RPG-2

RPG-2
RPG-2 antitank grenade launcher with PG-2 grenade
Type	Anti-tank recoilless gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1954–1960 (Soviet Union) 1954–present (other countries)
Used by	See Users
Wars	Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Cambodian Civil War Nigerian Civil War Rhodesian Bush War Portuguese Colonial War Moro conflict Black September Indonesian invasion of East Timor[1] Nicaraguan Revolution Cambodian-Vietnamese War Sino-Vietnamese War Lebanese Civil War Salvadoran Civil War Thai–Laotian Border War Somali Civil War War in Afghanistan (2001-2021)[2] Iraq War Kivu Conflict[3] Kosovo war Syrian Civil War Battle of Marawi[4]
Production history
Manufacturer	State factories
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	2.83 kg (6 lb 4 oz) (unarmed) 4.67 kg (10 lb 5 oz) (ready to fire)
Length	1,200 mm (47.2 in)
Crew	2 (Grenadier and 'Assistant')
Shell	PG-2 HEAT round
Caliber	40 mm (1.6 in) barrel 82 mm (3.2 in) warhead
Rate of fire	3–4 rounds per minute
Effective firing range	100–150 m (110–160 yd)
Maximum firing range	200 m (220 yd)

The RPG-2 (Russian: РПГ-2, Ручной противотанковый гранатомёт, Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot; English: "hand-held antitank grenade launcher") is a man-portable, shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon that was designed in the Soviet Union. It was the first successful anti-tank weapon of its type, being a successor to the earlier and unsuccessful rocket-propelled grenade RPG-1.

The RPG-2 offered better range and armor penetration, making it useful against late and post-World War II tanks, in contrast to the RPG-1 that had only marginal utility. The basic design and layout was further upgraded to produce the ubiquitous RPG-7.