RPG-18 - grenade launcher of the USSR

Soviet designers Baraboshkin VI and Rogozin IE in the course of long and detailed developments, the first reactive anti-tank grenade RPG-18 with a one-time application was invented. After passing the tests in the conditions of the test site in 1971, the question arose about the adoption of this system by the Soviet Army. In 1972, the RPG-18 replaced the former anti-tank hand grenade RKG-3, which was in service with the USSR. In the course of testing for a new grenade, the name RPG-18 "Mukha" was fixed - because of the peculiar arrangement of the fly.

A distinctive feature of the RPG-18 from the Minimun grenade launcher produced in Sweden, which was in service with many armies of the time, was that it was equipped with a grenade with a jet engine. The projectile was intended for shooting from the prone position, as well as from the knee and from the shoulder. Today you can also buy RPGs. The photos taken with him cause different emotions.

Device Description

The presence of a jet engine has become an important aspect in the conditions of the priority of this type of weapon. The trunk of the device consists of two pipes, which enter into each other on the principle of a telescope. The material of the pipe on the outside is glass fiber of grade T13 with lacquer impregnation (lacquer grade EP-5122); The material of the pipe located inside - aluminum alloys of grades 65ХЗАМг6М or 65ХЗД1Т. The total length of the two pipes nested in each other is 705 millimeters, when firing the common trunk of the two extended pipes is 1050 millimeters.

Principle of operation

When the tubes of the RPG-18 disperse, the grenade occupies a firing position in the part of the trunk behind the arrow. To transfer the RPG-18 into combat position, it is necessary to move the pipes apart. Correctness of their expansion is due to the presence of a rigidly fixed ruler, which moves rectilinearly through the groove of the pipe body, which is located outside. The purpose of the ruler in the folded state is to hold the lock of the protective cover and the sighting fly in the lowered position. When preparing for shooting, the whole mechanism works and the diopter is released.

The direction of the internal RPG tube (the photo of the construction can be found on some technical sites of the military direction) when the grenade launcher is transferred to the combat position provides a guide ruler riveted to its rear end. During the RPG-18 march moving this element of the mechanism is in a special guiding casing, which looks like a gutter, on top of the outer pipe. The front of the ruler protrudes from the casing and clamps the mechanism to hold the front sight and cover to be in the closed position. To extend the pipes, it is necessary to open the back cover, while the ruler is moved back along the casing trough, unlocking the retaining mechanism. There is a lifting of the front sight and simultaneous reset of the cover. At the same time, the spring-loaded diopter also rises.

Special plates hold the grenade behind the stabilizer in a fixed position in the body of the inner tube. When the grenade moves, the plates are destroyed and detached from the stabilizer's pen when the grenade leaves the common pipe. In the rear compartment of the inner tube there is a primer for igniting a grenade, a shock mechanism and a mechanism that blocks a grenade from an accidental shot.

Flies description

The diopter, the parts of the lowering mechanism, as well as the flap having a folding position, are located on the pipe located on the outside. The aiming device has two main elements - a front sight and a diopter, thanks to which the shooter can guide the target fire. By special digital marking on the fly, the shooter can determine at what distance the armored vehicle is located. For example, in the form of a target there is a tank. If its silhouette fits into the connector between the near and far distance at the level of mark "15", then the distance to the target is 150 meters.

Technical characteristics of RPG-18

To bring the grenade launcher into combat condition, it takes 8 to 10 seconds. The garnet can penetrate up to 300 mm of armored steel. The grenade caliber is 64 mm. The initial speed of the grenade when exiting the trunk is 114 m / s. At the same time, the range of flight along a straight line is 135 m, and the target range is 200 m. The RPG-18 mass is 2.6 kg in combat condition.

Grenade PG-18

Grenade PG-18 has a jet engine and a caliber warhead. In the jet engine is concentrated the reactive charge from the powder PPK-5. For the explosive projectile, the explosive octol was used - a mixture of chemical compounds capable of detonation under certain conditions. Oktopol weighing 312 grams was placed in the main part of the grenade.

Modern weapons of war

RPG-18 was produced before 1993, after which its release was terminated. He was replaced by the RPG-22, although the launch of this grenade launcher was started in 1979. This is a one-time military weapon of Russia, and the principle of its operation is similar to the RPG-18. Perhaps this is what served as the main reason for the removal of the RPG-18 from production at that time. The most modern grenade launchers in the Russian army are RPG-30 "Kryuk" (single use), grenade launcher DP-65 (remote-controlled), and various versions of grenade launchers. Many of them are even afraid of the most militarized states.