By the end of the eighties of the 20th century, the Soviet defense industry put into service the army several types of anti-tank rocket grenades. This weapon made it possible to qualitatively deal with the enemy’s armored vehicles, but he had a rather serious drawback - they were disposable. As a result, this affected their use. The newest system of this class was:
- in the land forces - RPG-7;
- in the Airborne Forces - RPG-16.
Over time, the development of a new type of RPG-29 anti-tank grenade launcher began.
History of the RPG-29
In the mid-eighties, the GNPP Basalt began developing the RPG-29 Vampire project. The project was headed by V.S. Tokarev. It was supposed to create a grenade launcher, which could hit modern as well as promising enemy tanks.
The main task of the designers was to create a reactive grenade, which would effectively destroy the armored vehicles on which the dynamic protection systems are located. Thanks to the solution of this task it was possible to significantly increase the firepower of a rifle unit armed with a new grenade launcher.
The RPG 29 grenade launcher was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1989 with the cumulative PG-29B grenade.
Characteristics of the RPG-29 grenade launcher
- Caliber - 105.2 mm.
- Mass grenade - 11.5 kg.
- Length:
- in a combat position - 1780 mm.
- in the stowed position - 1000 mm.
- Optical sight weight - 0.5 kg.
- Grenade mass - 4.5 kg.
- The mass of the shot is 6.7 kg.
- The initial speed of the grenade is 230 or 255 m / s, depending on the modification of the combustion chamber.
- Firing range:
- sighting - 500 m.
- maximum - 800 m.
- direct shot - 450 m.
- Penetration:
- steel, located behind the dynamic protection (angle of 90 ° to the normal) - 600 mm.
- steel, located behind the dynamic protection (angle of 60 ° to the normal) - 350 mm.
- reinforced concrete - 1500 mm.
- brickwork - 2000 mm.
- Subsidy - 3700 mm.
- Accuracy on a direct shot - 0.4 m.
- Starting device type: recoilless, reusable.
- Used for shooting:
- lying down (with bipod);
- from the knee;
- from the machine;
- from a standing position.
The ammunition used is a cumulative caliber grenade with a jet engine and a tandem warhead.
RPG-29 device
The “Vampire” grenade launcher represents a launching device on which sights are mounted, as well as fire control devices. For convenience, the weapon is collapsible. A grenade launcher "Vampire" in the stowed position is divided into two blocks, which are connected by a special coupling. Also for the convenience of carrying the sight is removed. The RPG-29 disassembled grenade launcher has a length of less than 1 meter.
In the middle part of the weapon there is a trigger with a trigger and a fire control handle. On the upper surface are auxiliary sights - front sight and rear sight. When disassembling weapons, the sight and trigger mechanism remain on the "front" of the RPG-29. On the other part is a folding bipod.
The RPG-29 grenade launcher has a standard aiming device in the form of a 1P38 optical sight. The device has an increase of 2.7 x and a field of view of 13 °, which allows you to direct the RPG-29 grenade launcher to a distance of 500 meters when firing. At will "Vampire" can be equipped with a night sight 1PN51-2.
The RPG-29 grenade launcher uses a PG-29V rocket grenade as ammunition. This is a grenade with the requirements of hitting targets that are equipped with dynamic protection systems. As a result, the munition has a tandem cumulative part, divided into two:
- cumulative front charge initiates the explosion of the dynamic protection unit;
- the next is spending energy on armor destruction.
According to reports, the PG-29B grenade can penetrate over 600 mm of homogeneous armor, which is covered with dynamic protection.
RPG-29 Tests
In 1993, "Vampire" was first shown to a foreign public. It was in Abu Dhabi at the IDEX-1993 arms exhibition, where demonstration shooting took place. When firing, domestic development made a great impression on potential customers. As a conditional goal, an armor plate with a thickness of 300 mm was used, which was set at an angle of 60 °, and was also closed with a dynamic protection unit. The RPG-29 successfully pierced the armor, breaking the dynamic defense. A 600 mm deep through hole is left in the armor. Therefore, at the "Vampire" were immediately found rich customers.
Combat use of a grenade launcher
Calculation grenade "Vampire" includes two people. To carry weapons and ammunition, the calculation has two packs of backpack. One carries the RPG-29, the second carries 3 grenades. Calculation with experience, capable of producing per minute up to 4 shots.
The RPG-29 grenade launcher was put into service in 1989, but serial production has not yet been organized. This weapon is produced in small batches. At the same time, Vampire was practically not supplied to domestic armed forces, everything was exported. For example, in 2006, a significant part of the Israeli armored vehicles that participated in the Second Lebanon War were destroyed or damaged using RPG-29 grenade launchers. A small number of these weapons were captured by Israel during the fighting as trophies.
Judging by the conflicts where these weapons were used, the RPG-29 grenade launcher was delivered to Iran, Syria or Iraq. There is no exact information on this.
