RPG-2 is an arm-fired, man-portable grenade launcher developed in the Soviet Union. The RPG-2 was the very first fully-fledged anti-tank weapon in its class and was a follow-up to the unsuccessful and earlier RPG-1.
The RPG-2 had better range and better armor penetration which made it more effective against the post-World War II and late tanks, as opposed to the RPG-1 which had only marginal use. The design and layout was upgraded to create the popular RPG-7.
Examining German as well as US Anti-tank missile designs, in 1944, the Soviets started development of the RPG-1 with the aim of combining the finest features from the German Panzerfaust single-shot recoilless weapon and the US Bazooka rocket launcher. The RPG-1 was powered by a 30mm cartridge, the 70 millimetre (2.8 inches) HEAT (high explosive anti-tank) (HEAT) round was able to be able to penetrate up to 150 millimetres (5.9 in.) of uniform armour.
Initial tests revealed a variety of minor issues, however at the point they were resolved 150 millimeters of penetration was no longer believed to be efficient against modern tanks, not even later-war models like the Panther. Warheads were already challenging the capabilities of the weapon and its range was considered to be too small. Changes to improve the range of the cartridge began but in 1947, the RPG-2 program was launched as a parallel program. The development of RPG-2 was handled by the design bureau GSKB-30, initially an element of the Commissariat for Munitions, but after the war, it was transferred into the Ministry of Agriculture to help develop farm equipment.
The primary difference in performance between these two was due to the size. The RPG-2 utilized a specially-designed 40 millimeter (1.6 inches) cartridge that provided more power, while the warhead was enlarged to reach 80 millimeters (3.1 inches). This increased the penetration to 180 millimeters (7.1 in) which enabled that it penetrated the armor on front of every, excluding the heavy tanks, as well as the rear and side armor of all tanks. The bigger cartridge provided the PG-2 warhead a slightly greater practical range , approximately 150 meters (490 feet) in the direction of stationary targets.
The style of the PG-2 was quite different from that from its predecessor, the PG-1 that was part of the RPG-1. The rear portion of the PG-1 comprised an inner tube that contained the propelling charge and another tube around it that carried the fins. When the round was put into the launcher, this tube was located outside the launcher tube, which required that the top of the rocket to be devoid of any fittings. The PG-2 substituted the fins with tiny metal leaves that were attached to the tube's inner part, and also eliminated the outer tube that was on the PG-1. This permitted the entire propellant section to be fitted into the launcher. This in turn let the trigger and sights assembly to be placed right in front of the launcher. The length was a little shorter in comparison to the RPG-1 and made the whole assembly more durable and also allowed the use of traditional fore-and-aft sights.
The new design was so much an improvement over the previous design that the development of the RPG-1 was completed in 1948. The initial production versions of the RPG-2 were put into service in the infantry units of the Soviet Army in the year 1954. While it was true that the RPG-2 was able to be controlled by one man, the standard procedure in the military required two men in the crew consisting of a grenadier with the Stechkin APS, a launcher, and a specially-designed backpack that contained three grenades, and an assistant who was armed with a rifle, and transporting another 3-grenade backpack.
In 1957 the launcher was modified to allow mounting an NSP-2, infrared (IR) night-sighting system, comprising an IR spotlight and detector, weighing (with battery) 6 kilograms (13 4 oz lb). The NSP-2 could be used up to 150-200 meters (490-660 feet) in good weather. If it was fitted with the NSP-2 the launcher was called the RPG-2N.
Distributed widely among allies and friends of the Soviet Union, it was also manufactured under license from China, North Vietnam and North Korea. It was used in those of the U.S. military in the Vietnam War, its Vietnamese variants were referred to as the B40 (Ba Do Ka, which translates to "Bazooka 40mm") and B50. B50 was a B40 with a Chinese Type 50 Heat warheads (Chinese variant that was a variant of PG-2).
The RPG-2 anti-tank grenade launcher is an unassuming 40 millimeter steel tube that houses the PG-2 grenade fits. The grenade's tailboom is inserted inside the launcher. Its diameter for the PG-2 warhead is 80 millimeters. The central section of the tube is covered with an elongated wooden cover to shield users from the radiation generated by the grenade launch. The wood covering helps to make using the weapon when it is extremely cold.
The total dimension of this weapon that had the grenade measured 120 millimeters (47 inches) and the weight was 4.48 kg (9.8 tons). A simple iron sight was used to aim.
There was only one kind of grenade, one called the PG-2 HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank), was employed for the RPG-2. The propellant made of powder granulated, was contained inside a cardboard case coated with wax, which was to be attached to the grenade prior to loading. After being attached to the propellant load, the gun had to be placed into the launcher at the rear. The body of the grenade is indexed through a notch in the tube to ensure that the primer inside the propellant charge is aligned with the pin that fires and the hammer mechanism.
To start firing the RPG-2 the grenadier pulled an external hammer using his thumb, pointed, and then pulled the trigger to start firing. After the launch the six stabilizer fins popped out in the form of a grenade.
The weapon was precise according to the soldier's experiences, when used against stationary targets as long as 150 meters, and against moving targets with ranges less than 100 meters. It was capable of firing at a speed of at least 84 meters per second. It was able to penetrate armor as thick as the size of 180 millimeters (7.17 inches) thick.
Variants
- RPG-2N was first introduced in 1957, the RPG-2N is equipped with a night vision NSP-2 that is connected to a battery man pack using a cable.
- B40 is a North Vietnamese clone of the RPG-2. The barrel guard on the rear is 50mm smaller than the RPG-2 Type 56.
- B50 A larger version of the B40.
- Yasin
- Type 56 Type 56 Chinese replica of RPG-2.
- P-27 P-27 - Czech version of the RPG-2.
- RPG-2 clones created from the Moro Islam Liberation Front
The RPG-2 is the predecessor to the renowned RPG-7. It was first introduced in 1949, and after just a few years, it was in fact obsolete against the modern tanks. It played the role of an aid weapon to the destruction of buildings, vehicles as well as "soft target".
It is important to note that the RPG in the title RPG-2 is not a reference to Rocket Propelled Grenade but for the Russian Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot or hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher. The design of this weapon was initiated in the latter part of World War II. The goal was to create an weapon that incorporated the finest characteristics of the German Panzerfaust and the US Bazooka. They came up with a design called the RPG-1. It had a few issues, including poor armor penetrationand performance, as well as inconsistent, and a short range. The RPG-2 was redesigned and, in the end the initial goals were achieved with the RPG-2. Though it was introduced in 1949, the RPG-2 did not see widespread service until after it was withdrawn following the Korean War.
Tanks soon developed heavier armor, and the RPG-2 wasn't effective against them. Thus, the RPG-7 was created in the year 1961 in order to take over the RPG-2 for the anti-tank function however, the RPG-2 was used by Soviet allies for a long time. The weapon is still used until today.
While it isn't equipped to fight even the most obsolete main battle tanks The RPG-2 remains fairly popular for a long time due to its ease of use, reliability lightweight, low weight and ease of use and its effectiveness against light armored vehicles, structures as well as non-armored vehicles and other targets similar to.
RPG-2 RPG-2 is a single-shot, reusable smoothbore steel tube that has dimensions of 40 millimeters. The recoilless, shoulder-fired muzzle-loaded launcher comes with flip-up iron sights that can be sighted up to 150 meters in normal, however night vision sights are utilized in the RPG-2N version.
The RPG-2 is efficient against moving targets to a maximum distance of 100 meters. For stationary targets and structures the range is extended to 150 meters, which is the maximum range for sighting of the iron flip-up sights that are standard. In later projectiles, the rocket explodes after the distance of 460 meters.
The RPG-2 is simple to use. It is as simple as inserting the PG-2 round in the barrel in side of the gun, then cock the hammer on the back of the grip, point, and then pull the trigger.
The barrel's middle is covered with wood to shield the user from the heat of the launch, and the handle, which is the only one, is situated towards the front on the gun.
The RPG-2 is compatible with just one kind of round, the PG-2. It weighs around 1.8 kilograms the PG-2 is an anti-tank fin-stabilized High-Explosive (HEAT) round. The round can penetrate up to 200 millimeters into Rolled Homogenous Armor (RHA)--not enough to take on any Main Battle Tank (MBT) however, it is still effective against less secure targets.
The RPG-2 has been involved in many conflicts, including the Vietnam War, Cambodian Civil War, Somalia Civil War, Yugoslav Wars, Libyan Civil War, as well as the Syrian Civil War.
RPG-2 is currently used by China. RPG-2 is currently being used by China (in the reserves) However, other nations and organizations may be using it too. The past has seen it was in service with the Soviet Union, Cambodia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Laos, Libya, Macedonia, Thailand, Yugoslavia, Myanmar (Burma), Czechoslovakia Republic, Poland and Egypt.
Like most guns as is the case with these weapons, the RPG-2 typically has a crew consisting of two gunners and an assistant. But, it is also able to be operated by just one person.
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