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Infantry Small Arms / The Warfighter

RPG-2


Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launcher [ 1954 ]



The RPG-2 was a post-war design with origins based in successful German war time production models.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/29/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
The tank undoubtedly made its presence felt in the many ferocious ground battles of World War 2 (1939-1945). With this consistent threat, warplanners from all sides clamored to find tank-killing solutions and this ultimately ran the gamut of various land mines, "sticky bombs", Anti-Tank Rifles (ATRs), and - of course - the shoulder-fired rocket launcher. In the post-war years, perhaps no other nation could lay claim to finding as much success in this field as the Soviet Union did with their "Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot" - or "RPG" - line of man-portable, shoulder-fired tank-killing solutions which continues today.

The series originated with the largely forgotten "RPG-1" model of the World War 2 period. A considerable amount of time was spent on bringing this weapon about but inherent deficiencies ultimately led to development of its successor, the RPG-2. Nevertheless, it was the RPG-1 that laid the groundwork of the form and function that was to become the RPG-2 - and the even more popular RPG-7 series still to come.

During the World War 2 period, the Soviets certainly gained an appreciation for the results being had from the American "Bazooka" anti-tank rocket launcher line and the German weapon based off of it - the "Panzerschreck". This appreciation led to much engineering work spanning from 1944 until 1948 to develop the RPG-1. As the RPG-2 began to show more promise and right-the-wrongs of the limited RPG-1, it was selected ahead of the RPG-1 in 1947.

The RPG-2 was essentially a culmination of the RPG-1 and rectified issues centered primarily on armor penetration at-range, general action difficulties, and inconsistencies in propellant behavior (which proved highly susceptible to environmental factors). The RPG-2 did, however, retain the RPG-1's stable accuracy which was due to the low muzzle velocity of the out-going projectile. It also carried a highly portable design and managed to improve on engagement ranges and armor penetration.

The new weapon weighed just 6.25lb unloaded and reached 10.3lb when ready-to-fire while being a manageable 47.2 inches long. While two operators were used to achieve optimal results in the field, the weapon could just as easily be handled by a single person. The compact nature of the rocket grenade also meant that a single infantryman could carry multiple reloads.

The weapon consisted of a basic steel tube form that was open at both ends. Over the front end was fitted the forward sighting device that was of a flip-up type design. This was paired with a primary sight held closer to the firer's face near the midway point of the tube. The extreme aft-end of the tube was open to allow propellant gasses to be jettisoned rearwards, away from the firer. Under the forward section of the tube lay the combination trigger unit / pistol grip. Wood furniture encased the middle section of the tube to serve as a shoulder support section. The launch tube's caliber was 40mm.©MilitaryFactory.com
The rocket grenade, designated "PG-2 HEAT" ("High-Explosive, Anti-Tank"), was a fin-stabilized munition in which the fins, being spring-loaded, sprung into action upon leaving the launch tube. This stabilization effect allowed for some accuracy to be had over range as the projectile made its way towards the target. The projectiles caliber was 82mm.

A trained crew could fire off between three and four rocket grenades a minute out to a range of 150 meters. Because of back-blast, operators would have to make sure no one stood behind the launch tube during the process and firing from cover, such as buildings, was restricted some. Absolute range of the RPG-2 was listed at 200 meters which gave the weapon a useful reach across the battlefield.

The RPG-2 series entered service with the Soviet Army service in 1954. Specialized optics support was added as soon as 1957 to allow for night-fighting (through the "RPG-2N" variant).

In practice, the weapon proved so successful that it permeated the many global battlefields of the Cold War period (1947-1991), seeing action in the bloody Vietnam War (and its related regional conflicts), the Nigerian Civil War, the Rhodesian Bush War, the Salvadorian Civil War, the Somali Civil War, and the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s to name a few. The weapon was used extensively in the Vietnam War by North Vietnam forces against American and South Vietnamese targets for the duration of the conflict as it was easy to come by, easy to operate and maintain, and packed a punch against unarmored and armored targets as well as fortifications.

The weapon's reach has been such that is has appeared in more recent conflicts of the new millennium, noted in the Cambodian-Thai Stand-Off of 2008, the 2010-2012 Burma Border Clashes, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Libyan Civil War, the Iraqi Civil War, and the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

Just a few nations actively use the RPG-2 series in a frontline capacity today and this includes North Korea (where has been locally-produced), Somalia, Syria, and Thailand. The Taliban is a known active user of the type as well. The list of former users includes (but is not limited to) Cambodia, China, East Germany, Egypt, Hungary, Libya, Mongolia, Myanmar, Poland, Romania, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe.

In Chinese military service, the RPG-2 was designated the "Type 56" and these were eventually succeeded by the Type 69 series. The former Yugoslavia produced the Soviet RPG-2 as the "M57" while the weapon was designated by Vietnam as the "B-40". The "B-50" counterpart was given a greater caliber (50mm) and increased overall dimensions.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



Service Year
1954

Origin
Soviet Union national flag graphic
Soviet Union

Classification


Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launcher


State Factories - Soviet Union
(View other Arms-Related Manufacturers)
National flag of China National flag of Czechia National flag of Egypt National flag of modern Germany National flag of East Germany National flag of Hungary National flag of Libya National flag of Macedonia National flag of Mozambique National flag of Myanmar National flag of North Korea National flag of Poland National flag of Romania National flag of Rwanda National flag of the Soviet Union National flag of Somalia National flag of Syria National flag of Thailand National flag of Vietnam National flag of Yugoslavia National flag of Zimbabwe Biafra; Cambodia; China; Czech Republic; Czechoslovakia; East Germany; Egypt; Grenada; Hungary; Laos; Libya; Macedonia; Mongolia; Mozambique; Myanmar; Poland; Romania; Rhodesia; North Korea; Poland; Rwanda; Somalia; Somaliland; Soviet Union; Syria; Thailand; Vietnam; Yugoslavia; Zimbabwe
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Fire Support
Capable of suppressing enemy elements at range through direct or in-direct fire.
Anti-Armor / Anti-Tank / Anti-Material
Designed to engage and defeat armor / enemy tanks at range.


Overall Length
910 mm
35.83 in
Barrel Length
910 mm
35.83 in
Empty Wgt
6.28 lb
2.85 kg
Sights


Flip-up Rear and Forward Sights (Iron); Supported Optics.


Action


Single-Shot; Reusable

(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)*


82mm

Sample Visuals**


Graphical image of a shoulder-fired rocket projectile
Rounds / Feed


Single-Shot; Reusable Launcher.
Cartridge relative size chart
*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
492 ft
(150 m | 164 yd)
Rate-of-Fire
3
rds/min


RPG-2 ("Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot") - Base Production Designation.
RPG-2N - Supported optics set for night / low-light-level operations.
Type 56 - Chinese designation (local production).
Type P-27 "Pancerovoka" - Czechoslovakian designation (local production).
M57 - Yugoslavian designation (local production).


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
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Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.

Images Gallery



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Image of the RPG-2
rpg-2-rocket-propelled-grenade-launcher-soviet-union.jpg
2 / 5
Image of the RPG-2
rpg-2-rocket-propelled-grenade-launcher-soviet-union_2.jpg
3 / 5
Image of the RPG-2
A soldier prepares to fire his RPG-2; color.
4 / 5
Image of the RPG-2
A United States Marine presents a captured RPG-2.
5 / 5
Image of the RPG-2
The spoils of war - a raid nets an old Soviet RPG-2 launcher; color

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