RPG-7

RPG-7
An RPG-7 launcher (top) with a Bulgarian PG-7G inert training warhead and booster (bottom)
Type	Handheld rocket launcher[1]
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1961–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	See Conflicts
Production history
Designer	Bazalt
Designed	1958
Manufacturer	Bazalt and Degtyarev plant (Russian Federation)
Unit cost	c. US$350[2]
Produced	1958–present
No. built	9,000,000+[3]
Variants	RPG-7V2 (current model) RPG-7D3 (paratrooper) Type 69 RPG (China) PSRL-1 (Airtronic USA)[4]
Specifications
Mass	6.3 kg (13.9 lb) (without a telescopic sight) 7 kg (15.4 lb) (with PGO-7)
Length	950 mm (37.4 in)
Cartridge	85 mm (3.3 in)
Caliber	40 mm (1.6 in)
Muzzle velocity	115 m/s (380 ft/s) (boost) 300 m/s (980 ft/s) (flight)
Effective firing range	330 m (1,080 ft) (PG-7V)
Maximum firing range	700 m (2,300 ft) (OG-7V) (self detonates at ~920 m (3,020 ft))
Sights	PGO-7 (2.7×), UP-7V telescopic sight and 1PN51/1PN58 night vision sights Red dot reflex sight

The RPG-7 (Russian: РПГ-7, Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт, romanized: Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomot, lit. 'Handheld Anti-Tank Grenade-launcher') is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket launcher. The RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and are now manufactured by the Russian company Bazalt. The weapon has the GRAU index (Russian armed forces index) 6G3.

The ruggedness, simplicity, low cost, and effectiveness of the RPG-7 has made it the most widely used anti-armor weapon in the world. Currently around 40 countries use the weapon; it is manufactured in several variants by nine countries. It is popular with irregular and guerrilla forces.

Widely produced, the most commonly seen major variations are the RPG-7D (десантник – desantnik – paratrooper) model, which can be broken into two parts for easier carrying; and the lighter Chinese Type 69 RPG. DIO of Iran manufactures RPG-7s with olive green handguards, H&K pistol grips, and a commando variant.

The RPG-7 was first delivered to the Soviet Army in 1961 and deployed at the squad level. It replaced the RPG-2, having clearly out-performed the intermediate RPG-4 design during testing. The current model produced by the Russian Federation is the RPG-7V2, capable of firing standard and dual high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds, high explosive/fragmentation, and thermobaric warheads, with a UP-7V sighting device fitted (used in tandem with the standard 2.7× PGO-7 optical sight) to allow the use of extended range ammunition. The RPG-7D3 is the equivalent paratrooper model. Both the RPG-7V2 and RPG-7D3 were adopted by the Russian Ground Forces in 2001.