RPG-18 explained

RPG-18
Origin:Soviet Union
Type:Rocket-propelled grenade
Is Ranged:yes
Is Explosive:yes
Is Artillery:yes
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
Tajikistani Civil War
First Chechen War
Congo Civil War
Second Chechen War
War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
Russo-Georgian War
Kivu conflict
Syrian civil war
Russo-Ukrainian War
Weight:1.4 kg (projectile)
2.6 kg (loaded)
Length:705 mm (unarmed)
1,050 mm (ready to fire)
Crew:1
Cartridge:HEAT
Caliber:64 mm
Action:300 mm: RHA
500 mm: Reinforced concrete
1000 mm: Brickwork
Velocity:115 m/s
Range:200 m

The RPG-18 Mukha (Russian: Муха|translit=Fly) is a Soviet short-range, disposable light anti-tank rocket launcher designed in 1972. It was based on the M72 LAW.[2]

History

The RPG-18 is very similar to the US M72-series LAW anti-tank rocket launcher, with captured examples during the Vietnam War likely being sent to the Soviet Union.[3] [4] 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 high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead mounted on a small rocket able to engage targets within 200 meters. The warhead self-destructs six seconds after launch, placing a limit on range even if a sight was used that was effective with targets beyond 200 meters. The RPG-18 can penetrate up to 300 mm of conventional armor. However, performance is significantly lessened when the RPG-18 is used against targets protected by HEAT-resistant explosive reactive armour (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

Former users

References

General

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Campbell, David . Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89. Combat 29. Osprey Publishing. 30 Nov 2017. 9781472817648. 62.
  2. Web site: RPG-18 Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher MilitaryToday.com . 2023-09-11 . www.militarytoday.com.
  3. Book: The Rocket Propelled Grenade . 9781849081542 . Rottman . Gordon L. . 2011-03-15. Bloomsbury .
  4. Web site: RPG-18 Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher MilitaryToday.com . 2023-09-11 . www.militarytoday.com.
  5. Book: Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society. Michael Vinai. Bhatia . Mark . Sedra. Routledge. Small Arms Survey. Small Arms Survey. 978-0-415-45308-0. 66. May 2008.
  6. Book: Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied. https://web.archive.org/web/20101112154702/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2003.html. dead. November 12, 2010. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2003/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2003-Chapter-08-EN.pdf. Making the Difference?: Weapon Collection and Small Arms Availability in the Republic of Congo. Oxford University Press. 2003. Small Arms Survey. 267. 0199251754. . Small Arms Survey.
  7. Book: Politics From The Barrel of a Gun. https://web.archive.org/web/20110112185639/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/B-Occasional-papers/SAS-OP06-Georgia.pdf. dead. January 12, 2011. Cambridge University Press. 1998. Small Arms Survey. 40. Small Arms Survey.
  8. Web site: Α-Τ RPG-18. army.gr.
  9. Book: Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. https://web.archive.org/web/20120830000609/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2012.html. dead. August 30, 2012. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2012/eng/Small-Arms-Survey-2012-Chapter-10-EN.pdf. Surveying the Battlefield: Illicit Arms In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. Cambridge University Press. 2012. Small Arms Survey. 324. 978-0-521-19714-4. Small Arms Survey.
  10. Web site: Маленькая и малобоеспособная Еженедельник «Военно-промышленный курьер» . 2022-05-04 . vpk-news.ru.
  11. Portable Anti-Tank Weapons in Mexico & the Northern Central American Triangle. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402142813/http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=2954. 2 April 2019. Julio A. . Montes . 8 May 2015. Small Arms Defense Journal. 1. 7.
  12. News: Special Operations Forces Soldiers hit enemy BMP-2 with RPG . 29 December 2023 . Militarnyi . 7 June 2022.
  13. Book: One Soldier's War . Babchenko . Arkady . 2006 . Publishers Group West . New York, NY . 978-0-8021-4403-4 . 9, 101, 157 . 15 December 2022.
  14. Book: Small Arms Survey 2015: weapons and the world. https://web.archive.org/web/20150701142546/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2015/eng/Small-Arms-Survey-2015-Highlights-EN.pdf. dead. July 1, 2015. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2015/eng/Small-Arms-Survey-2015-Chapter-07-EN.pdf. Waning Cohesion: The Rise and Fall of the FDLR–FOCA. Cambridge University Press. 2015. Small Arms Survey. . 203. Small Arms Survey.
  15. Book: Ferguson . Jonathan . Raising Red Flags: An Examination of Arms & Munitions in the Ongoing Conflict in Ukraine, 2014 . Jenzen-Jones . N.R. . November 2014 . . 978-0-9924624-3-7 . Research Report 3 . 48.
  16. Web site: 2006-06-24 . Real IRA arms purchasing in Croatia indicates a change of tactics - Jane's Security News . 2024-06-24 . web.archive.org.

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