SPG-9
The or the SPG-9 Kopje ( Russian СПГ-9 Копьё ) is a recoilless gun added to the armament of the Soviet Army in 1963 . The weapon combines the properties of a grenade launcher and an anti-tank weapon and was used in motorized rifle and airborne units to combat armored vehicles, field fortifications and permanent combat systems, to hold down and destroy troops inside and outside cover and to create lanes in wire obstacles. Although now mostly replaced by more modern weapon systems in regular armed forces, it can still be found in the arming of various armies and irregular forces.
The abbreviation SPG ( Russian СПГ ) stands for stankowy protiwotankowy granatomjot ( Russian станковый противотанковый гранатомёт ) and means grenade launcher for anti-tank guns . The project name Kopje ( Russian Копьё ) means lance . The originally assigned GRAY index of the weapon is 6G6 ( Russian 6Г6 ). In the National People's Army of the GDR the weapon was designated as the 73 mm heavy anti-tank rifle SPG-9 .
development
From 1954, the recoilless 82 mm B-10 gun was introduced in the Soviet Army . The weapon was used in infantry units primarily to fight armored vehicles at distances of up to 400 m. Since the first Soviet anti-tank missile complexes became available from the beginning of the 1960s , the B-10 was increasingly being replaced by these in its role as an anti-tank weapon in the motorized rifle units. However, the B-10 was too heavy and immobile for use in the airborne units, and the shooting performance no longer met the requirements that had increased in the meantime.
The weapon was developed in the State Union Design Bureau No. 47 (GSKB-47, Russian ГСКБ-47 ). The tactical and technical requirements provided for a total weight of less than 30 kg, a penetration capacity of at least 300 mm and the possibility of shooting from cover. Great importance was also attached to being largely maintenance-free. It should be possible to fire at least 35 shots from the gun in five days without cleaning the barrel. This requirement ultimately led to the unusual caliber of 73 mm. The first prototypes of the weapon still had a caliber of 70 mm. Tests showed that after just seven shots the tube was so clogged with powder residue that it was no longer possible to insert the grenade. The designers therefore provided a centering band at the tip of the grenade, which cleansed powder residues as the grenade passed through the barrel. This tape with the thickness of 1.5 mm required the increase in caliber to 73 mm. In the course of the tests it was also found that the required weight of 30 kg could not be achieved. Therefore it was increased to 50 kg. After the successful completion of the tests, the weapon was included in the armament of the Soviet Army in 1963. The 2A28 cannon of the BMP-1 armored personnel carrier was developed from the SPG-9 in 1961 .
construction
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pipe
The weapon is a smooth-barreled cannon that fires wing-stabilized ammunition. The weapon is loaded from behind, a screw lock is used as a breech . The caliber is 73 mm, the rate of fire is five to six rounds per minute.
Visor
The sighting device is on the left of the tube. The optical sight PGO-9 ( Russian ПГО-9 ) is used. With a field of view of 10 °, the visor enlarges four times. For night-time combat, the SPG-9N ( Russian СПГ-9Н ), SPG-9DN ( Russian СПГ-9ДН ), SPG-9MN ( Russian СПГ-9МН ) and SPG-9DMN ( Russian СПГ-9ДМН ) versions of the passive night vision device PGN-9 ( Russian ПГН-9 ) or PGN-9M ( Russian ПГН-9М ) used. In the SPG-9M or SPG-9DM versions, the PGOK-9 alignment attachment is used instead of the PGO-9 visor. This enables shooting in direct and indirect aiming. All types still have an auxiliary sight with a rear sight and front sight.
Mount
A tripod mount is used. The carriage is designed as a tubular construction. The directional range is ± 15 ° horizontally and between −3 ° and + 7 ° vertically. In combat, the weapon is carried by the operator when changing position and transported over long distances on vehicles. In the SPG-9D version, the front leg of the mount is designed as a telescopic arm. The aiming range does not change, but it is possible to set different muzzle heights of the weapon in order to make better use of cover. For easier transport, the weapon can be placed on a single-axis lower mount with the tripod folded. The single-axis transport carriage is sprung.
ammunition
Wing-stabilized grenades are fired. A large number of types of ammunition are now available for the weapon. For the most part, however, these are derivatives of the original Soviet developments.
Before the start, the stabilizing wings at the rear of the grenade are folded in. The starting charge drives the grenade out of the barrel and accelerates it to an initial speed of 250 to 400 m / s. In the case of grenades with a fragmentation warhead, the grenade is set into a longitudinal rotation through exit bores arranged offset to the longitudinal axis, which additionally stabilizes the grenade. After a flight distance of about twenty meters, the cruise engine ignites, accelerating the grenade to a speed of 700 m / s.
Grenades are fired with fragmentation warheads for fighting soft and semi-hard targets and shaped charge grenades for fighting armored targets. With the shaped charge grenades - depending on the type of ammunition used - 300 to 400 mm of armor steel can be penetrated at a maximum distance of 800 m. With fragmentation grenades, maximum ranges of 4000 m to 6000 m can be achieved in indirect aiming.
| Types of ammunition | ||||||||
| Type | designation | Initial speed | Top speed | Penetration performance | effective range | Weight, total | Weight of the grenade | length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frag grenade | OG-9W | 316 m / s | - | - | 5.5 kg | 3.6 kg | 1062 mm | |
| Shaped charge grenade | PG-9W | 435 m / s | 700 m / s | 300 mm | 4.4 kg | 2.6 kg | 1115 mm | |
Modifications
There are some modifications of the SPG-9. The modifications are identified by a suffix index letter. Several modifications can be combined with one another.
SPG-9D
The SPG-9D ( Russian СПГ-9Д ) was developed for use by the airborne troops. The mount was modified. The front tripod of the mount was designed as a telescopic construction in order to be able to set a variable muzzle height. The weapon can be placed on a single-axle transport carriage for transport. The transport carriage is sprung, which enables transport behind towing vehicles in battle. The weapon received the GRAY index 6G7 ( Russian 6Г7 ).
SPG-9M
In the SPG-9M ( Russian СПГ-9М ) the PGO-9 rifle scope has been replaced by the PGOK-9 aiming attachment. This made it possible to fight targets in indirect aiming. The weapon received the GRAY index 6G13 ( Russian 6Г13 ).
SPG-9DM
The SPG-9DM version ( Russian СПГ-9ДМ ) has the modified mount of the SPG-9D version and the PGOK-9 alignment attachment of the SPG-9M version. The weapon received the GRAY index 6G14 ( Russian 6G14 ).
SPG-9N
The SPG-9N ( Russian СПГ-9Н ) was upgraded for night combat. The passive infrared night vision device PGN-9 ( Russian ПГН-9 ) was used. For this purpose, the pipe was provided with a corresponding bracket. In addition, a blocking device was attached to the housing of the firing device in order to protect the night vision device from the brightness of the firing flash. The versions SPG-9D, SPG-9M and SPG-9DM carried the designations SPG-9DN, SPG-9MN and SPG-9DMN if they were retrofitted for the use of the PGN-9.
Technical specifications
| 73 mm heavy anti-tank rifle SPG-9M | |
| General properties | |
| classification | |
| Chief designer | Vyacheslav Ivanovich Silin |
| Name of the manufacturer | SPG-9 |
| Manufacturer | |
| Length with limber | 2110 mm |
| width | 990 mm |
| height | 820 mm |
| Weight in firing position | 47.5 kg |
| Weight tripod | 12.0 kg |
| Weight chassis | 12.0 kg |
| team | 4 men or 3 |
| Years of construction | 1963– |
| number of pieces | |
| pipe | |
| caliber | 73 mm |
| Pipe length | 1850 mm |
| Height of the line of fire | 800 mm |
| Fire dates | |
| Elevation range | −3 ° to 7 ° |
| Side straightening area | ± 15 ° |
| Distance of the direct shot | 800 m (shaped charge grenade) 345 m (fragmentation grenade) |
| Muzzle velocity | 345 m / s (shaped charge grenade) 316 m / s (fragmentation grenade) |
| fire rate | 5-6 rounds / min |
commitment
The SPG-9 replaced the recoilless 82 mm B-10 gun in the infantry units of the Soviet Army . There it was used in the BTR-60 equipped battalions of the motorized rifle troops in the anti-tank trains. In addition, she was still used in the Soviet Army in the units of the airborne troops and the marine infantry.
Use in the NVA
The NVA introduced the weapon in 1969. The variants SPG-9D and SPG-9M were procured. The SPG-9M were used in the anti-tank platoons of the motorized rifle battalions. Only the battalions equipped with BTR-60 were equipped, since the battalions equipped with BMP-1 already had anti-tank capabilities with the anti-tank guided missile 9M14 Maljutka of the BMP-1. The weapon was loaded onto the SPW-152 . In the airborne troops of the NVA and border troops of the GDR , the weapon was on the off-road vehicle -UAZ-469 mounted. A total of 578 SPG-9s had been procured by 1989.
Use in the People's Police
The People's Police readiness of the barracked units of the Ministry of the Interior (MdI) of the GDR were also equipped with the SPG-9. There they were deployed in the heavy companies of readiness. A total of 284 weapons were procured.
Other states of operation
The weapon was exported to numerous other countries. In some of these states, guns and ammunition were manufactured under license. In some cases, for example in Romania, the weapon was still in use after the turn of the millennium. Numerous weapons are now also in the hands of paramilitary groups.
literature
- Wilfried Copenhagen : The land forces of the NVA. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613-02297-4 .
- В. Н. Шунков: Оружие Красной Армии. Мн .: Харвест, 1999, ISBN 985-433-469-4 .
- Ilya Shaydurov: Russian close combat equipment: types, technology, data . 1st edition. Motorbuch, 2017, ISBN 978-3-613-03974-2 , pp. 203 ff .
Web links
- Missile and weapons service in Kdo.MB III, technical catalog, 73 mm heavy anti-tank rifle SPG-9M (6G13)
- Missile and weapons technical service in Kdo. MB III, technical catalog, 73 mm heavy anti-tank rifle SPG-9D
- станковый противотанковый гранатомет СПГ-9 (Russian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Missile and Weapons Technical Service in Kdo.MB III, technical catalog, 73 mm heavy anti-tank rifle SPG-9M (6G13) ( Memento from January 7, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Missile and Weapons Technical Service in Kdo.MB III, technical catalog, 73 mm heavy anti-tank rifle SPG-9D ( Memento from January 7, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Missile and Weapons Technical Service in Kdo.MB III, technical catalog, telescopic sight PGO-9 ( Memento from November 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Missile and Weapons Technical Service in Kdo.MB III, technical catalog, night vision device PGN-9M ( Memento from October 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Missile and Weapons Service in Kdo.MB III, 73-mm-shaped charge grenade ( Memento from October 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Wilfried Copenhagen: The land forces of the NVA. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613-02297-4 , pp. 52-53.
- ↑ a b Missile and Weapons Service in Kdo.MB III, technical catalog, SPG-9 with special mount on UAZ 469 ( memento from September 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ target height 2 m
- ^ Wilfried Copenhagen: The land forces of the NVA. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613-02297-4 , pp. 74-75.