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The RPG-18 Mukha (Template:Lang-ru) is a Soviet short-range, disposable light anti-tank rocket launcher.
| RPG-18 | |
|---|---|
 RPG-18 rocket launcher with PG-18 rocket | |
| Type | Rocket-propelled grenade |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1972–present |
| Wars | Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War Sino-Vietnamese War Cambodian–Vietnamese War Third Indochina War Soviet–Afghan War[1] Salvadoran Civil War Gulf War First Nagorno-Karabakh War Tajikistan Civil War First Chechen War Congo Civil War Second Chechen War War in Afghanistan Iraq War 2008 South Ossetian War Kivu conflict Syrian Civil War |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1.4 kg (projectile) 2.6 kg (loaded) |
| Length | 705 mm (unarmed) 1,050 mm (ready to fire) |
| Crew | 1 |
| Shell | HEAT |
| Caliber | 64 mm |
| Action | 300 mm: RHA 500 mm: Reinforced concrete 1000 mm: Brickwork |
| Muzzle velocity | 115 m/s |
| Effective firing range | 200 m |
History
The RPG-18 is very similar to the US M72-series LAW anti-tank rocket launcher.[2] The RPG-18 has been succeeded by the RPG-22, a very similar design with a larger warhead.
Description
The RPG-18 fires a 64 mm PG-18 HEAT warhead mounted on a small rocket capable of engaging targets within 200 meters. The warhead self-destructs 6 seconds after launch, placing definite limits on range even if a sight was used that was effective with targets beyond 200 meters. The RPG-18 itself can penetrate up to 375 mm of conventional armor. However, performance is significantly diminished when the RPG-18 is employed against targets protected by HEAT-resistant ERA or composite armor.
Unlike better known weapons, the RPG-18 requires only one operator because it is not reloadable. Assistant grenadiers are used to help reload the RPG-2, RPG-7 and RPG-16 systems.
Users
Afghanistan[3]
Armenia[citation needed]
Azerbaijan[citation needed]
Belarus[citation needed]
Chad[4]
Republic of the Congo[5]
Georgia[6]
Greece[7]
Hamas[citation needed]
Iraq Iraqi insurgents[8]
Kazakhstan[citation needed]
Kyrgyzstan[citation needed]
Moldova[citation needed]
Panama[9]
Russia
Syria[citation needed]
Tajikistan[citation needed]
Turkmenistan[citation needed]
Ukraine[citation needed]
Uzbekistan[citation needed]
Former Users
Similar weapons
References
- ^ Campbell, David (30 Nov 2017). Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89. Combat 29. Osprey Publishing. p. 62. ISBN 9781472817648.
- ^ Rottman, Gordon L. (2011-03-15). The Rocket Propelled Grenade. ISBN 9781849081542.
- ^ Bhatia, Michael Vinai; Sedra, Mark (May 2008). Small Arms Survey (ed.). Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society. Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-415-45308-0.
- ^ a b Small Arms Survey (2015). "Waning Cohesion: The Rise and Fall of the FDLR–FOCA" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2015: weapons and the world (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 203.
- ^ Small Arms Survey (2003). "Making the Difference?: Weapon Collection and Small Arms Availability in the Republic of Congo" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied. Oxford University Press. p. 267. ISBN 0199251754.
- ^ Small Arms Survey (1998). Politics From The Barrel of a Gun (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 40.
- ^ Greek General Army Staff (Γενικό Επιτελείο Στρατού) webpage (in Greek).
- ^ Small Arms Survey (2012). "Surveying the Battlefield: Illicit Arms In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-521-19714-4.
- ^ a b c Montes, Julio A. (8 May 2015). "Portable Anti-Tank Weapons in Mexico & the Northern Central American Triangle". Small Arms Defense Journal. Vol. 7, no. 1. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019.
- ^ Ferguson, Jonathan; Jenzen-Jones, N.R. (November 2014). Raising Red Flags: An Examination of Arms & Munitions in the Ongoing Conflict in Ukraine, 2014 (PDF). Research Report 3. Armament Research Services. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-9924624-3-7.
- Jones, Richard. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005–06. Coulsdon: Jane's, 2005. ISBN 0-7106-2694-0.
External links
- RPG-18 (in Russian)
- Modern Firearms
- Military-Today
- Weapon Systems
- Military Factory
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