RKG-3 anti-tank grenade
| RKG-3 anti-tank grenade | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Hand grenade |
| Place of origin |
.svg.png){kind=small} Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1950 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1.07 kg |
| Length | 362 mm |
|
| |
| Effective firing range | 15–20 m |
| Filling | TNT/RDX with a steel lined shaped charge with 220 mm penetration of RHA. |
| Filling weight | 0.567 kg (1.25 lbs.) |
Detonation mechanism | Impact fuse |
RKG-3 is the designation of a Russian series of anti-tank hand grenades. It superseded the RPG-43, RPG-40 and RPG-6 series of grenades. It entered service in 1950, but is perhaps best known for its use by Iraqi insurgents in the mid-2000s, against vehicles of the US forces.
Design
RKG stands for Ruchnaya Kumulyativnaya Granata (Handheld Shaped Charge Grenade). When the pin is pulled and the grenade is thrown a four-panelled drogue parachute is deployed by a spring. This parachute stabilizes the grenade in flight and ensures that the grenade strikes the target at a 90 degree angle, maximising the effect of the shaped charge. Realistic accurately thrown ranges are within 15 to 25 meters, while the danger space from blast and fragmentation is within 50 meters.
The grenade is activated by the fuze in the handle. When the parachute deploys, its ejection throws a weight that will hit the firing pin, which activates the primer detonator in the base. This sets off the booster charge in the base of the shaped charge, detonating and enhancing the main charge. The sensitive fuze guarantees that the grenade will detonate if it impacts any target.
Armour penetration depends on the model. The original RKG-3 used a basic shaped charge with a steel liner and had a penetration of 125 mm against Rolled Homogeneous Armor (RHA). The RKG-3M used a copper-lined shaped-charge warhead and has a penetration of 165 mm. The Yogoslavian M79 has a larger warhead and boasts a penetration of 220 mm.
History
The RKG-3 was adopted into service in 1950. A few years later it was replaced by the RKG-3M and RKG-3EM. In early 1970s the Soviet Army replaced this grenade with the RPG-18, but many other countries and guerrilla movements are still using the RKG-3 in their armed forces. It was used extensively during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Ulrike Meinhof was injured by an RKG-3 while training with the PLO in a Syrian training camp.
RKG-3 grenades were widely used by Iraqi insurgents against American Humvees,[1][2] Strykers and MRAPs[3] - and is mentioned and featured in one of the scenes of the 2014 Motion Picture American Sniper, a dramatized account of the life and work of a U.S. Navy Seal marksman.
Models
- RKG-3 Penetration : 125 mm RHA
- RKG-3M (-Modernetya, "Improved") Model with liner changed from steel to copper. Penetration : 165 mm RHA. Copies manufactured by East Germany (RKG-3Cu).
- RKG-3T Model with improved copper liner. Penetration: 170 mm RHA
- RKG-3EM Model with larger warhead. Weight: 1.7 kg. (3.74 lbs.) Penetration: 220 mm RHA
- UPG-8 (Uechebnaya Protivotankovaya Granata, "Training Anti-Tank Grenade"). Black body with white markings. The warhead contains a reloadable black powder charge that mostly produces smoke that is vented through holes in the heavy-gauge sheet-metal. The fuze and parachute can be quickly reloaded after use by using special armorer tools.
- M79 copy by Yugoimport SDPR. Copies now manufactured by Serbia (M79) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (RKB-M79). Penetration: 220 mm RHA
See also
References
Notes
- ↑ Video of HMMWV attack
- ↑ DoD photograph
- ↑ Ismay, John. "Insight Into How Insurgents Fought in Iraq". atwar.blogs.nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
Bibliography
- Hogg, Ian V. (1991). Jane's Infantry Weapons 1991-92. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-7106-0963-9.
- Jones, Richard D. (2005). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005-2006. Jane's Information Group.