles.
The rocket is loaded from the front.
The gunner needs only a 2-meter gap in behind to fire the rocket.
Under normal conditions, wind deflects a projectile onto its course.
However, the RPG-7 grenade flies in the opposed direction due to its aerodynamics.
So, the accuracy is directly related to the gunner’s skill to aim.
Because the RPG-7’s standard sight, PGO-7, is a 2.5x optic with PSO style illuminated
reticule for low light shooting and has no wind or leading adjustment.
Right in the middle, there are stadia lines indicating a range.
The gunner centres the full height of the target between the stadia lines.
The target treads rest on the bottom line.
Then, the gunner reads the range on the upper stadia line, where the top of the target touches
it.
The gunner should move the centre of the sight reticle over the centre of the target mass
along the line of the measured range.
If the crosswind is blowing from right to left, he should move the centre reticle to
the left of the target.
Although this method works well on paper, in a 3 meters per second wind, the accuracy
of first-round hits reduces to more than 50 per cent beyond 180 meters.
The RPG-7 can also be fitted with the NSPU or NSP-2 night sights.
In general use, the gunner uses the range stadia to estimate the target range beginning
at the 1000-meter maximum stadia line and then begins the tracking at the 500-meter
maximum sighting range.
Tracking continues until the target reaches the double line at 300 meters, and then the
gunner pulls the trigger.
A 300-meter distance reduces the reaction time for the target's evasive manoeuvres or
active protection systems.
Still, according to tests conducted in 1976 by the US Army, the RPG-7 has a success rate
of 100 per cent in 50 metres, 22 per cent in 300 metres, and 4 per cent in 500 metres.
The grenade is launched from the tube by the rocket engine's gunpowder booster charge with
a muzzle velocity of 117 metres per second.
The booster produces smoke of 0.9 to 1.2 meters in diameter, which would disperse in 8 seconds
in low winds.
After travelling a distance of 11 metres, the sustainer rocket ignites and boosts the
rocket to a maximum velocity of around 300 meters per second.
The propellant gasses are released through six wedge-shaped lugs at the forward end of
the tailboom just below the rear end of the warhead to reduce backblast.
After 14 seconds from the first shoot, if the rocket is missed or does not destroy the
target, the gunner fires a second one.
The projectile automatically destructs itself if it cannot contact a target within the range
of 900 meters.
Today, about 100 countries use the RPG-7.
Also, it is an indispensable weapon for the irregular and guerrilla forces.
The RPG-7 has a length of 0.95 meters and a diameter of 40 millimetres, while the diameter
of the grenade is 85 millimetres.
The weight of the launcher with the PGO-7 sight is 7 kilograms.
The top speed of the 2.2-kilogram PG-7V rocket is 300 metres per second.
Its effective range is 330 metres.
The high-explosive anti-tank warhead of the PG-7V can penetrate 260-millimetre steel armour.
In general opinion, the PG-7V anti-tank rocket is relatively ineffective against infantry.
However, combat records show that it can create shrapnels over a range of 150 meters once
it detonates after hitting the target.
Still, the effectiveness of the PG-7V is low against fortifications and sandbags.
The RPG-7 can also fire many other rocket-propelled grenades.
For example, the 2.6-kilogram PG-7VL anti-tank rocket has a diameter of 93 millimetres, and
it can penetrate over 500-millimetre steel armour.
The 4.5-kilogram PG-7VR has a tandem high-explosive anti-tank warhead against the target supported
with explosive reactive armour.
It can penetrate over 750-millimetre steel armour directly or 600-millimetre steel armour
with explosive reactive armour.
The 2-kilogram OG-7V with a fragmentation warhead is effective against the infantry.
The TBG-7V with a thermobaric warhead has a weight of 4.5 kilograms and a lethal radius
of 10 metres.
The RPG-7 was baptized with fire in the Vietnam War.
During the 1968 Tet Offensive, it managed to destroy many US-built armoured vehicles,
including main battle tanks.
The US reports addressed that the M48 Pattons could stand against the RPG-2, but not the
RPG-7.
Also, the petrol engines of these tanks caused a catastrophic fire when they hit.
Also, the North Vietnamese forces used the RPG-7 not only as an anti-tank weapon but
also as an anti-aircraft system.
The Russian resource claim that it destroyed more than 150 air target in Vietnam.
In fact, while the RPG-7 was not very effective in shooting down a helicopter in the air,
it became a dreadful threat for the air targets at low altitudes and slow speed.
So, the Vietnamese doctrines did not include using the RPG-7 against helicopters in flight.
In the 1973 Yom-Kippur War, together with the AT-3 Sagger anti-tank guided missiles,
the RPG-7s caused heavy losses to the Israeli armoured forces, which were not ready for
such a confrontation.
After the war, Israel began to equip its tank and armoured vehicles with explosive reactive
armour blocks and cage armours against them.
Still, in the 1982 Lebanon War, the RPG-7s heavily hurt the Israeli armour.
The solution was to create heavy armoured personnel carriers based on the T-55 and Centurion
tank chassis.
The RPG-7 also fought against air targets in Africa, alongside the land vehicles.
At least eight Rhodesian and South African SA 316 Alouette, SA.330 Puma, and UH-1 helicopters
were shot down or destroyed on the ground by the RPG-7.
Interestingly, the RPG-7 also managed to shoot down a Rhodesian C-47 in 1977 and a Libyan
C-130 transport aircraft in 1979.
The RPG-7 weapon also fought against the USSR and Russia.
In Afghanistan, it was one of the best companions of the Mujahidin.
In countless ambush, the weapon destroyed numerous Soviet armour.
And also, it managed to eliminate some Mi-6, Mi-8, and Mi-24s.
Later, the Russians in both wars in Chechnya had to savour the bitter taste of their own
product.
In these wars, the Chechen guerrillas succeeded in destroying even modern main battle tanks
by simultaneously firing 7 to 8 rockets.
The weapon had 95 per cent effectiveness over the BMP-1s and BMP-2s.
Still, some Russian T-80BVs withstood up to 18 RPG-7 hits in these wars.
The Chechens also developed unique tactics around this weapon.
They organized four-person assault teams with one RPG-7 gunner, two machine gunners, and
one sniper with a Dragunov.
According to this tactic, the ambush starts with the RPG-7 fire, followed by the machine
gunners, who block the help from coming and do not allow escape from the burning vehicle.
Meanwhile, the sniper eliminates the other vehicles' optics and communication systems.
Nevertheless, the RPG-7 could not perform the same success against the British Challenger
2.
In 2006, the armour of a British tank serving in Iraq managed to survive 10 to 15 RPG attacks.
Even so, the weapon was responsible for many other allied losses.
Hours are not enough to tell the war stories of the RPG-7.
Let's close this bet by saying that this weapon is still doing important work in Ukraine.
Having been used in every major conflict since 1968 has made the RPG-7 an icon.
RPG-7 does not serve only during wartime.
Military experts can determine the risk of war in a region judging by the black market
price of the Kalashnikov rifle or the RPG-7.
If prices increase arithmetically, it means that the parties are preparing for war.
A geometrical increase is a sign of an imminent war.
In a way, the RPG-7 is also the reverse symbol of peace.
If your country does not have this weapon in its inventory, you can be sure that you
are not at war or the target of a terrorist group.
The RPG-7 has been the weapon of all war for nearly 60 years.
And it will continue to be in the future.
Let's accept that no sensible commander can go to war or even a minor skirmish by ignoring
the threat of the legendary RPG-7.
Thanks for watching our video.
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of our new videos.
Also, you can now click the join button to support our channel.
And as always, we would greatly appreciate all the likes, comments, and shares.