PF-97
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The PF-97 () is a portable, disposable, unguided, shoulder-launched, rocket launcher used by the Chinese
People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...
(PLA). The PF-97 is a Chinese licensed copy of the Russian RPO-A Shmel
thermobaric A thermobaric weapon, also called an aerosol bomb, or a vacuum bomb, is a type of explosive weapon, explosive munition that works by Dust explosion, dispersing an aerosol cloud of gas, liquid or powdered explosive. The fuel is usually a single ...
rocket launcher. The PF-97 was later developed into the PF-11 (Type 11) rocket launcher system with weight reduction, newer construction, and multiple types of warheads. The PF-97 was developed as a replacement for
flamethrowers A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet (fluid), jet of fire. Greek fire, First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and ...
and FHJ-84 incendiary rockets in the PLA service. It sits between the smaller caliber
DZJ-08 The DZJ-08 () is a portable, disposable, unguided, Shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched, multipurpose recoilless weapon. The weapon is designed as a multi-role assault weapon aiming to provide anti-armor, anti-fortification, and anti-personne ...
and larger
PF-98 The Type 98 (PF-98) is a 120mm unguided anti-tank rocket system developed by Norinco for the People's Liberation Army as a successor to the Type 65 and Type 78 recoilless guns. It is also known by its nickname, "Queen Bee". It can be equipped w ...
recoilless weapons.


Description

The PF-97 is a Chinese copy of the Russian RPO-A Shmel. In 1992, China bought the manufacturing license of the RPO-A from
KBP Instrument Design Bureau JSC ''Konstruktorskoe Buro Priborostroeniya'' (KBP) ( Joint-Stock Company - Instrument Design Bureau) is one of the main enterprises in the field of Defense industry of Russia, Russian defense industry, based in Tula. It is engaged in designing ...
. A local version was developed in 1996, which was then certified in 1997. It entered serial production in 2000. The PF-97 (RPO-A) has a larger explosive filler compared to the
PF-89 The PF-89 or Type 89 is a portable, disposable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled rocket launcher. Developed by Norinco for the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the PF-89 was designed to replace the obsolete Type 69 RPG, p ...
's thermobaric variant, ensuring adequate lethality. However, the rocket launcher system weighs due to the explosives, which is significantly heavier than other disposable rocket systems in the PLA service. An improved version, known as PF-97A, exists. PF-97A combined the previously separated rocket booster with the warhead. The PF-11 is a redesigned version of the PF-97. The launcher was modified, with the foregrip removed to save weight, and has a new
thermal sleeve A thermal sleeve, or blanket, is a device around the length of a gun barrel of a large caliber gun, typically found on modern tanks. Its primary purpose is to provide a more consistent temperature to the gun barrel, preventing distortions due to ...
similar to that of
DZJ-08 The DZJ-08 () is a portable, disposable, unguided, Shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched, multipurpose recoilless weapon. The weapon is designed as a multi-role assault weapon aiming to provide anti-armor, anti-fortification, and anti-personne ...
. The PF-11 was later developed into a weapon family with multiple types of munition chocies, including high explosive anti-tank (HEAT), high explosive fragmentation (HE-Frag), incendiary, anti-bunker assault munitions, etc.


Variants

;PF-97: Chinese copy of the RPO-A Shmel.
Thermobaric A thermobaric weapon, also called an aerosol bomb, or a vacuum bomb, is a type of explosive weapon, explosive munition that works by Dust explosion, dispersing an aerosol cloud of gas, liquid or powdered explosive. The fuel is usually a single ...
warhead. ;PF-97A: Improved PF-97 with fixed rocket booster. PF-97A can be carried in twin-barrel mode for easier transportation. ;BFK2: Export version of the PF-97A. ;PF-11: Redesigned PF-97 with foregrip removed and new thermal sleeves. Added capability to launch high explosive anti-tank (HEAT), high explosive fragmentation (HE-Frag), incendiary, anti-bunker munitions, etc. The system has a reported range of . ;DZG-141: A further development of the PF-11. Multipurpose bunker buster warhead. ;BKM6: Export version of the DZG-141. ;DZS-151: A further development of the PF-11. High-explosive fragmentation (HE-Frag) warhead. ;DZP-151: A further development of the PF-11. High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead. ;DZF-151: A further development of the PF-11. Smoke round.


Users

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People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...


See also

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DZJ-08 The DZJ-08 () is a portable, disposable, unguided, Shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched, multipurpose recoilless weapon. The weapon is designed as a multi-role assault weapon aiming to provide anti-armor, anti-fortification, and anti-personne ...
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PF-89 The PF-89 or Type 89 is a portable, disposable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled rocket launcher. Developed by Norinco for the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the PF-89 was designed to replace the obsolete Type 69 RPG, p ...
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PF-98 The Type 98 (PF-98) is a 120mm unguided anti-tank rocket system developed by Norinco for the People's Liberation Army as a successor to the Type 65 and Type 78 recoilless guns. It is also known by its nickname, "Queen Bee". It can be equipped w ...
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References

{{Modern Chinese Infantry Weapons Weapons of the People's Republic of China Anti-tank rockets Military equipment introduced in the 1990s Military equipment introduced in the 2000s Military equipment introduced in the 2010s Disposable products