PF-98 (Type 98)

Man-Portable Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher [ 1998 ]

The PF-98 was introduced in 1998 to succeed the aging lines of Type 65 and Type 78 recoilless rifles in service with the Chinese Army.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 11/12/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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.

The base, original PF-98 has since been followed by the improved, lighter-weight PF-98A of 2006 complete with night-vision support.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Basics [+]

Manufacturer(s)

China NORth INdustries COrporation (NORINCO) - China

Operators

Bangladesh; China; Indonesia; Zimbabwe

Service Year

1998

National Origin

China

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

Weight (Empty)

22.05 lb / 10.00 kg

Action

Single-Shot; Reusable Launch Tube

Caliber(s)*

120mm
*May not represent an exhuastive list; Calibers may be model-specific dependent; Always consult official manufacturer sources.

Feed

Single-Shot

Sights

4x Optics Sight

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.

Max.Effective Range

5,905 ft / 1,799.8 m | 1,968.3 yds

Rate-of-Fire

6 rpm

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.

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Images

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Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

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