RPG-18 | |
---|---|
RPG-18 rocket launcher with PG-18 rocket | |
Type | Rocket-propelled grenade |
Place of origin | Soviet Union |
Service history | |
In service | 1972–present |
Wars |
Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War Sino-Vietnamese War Cambodian–Vietnamese War Third Indochina War Soviet–Afghan War[1] Salvadoran Civil War Gulf War Nagorno-Karabakh War Tajikistan Civil War First Chechen War Congo Civil War Second Chechen War War in Afghanistan Iraq War 2008 South Ossetian War Kivu conflict Syrian Civil War |
Specifications | |
Mass |
1.4 kg (projectile) 2.6 kg (loaded) |
Length |
705 mm (unarmed) 1,050 mm (ready to fire) |
Crew | 1 |
| |
Shell | HEAT |
Caliber | 64 mm |
Action |
300 mm: RHA 500 mm: Reinforced concrete 1000 mm: Brickwork |
Muzzle velocity | 115 m/s |
Effective firing range | 200 m |
The RPG-18 Mukha (Russian: Муха, romanized: Fly) is a Soviet short-range, disposable light anti-tank rocket launcher.
History[]
The RPG-18 is very similar to the US M72-series LAW anti-tank rocket launcher.[2] The RPG-18 has been succeeded by the RPG-22, a very similar design with a larger warhead.
Description[]
The RPG-18 fires a 64 mm PG-18 HEAT warhead mounted on a small rocket capable of engaging targets within 200 meters. The warhead self-destructs 6 seconds after launch, placing definite limits on range even if a sight was used that was effective with targets beyond 200 meters. The RPG-18 itself can penetrate up to 375 mm of conventional armor. However, performance is significantly diminished when the RPG-18 is employed against targets protected by HEAT-resistant ERA or composite armor.
Unlike better known weapons, the RPG-18 requires only one operator because it is not reloadable. Assistant grenadiers are used to help reload the RPG-2, RPG-7 and RPG-16 systems.
Users[]
- Afghanistan[3]
- Armenia[citation needed]
- Azerbaijan[citation needed]
- Belarus[citation needed]
- Chad[4]
- Republic of the Congo[5]
- Georgia[6]
- Greece[7]
- Hamas[citation needed]
- Iraq Iraqi insurgents[8]
- Kazakhstan[citation needed]
- Kyrgyzstan[citation needed]
- Moldova[citation needed]
- Panama[9]
- Russia
- Syria[citation needed]
- Tajikistan[citation needed]
- Turkmenistan[citation needed]
- Ukraine[citation needed]
- Donetsk People's Republic[10]
- Uzbekistan[citation needed]
Former Users[]
- Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda[4]
- Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN)[9]
- East Germany
- Nicaragua Sandinista Popular Army[9]
- Soviet Union
Similar weapons[]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Campbell, David (30 Nov 2017). Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89. Combat 29. Osprey Publishing. p. 62. ISBN 9781472817648.
- ↑ Rottman, Gordon L. (2011-03-15). The Rocket Propelled Grenade. ISBN 9781849081542. https://books.google.com/?id=NDa1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=m72+law+rpg#v=onepage&q=m72%20law%20rpg&f=false.
- ↑ Bhatia, Michael Vinai; Sedra, Mark (May 2008). Small Arms Survey. ed. Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society. Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-415-45308-0. https://books.google.fr/books?id=P4N9AgAAQBAJ.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Small Arms Survey (2015). "Waning Cohesion: The Rise and Fall of the FDLR–FOCA". Small Arms Survey 2015: weapons and the world. Cambridge University Press. p. 203. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2015/eng/Small-Arms-Survey-2015-Chapter-07-EN.pdf.
- ↑ Small Arms Survey (2003). "Making the Difference?: Weapon Collection and Small Arms Availability in the Republic of Congo". Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied. Oxford University Press. pp. 267. ISBN 0199251754. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2003/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2003-Chapter-08-EN.pdf.
- ↑ Small Arms Survey (1998). Politics From The Barrel of a Gun. Cambridge University Press. pp. 40. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/B-Occasional-papers/SAS-OP06-Georgia.pdf.
- ↑ Greek General Army Staff (Γενικό Επιτελείο Στρατού) webpage (in Greek). http://army.gr/el/organosi/oplika-systimata/t-rpg-18.
- ↑ Small Arms Survey (2012). "Surveying the Battlefield: Illicit Arms In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia". Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-521-19714-4. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2012/eng/Small-Arms-Survey-2012-Chapter-10-EN.pdf.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Montes, Julio A. (8 May 2015). "Portable Anti-Tank Weapons in Mexico & the Northern Central American Triangle". http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=2954.
- ↑ Ferguson, Jonathan; Jenzen-Jones, N.R. (November 2014). Raising Red Flags: An Examination of Arms & Munitions in the Ongoing Conflict in Ukraine, 2014. Research Report 3. Armament Research Services. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-9924624-3-7. http://armamentresearch.com/Uploads/Research%20Report%20No.%203%20-%20Raising%20Red%20Flags.pdf.
- Jones, Richard. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005–06. Coulsdon: Jane's, 2005. ISBN 0-7106-2694-0.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:RPG-18. |
- RPG-18 (in Russian)
- Modern Firearms
- Military-Today
- Weapon Systems
- Military Factory
|
The original article can be found at RPG-18 and the edit history here.