RGD-5

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RGD-5 hand grenade

The RGD-5 (RGD = R lish well G ranata D istanzionnaja, Translator .: distance grenade ) is a Soviet hand grenade , which was developed in the early 1950s. She was taken over into the armament of the Soviet Army in 1954 ; in some countries of the former Warsaw Pact and various Arab states it is still used today.

construction

The load of the grenade consists of 110 grams of TNT , a fragment insert and the detonator. The total weight is 310 grams. Usually a detonator of the type UZRGM is installed, which is also used in other Russian grenades (RG-41, RG-42 and F1) and burns down in 3–4 seconds. The RGD-5 can also be equipped with the more modern DVM-78 detonators. For booby traps, variants of the UZGRM with delays of 0 to 13 seconds are used. The grenade can also be converted into a mine with a MUV fuse .

description

Sectional view

The grenade is egg-shaped and smooth on the surface with the exception of the visible joining seam of the two halves. The paint is green or olive green (depending on the origin). The range is that of a normal hand grenade at around 30 to 40 meters when thrown by an average adult. The explosion of an RGD grenade can still cause splinter injuries at a distance of 15 meters, at a distance of less than 4 meters an explosion is usually associated with severe or fatal injuries.

The RGD-5 is produced in Russia , with copies being made in countries such as Bulgaria and Georgia . In the People's Republic of China it is produced under the name Type 59. The grenade and its millions of offshoots have been developed into more modern grenades in the last 60 years, for example for use against armored vehicles or to penetrate body armor . The RGD-5 is an efficient and inexpensive weapon; a single grenade costs the equivalent of around three euros, making it a popular choice in all conflict areas.

The URG-N training grenade has the same typical design, but is equipped with a simulator instead of TNT.

Others

In an assassination attempt on then US President George W. Bush during a speech in Tbilisi in 2005 , a live and unlocked RGD-5 grenade landed about 19 meters away from the President. This did not explode, however, and none of those present were injured. For this act, Vladimir Arutjunyan was convicted by a Georgian court.

See also

literature