RPG-18
| RPG-18 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| general information | |
| Surname: | RPG-18 |
| Country: | former Soviet Union , Russia |
| Production period: | from 1972 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length: | 705 mm, (marching position) 1050 mm (ready for battle) |
| Weight: | 2.60 kg |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 64 mm |
| Functionality: | reactive (recoilless) weapon for firing anti-tank grenades |
| Sight range: | 200 m |
| Effective combat distance: | 135 m |
|
Muzzle velocity of the grenade (V 0 ): |
115 m / s |
The RPG-18 Mucha (Russian: fly ) is a Russian anti-tank weapon . The abbreviation stands for rutschnoi protiwotankowij granatomjot , in German about "hand-operated anti-tank grenade launcher". The weapon is intended for single use, which is why it was carried as ammunition by the Soviet Army and intended for mass use. It was created as a counterpart to the American M72 LAW in order to significantly increase the anti-tank density immediately (about 100 m) in front of the own positions.
function
Simple operating instructions (text and images) are attached to the weapon so that the RPG-18 can also be operated correctly by untrained or barely trained persons. To get the RPG-18 ready for action, the cylindrical weapon has to be pulled apart like a telescope. First the front cover is opened and then the inner tube is pulled out to the rear. The outer tube consists of a painted composite material (GRP), the inner one of black anodized aluminum. The sights unfold, the trigger mechanism is exposed and the weapon is cocked with the sight lever. A renewed pushing together is not planned, only a safety device for the change of position was provided. Instructed persons can easily relax the weapon and push it back together again. The RPG-18 is waterproof in the transport position. The function of the weapon should be guaranteed between 60 degrees above and below zero. Use in buildings is not intended due to the exhaust gas jet emerging to the rear. The optimal deployment distance is between 50 and 150 m, after which the hit density is very scattered. The accuracy of the hit is also influenced by the temperature, since the propellant charge burns down depending on the temperature. From 1978 to 1989 the RPG-18 was also produced in the GDR ( Königswartha , VEB Mechanische Werkstätten).
construction
The warhead of the RPG-18 consists of a painted aluminum shell with the shaped charge pressed into it . The ignition voltage of the head igniter is transmitted to the bottom igniter via this cover, the inner aluminum cone and the copper funnel. The pyrotechnic-mechanical bottom igniter then ignites the shaped charge with a 20 g detonator made of nitropenta , which is located under the copper funnel and a plastic lens. The warhead and engine are bolted and sealed with rubber sealant.
The propellant charge is ignited with a starting fuse (firing pin / percussion cap with black powder tablet) through a plastic tube, i. H. The gases from the black powder tablet ignite a black powder bag located on the propellant charge in front of the outlet nozzle, which is similar to a coffee pod. The nozzle is sealed with a stopper combination and the four outlet openings in the combustion chamber head required for the swirl are sealed with plates and varnish. The grenade is carried out of the launcher by the propellant charge, only then does the engine start.
The engine consists of a hardened steel tube with a combustion chamber head made of suitably strong anodized aluminum and a nozzle with four stabilizing blades made of the same material. Pyroxyline powder is used for propulsion. The propellant charge of the engine burns at a maximum of −50 degrees Celsius for 12 ms - the burn closure is before leaving the ASV, which ensures the shooter's safety and prevents burns from the propellant gases. The entire structure is screwed tight and glued with epoxy .
Immediately after being fired, the grenade is set in slow rotation and the stabilizing wings open. Under normal circumstances, the grenade has an average speed of around 114 m / s six meters after the muzzle.
effect
The RPG-18 grenade contains a shaped charge . This consists of 300 g OKFOL (detonation speed approx. 10,000 m / s) and a pure copper funnel as a shaped charge insert to strengthen the penetration effect. When it hits the target, the charge is ignited by a base detonator with a piezo head release or, if the target is missed, by a pyrotechnic self-destruct device contained in the base detonator (which is activated when it is fired) after approx. 6 seconds. The latter is done to avoid duds in the event of a miss . The detonator is only armed from about 10 m after leaving the launching device (so-called pre-pipe safety device). The bundled cumulative explosion beam (also known as a shaped charge spike) is able to penetrate homogeneous armor steel from an impact angle of 30 degrees to 300 mm thick, concrete up to 2 m thick or layers of both and other materials accordingly. In the focus (point of impact) the area of the plasma jet is about 1 cm².
Arms exports
The RPG-18 was produced in the GDR in 1984 by the Königswartha combine and several thousand pieces were exported to Iran along with the RPG-7 .
literature
- A 050/1/447 Reactive anti-tank grenade RPG 18 - Description and use , Council of Ministers of the GDR, 1980
- Ilya Shaydurov: Russian close combat equipment: types, technology, data . 1st edition. Motorbuch, 2017, ISBN 978-3-613-03974-2 , pp. 174 ff .
Web links
- Russian Shoulder-Launched Infantry Rockets RPG's & RSHG's DTIG, June 2011
Individual evidence
- ↑ Printed matter 12/7650: "Recommended resolution and first deviating report" German Bundestag, 1994, p. 42
- ↑ Harald Möller: " Weapons for Iran and Iraq: German arms exports and their cross-connections to the ABC weapons programs of both countries; causes, background, consequences ", Verlag Dr. Köster, 2006, ISBN 978-3895746055 , pp. 73,260