In a world where the Main Battle Tank still dominates the battlefield, it behooves every national military power to invest heavily in tank-stopping / tank-killing solutions such as Anti-Material Rifles (AMRs), Anti-Tank Guided-Missiles (ATGMs), and armor-defeating shoulder-launched rockets. Chinese industry has developed the "PF-98 / Type 98" for this very reason and the design entered series service in 1998. A contemporary to the Swedish "Carl Gustav", German Panzerfaust 3, Russian RPG-29 (all detailed elsewhere on MilitaryFactory.com) and others, the PF-98 currently stocks the inventories of China, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe.
The PF-98 was taken into service with Chinese Land Forces to succeed an aging stock of Type 65 and Type 78 recoilless rifle models which had run their course.
The weapon, as a complete system, weighs upwards of 22lb and has a length of 1,191mm. A crew of two personnel are required for optimal operation. The mounting assembly can traverse 360-degrees and elevate from -6 to +30 degrees from centerline. A skilled, trained crew can hope to fire between four and six rockets per minute. The complete system is essentially the launch tube, tripod assembly, rocket, and optics set - all of which are part of the man-portable package.
The PF-98 has been improved throughout its service life with the integration of better optics and fire control solutions that have enhanced range-finding, ballistics, compactness, and vision in low-light environments - leading to enhanced accuracy in turn.
The weapon can fire a variety of warhead types including High-Explosive, Anti-Tank (HEAT), incendiary, thermobaric, "bunker-busting", and "air-burst" projectile types - all with the intent of neutralizing enemy armor or dislodging embedded / stubborn enemy infantry. In all cases, the launch tube fires a 120mm caliber projectile which can weight anywhere between 16lb and 20lb. Effective range, therefore, can vary as well - between 800 meters and 2,000 meters. Similarly, penetration values against armor vary depending on projectile in play and range-to-target.
Each projectile has a muzzle rating of 310 meters-per-second.
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(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Anti-Armor / Anti-Tank / Anti-Material
Designed to engage and defeat armor / enemy tanks at range.
Overall Length
1,191 mm 46.89 in
Barrel Length
1,191 mm 46.89 in
Empty Wgt
22.05 lb 10.00 kg
Sights
4x Optics Sight
Action
Single-Shot; Reusable Launch Tube
(Material presented above is for historical and entertainment value and should not be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation - always consult official manufacturer sources for such information)
Caliber(s)*
120mm
Sample Visuals**
Rounds / Feed
Single-Shot
*May not represent an exhuastive list; calibers are model-specific dependent, always consult official manufacturer sources. **Graphics not to actual size; not all cartridges may be represented visually; graphics intended for general reference only.
Max Eff.Range
5,905 ft (1,800 m | 1,968 yd)
Rate-of-Fire
6 rds/min
PF-98 - Base Series Designation; original production form of 1998.
PF-98A - Improved, lightweight variant with full night-vision support; model of 2006.
Type 98 - Alternative Designation.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.
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Bangladesh; China; Indonesia; Zimbabwe
