RPG-29
Encyclopedia
The RPG-29 is a Russian
rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Adopted by the Soviet Army
in 1989, it was the most recent weapon of its type to be adopted by the Russian military
before the fall of the Soviet Union
in 1991. The RPG-29 has since been supplemented by other rocket-propelled systems, such as the RPG-30
and RPG-32 "Hashim"
. The RPG-29's PG-29V tandem-charge
warhead is one of the few warhead systems which has penetrated the hulls of Western composite-armored main battle tanks in active combat.
, tube-style, breech-loading weapon designed to be carried and used by a single soldier. On the top of the launch tube is the 2.7× 1P38 optical sight. On the bottom of the tube is a shoulder brace for proper positioning along with a pistol grip
trigger mechanism. A 1PN51-2 night sight can be fitted.
The RPG-29 is unusual among Russian anti-tank rocket launchers in that it lacks an initial propellant charge to place the projectile at a safe distance from the operator before the rocket ignites. Instead, the rocket engine starts as soon as the trigger is pulled, and burns out before the projectile leaves the barrel. Since the projectile follows a ballistic trajectory
, the weapon could be described as a smoothbore recoilless rifle
.
Two projectiles are available for the weapon; the PG-29V anti-tank/anti-bunker round and the TBG-29V thermobaric
anti-personnel round. The PG-29V round has a tandem-charge
HEAT warhead for defeating explosive reactive armor (ERA). When launched, the missile deploys eight fins as the rocket leaves the launcher, stabilizing the rocket during flight, up to a range of 500 meters. The warhead itself comprises of two charges; an initial small high explosive charge destroys the reactive armor, or, if ERA or cage armor
is absent, the main armor is impacted. Behind the primary charge, a much larger secondary shaped charge
bursts at the rear of the initial warhead and projects a jet of molten metal into the pre-compromised armor.
The PG-29V warhead is noted by Western and Russian sources to be exceptionally powerful.
During Russian weapons testing, the rocket was launched against T-80
and T-90
tanks. It penetrated the hulls of both tank-types through their frontal arcs, despite reactive armor and the tanks' very thick hulls.
Western sources obtained much of their explicit knowledge of the warhead's capacity for damage in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, although the RPG-29 is believed to have been used in multiple skirmishes against U.S. and British mobilized forces during the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq.
, and entered service with the Soviet army in 1989. It has recently seen intermittent use by irregular forces
in the Middle East theater, including in combat against U.S./U.K. forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the 2006 Lebanon War, when it was used against Israel
i forces.
Its presence in the theater had briefly led to stressed relations between Russia and Israel.
During the conflict, the Israel
i newspaper Haaretz
stated that the RPG-29 was a major source of IDF
casualties in the 2006 Lebanon War although a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry denied that Russia had supplied arms directly to Hezbollah.
Shortly before the end of the conflict; an agreement had apparently been reached. The Russian Kommersant
magazine acknowledged through anonymous sources the possibility of a weapons transfer between Syria
and Hezbollah during the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon
.
Iran
Mexico
Pakistan
Romania
Russia
Syria
Ukraine
East Germany Socialist Republic of Romania Soviet Union
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Adopted by the Soviet Army
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military services of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR...
in 1989, it was the most recent weapon of its type to be adopted by the Russian military
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military services of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR...
before the fall of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
in 1991. The RPG-29 has since been supplemented by other rocket-propelled systems, such as the RPG-30
RPG-30
The RPG-30 is a Russian hand held anti-tank grenade launcher.-History:The RPG-30 was unveiled in 2008 by the State Research and Production Enterprise, Bazalt as a modern anti-tank grenade launcher designed to address the threat of reactive armor and active protection systems on tanks...
and RPG-32 "Hashim"
RPG-32
The RPG-32 Hashim is a Russian hand held anti-tank grenade launcher.The RPG-32 multipurpose grenade launcher was developed between 2005 and 2007 by Russian state-owned FGUP 'Bazalt' organization on request and under contract from Jordan...
. The RPG-29's PG-29V tandem-charge
Tandem-charge
A tandem-charge weapon is an explosive device or projectile that has two or more stages of detonation. It is effective against cage armor, which is designed to protect an armored vehicle against anti-tank munitions. The first stage of the weapon triggers the reactive armor of the target, limiting...
warhead is one of the few warhead systems which has penetrated the hulls of Western composite-armored main battle tanks in active combat.
Description
The RPG-29 is a shoulder-launchedShoulder-launched missile weapon
A shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched missile or man-portable missile is a projectile fired at a target, small enough to be carried by a single person, and fired while held on one's shoulder...
, tube-style, breech-loading weapon designed to be carried and used by a single soldier. On the top of the launch tube is the 2.7× 1P38 optical sight. On the bottom of the tube is a shoulder brace for proper positioning along with a pistol grip
Pistol grip
On a firearm or other tool, the pistol grip is that portion of the mechanism that is held by the hand and orients the hand in a forward, vertical orientation, similar to the position one would take with a conventional pistol such as the M1911....
trigger mechanism. A 1PN51-2 night sight can be fitted.
The RPG-29 is unusual among Russian anti-tank rocket launchers in that it lacks an initial propellant charge to place the projectile at a safe distance from the operator before the rocket ignites. Instead, the rocket engine starts as soon as the trigger is pulled, and burns out before the projectile leaves the barrel. Since the projectile follows a ballistic trajectory
Trajectory of a projectile
In physics, the ballistic trajectory of a projectile is the path that a thrown or launched projectile will take under the action of gravity, neglecting all other forces, such as friction from air resistance, without propulsion....
, the weapon could be described as a smoothbore recoilless rifle
Recoilless rifle
A recoilless rifle or recoilless gun is a lightweight weapon that fires a heavier projectile than would be practical to fire from a recoiling weapon of comparable size. Technically, only devices that use a rifled barrel are recoilless rifles. Smoothbore variants are recoilless guns...
.
Two projectiles are available for the weapon; the PG-29V anti-tank/anti-bunker round and the TBG-29V thermobaric
Thermobaric weapon
A thermobaric weapon, which includes the type known as a "fuel-air bomb", is an explosive weapon that produces a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than those produced by condensed explosives. This is useful in military applications where its longer duration increases the numbers of...
anti-personnel round. The PG-29V round has a tandem-charge
Tandem-charge
A tandem-charge weapon is an explosive device or projectile that has two or more stages of detonation. It is effective against cage armor, which is designed to protect an armored vehicle against anti-tank munitions. The first stage of the weapon triggers the reactive armor of the target, limiting...
HEAT warhead for defeating explosive reactive armor (ERA). When launched, the missile deploys eight fins as the rocket leaves the launcher, stabilizing the rocket during flight, up to a range of 500 meters. The warhead itself comprises of two charges; an initial small high explosive charge destroys the reactive armor, or, if ERA or cage armor
Cage armor
Slat armor is a type of vehicle armor designed to protect against anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade attacks...
is absent, the main armor is impacted. Behind the primary charge, a much larger secondary shaped charge
Shaped charge
A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Various types are used to cut and form metal, to initiate nuclear weapons, to penetrate armor, and in the oil and gas industry...
bursts at the rear of the initial warhead and projects a jet of molten metal into the pre-compromised armor.
The PG-29V warhead is noted by Western and Russian sources to be exceptionally powerful.
During Russian weapons testing, the rocket was launched against T-80
T-80
The T-80 is a main battle tank designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union. A development of the T-64, it entered service in 1976 and was the first production tank to be equipped with a gas turbine engine for main propulsion.the Swedish Stridsvagn 103 of 1971 used a gas turbine alongside...
and T-90
T-90
The T-90 is a Russian third-generation main battle tank that is a modernisation of the T-72 . It is currently the most modern tank in service with the Russian Ground Forces and Naval Infantry...
tanks. It penetrated the hulls of both tank-types through their frontal arcs, despite reactive armor and the tanks' very thick hulls.
Western sources obtained much of their explicit knowledge of the warhead's capacity for damage in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, although the RPG-29 is believed to have been used in multiple skirmishes against U.S. and British mobilized forces during the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq.
History
The RPG-29 was developed during the late 1980's, following the development of the RPG-26RPG-26
The RPG-26 Aglen is a disposable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by the Soviet Union. It fires a single-stage rocket with jack-knife fins, which unfold after launch...
, and entered service with the Soviet army in 1989. It has recently seen intermittent use by irregular forces
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
in the Middle East theater, including in combat against U.S./U.K. forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the 2006 Lebanon War, when it was used against Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i forces.
Its presence in the theater had briefly led to stressed relations between Russia and Israel.
During the conflict, the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i newspaper Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
stated that the RPG-29 was a major source of IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
casualties in the 2006 Lebanon War although a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry denied that Russia had supplied arms directly to Hezbollah.
Shortly before the end of the conflict; an agreement had apparently been reached. The Russian Kommersant
Kommersant
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
magazine acknowledged through anonymous sources the possibility of a weapons transfer between Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Hezbollah during the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
Current operators
BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Former operators
Czechoslovak Socialist RepublicCzechoslovak Socialist Republic
The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was the official name of Czechoslovakia from 1960 until end of 1989 , a Soviet satellite state of the Eastern Bloc....
East Germany Socialist Republic of Romania Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
See also
- LRAC F1LRAC F1The LRAC F1, officially called Lance-Roquettes AntiChar de 89 mm modèle F1 is a French reusable rocket launcher developed by Luchaire Defense SA, and manufactured in cooperation with Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Saint-Étienne and was in the 1970s marketed by Hotchkiss-Brandt...
- Rocket-propelled grenade (includes a description of tactics and history.)
- RPG-7RPG-7The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
- RPG-22RPG-22The Soviet RPG-22 Netto is a one-shot disposable anti-tank rocket launcher first deployed in 1985, based on the RPG-18 rocket launcher, but firing a larger 72.5 mm fin stabilised projectile. The weapon can be prepared to fire in around 10 seconds, and can penetrate 400 mm of armour, 1.2 meters of...
- RPG-26RPG-26The RPG-26 Aglen is a disposable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by the Soviet Union. It fires a single-stage rocket with jack-knife fins, which unfold after launch...
- RPG-30RPG-30The RPG-30 is a Russian hand held anti-tank grenade launcher.-History:The RPG-30 was unveiled in 2008 by the State Research and Production Enterprise, Bazalt as a modern anti-tank grenade launcher designed to address the threat of reactive armor and active protection systems on tanks...
- RPG-32RPG-32The RPG-32 Hashim is a Russian hand held anti-tank grenade launcher.The RPG-32 multipurpose grenade launcher was developed between 2005 and 2007 by Russian state-owned FGUP 'Bazalt' organization on request and under contract from Jordan...
External links
- http://www.defense-update.com/products/r/rpg.htm RPG - A Weapon's Profile
- http://www.defense-update.com/features/du-1-04/rpg-threat.htm Countering the RPG Threat