The RPG-2 (
Russian: РПГ-2, Ручной противотанковый гранатомёт, ''Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot''; English: "hand-held antitank grenade launcher") is a man-portable, shoulder-fired
anti-tank weapon that was designed in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. It was the first successful anti-tank weapon of its type, being a successor to the earlier and unsuccessful
RPG-1.
The RPG-2 offered better range and armor penetration, making it useful against late and post-World War II tanks, in contrast to the RPG-1 that had only marginal utility. The basic design and layout was further upgraded to produce the ubiquitous
RPG-7
The RPG-7 (russian: link=no, РПГ-7, Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт, Ruchnoy Protivotankoviy Granatomyot) is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket-propelled grenade launcher. T ...
.
History
Studying German and US anti-tank rocket designs, in 1944 the Soviets began development of the
RPG-1 with the goal of combining the best features of the German ''
Panzerfaust
The ''Panzerfaust'' (, "armour fist" or "tank fist", plural: ''Panzerfäuste'') was a development family of single-shot man-portable anti-tank systems developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The weapons were the first single-use light ...
'' single shot recoilless weapon with the US
Bazooka
Bazooka () is the common name for a man-portable recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher weapon, widely deployed by the United States Army, especially during World War II. Also referred to as the "stovepipe", the innovative bazooka was among th ...
rocket launcher. Propelled by a 30 mm cartridge, the
high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) round could penetrate about of homogeneous armour.
Early testing displayed a number of minor problems, but, by the time these were being solved, 150 mm of penetration was no longer considered effective against modern tanks, even late-war designs like the
Panther. The warhead was already straining the capabilities of the cartridge and its range was already considered too low. Modifications to improve this began, but in 1947 the RPG-2 program started as a parallel project. Development of the RPG-2 was carried out by the GSKB-30 design bureau, originally part of the
Commissariat for Munitions, but in the post-war period handed to the
Ministry of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...
to help design farm equipment.
The main difference in performance between the two were due to size. The RPG-2 used a custom designed cartridge to provide much greater power, and the warhead enlarged to . This improved penetration to , which allowed it to penetrate the frontal armor of all but the very heaviest tanks, and the side and rear armor of any tank. The larger cartridge gave the PG-2 warhead slightly better practical range as well, about against stationary targets.
The design of the PG-2 differed considerably from that of the PG-1 of the RPG-1. The rear section of the PG-1 consisted of a central tube holding the propelling charge, and a second tube around this carrying the fins. When the round was inserted into the launcher, the second tube was outside the launcher tube, requiring the front of the launcher to be free of any fittings. The PG-2 replaced the fins with small metal leaves attached to the inner tube, and eliminated the outer tube found on the PG-1. This allowed the entire propellant section to be inserted into the launcher, which in turn allowed the sights and trigger assembly to be mounted right at the front of the launcher. This slightly reduced the length compared to the RPG-1, made the entire assembly more robust, and allowed the use of conventional fore-and-aft sights.
The new design was such an improvement on the earlier design that development of the RPG-1 ended in 1948. The first production versions of the RPG-2 entered service with the Soviet Army's infantry squads in 1954. Although the RPG-2 could be operated by one man, standard military practice called for a two-man crew: a grenadier carrying a
Stechkin APS, the launcher and a purpose-built backpack containing three grenades and an assistant armed with a rifle and carrying another three-grenade backpack.
In 1957, the launcher was adapted to be able to mount the NSP-2
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from aroun ...
(IR) night-sight system, which consisted of an IR spotlight and a detector, together weighing (with batteries) . The NSP-2 was usable out to under good conditions. When fitted with the NSP-2, the launcher became known as the RPG-2N.
Widely distributed to allies of the Soviet Union, it was also produced under license by China,
North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
and
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
. Used against the
U.S. military in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, its Vietnamese variants were called the B40 (''Ba Do Ka'' - "Bazooka 40mm") and B50. B50 was B40 using Chinese Type 50 HEAT warhead (Chinese version of PG-2).
Design

The RPG-2 anti tank grenade launcher is a simple 40 millimeter steel tube
into which the PG-2 grenade is fitted. The tailboom of the grenade inserts into the launcher. The diameter of the PG-2 warhead is 80mm. The center section of the tube has a thin wooden covering to protect the user from the heat generated by the grenade launch. The wooden covering also makes using the weapon in extreme cold conditions easier.
The total length of the weapon with a grenade fitted was 120 centimeters (47 inches) and it weighed 4.48
kilogram
The kilogram (also kilogramme) is the unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), having the unit symbol kg. It is a widely used measure in science, engineering and commerce worldwide, and is often simply called a kilo colloquially ...
s (9.8
pounds). Only a simple
iron sight
Iron sights are a system of physical alignment markers (usually made of metallic material) used as a sighting device to assist the accurate aiming of ranged weapons (such as a firearm, airgun, crossbow or even compound bow), or less commonl ...
was provided for aiming.
Only one type of grenade, the PG-2
HEAT
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...
(High Explosive Anti-Tank), was used in the RPG-2. The
propellant
A propellant (or propellent) is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or other motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicles, the ...
, consisting of granulated powder was in a rolled cardboard case treated with wax that had to be attached to the grenade before loading. Once attached to the propellant charge, the grenade was inserted into the smooth-bore launcher from the front. A tab on the body of the grenade indexes in a notch cut in the tube so that the primer in the propelling charge aligns with the firing pin and hammer mechanism.
To fire the RPG-2, the grenadier cocked an external hammer with his thumb, aimed, and pulled the trigger to fire. Upon launch, six stabilizer fins unfolded from the grenade.
The weapon was accurate, depending on the soldier's experience, against stationary targets up to 150 meters and against moving targets at ranges of less than 100 meters. It had a muzzle velocity of 84 meters per second and could penetrate armor up to 180 millimeters (7.17 inches) thick.
Variants
* RPG-2N - First introduced in 1957, it's equipped with a NSP-2 night sight, connected to a battery man pack via cable.
* B40 - North Vietnamese clone of the RPG-2.
Rear barrel guard is 50mm shorter than the RPG-2/Type 56.
* B50 - Enlarged version of the B40.
*
Yasin Yasin, Yassin, Yassine, Yacine or Yaseen may refer to:
People
* Yasin (name), an Arabic-based name
* Yassin (name), an Arabic-based name
* Yassine (name), an Arabic-based name
* Yacine (name), an Arabic-based name
* Yaşın (name), a Turkish-based ...
* Type 56 - Chinese clone of the RPG-2.
* P-27 - Czech version of the RPG-2.
* RPG-2 clones made by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
* M57-Yugoslavian clone. Heavier than the standard RPG-2 and used different ammunition. Equiped with bipod and optical sight. uses sand in the propelant system to add mass.
Users
Current users

* : Locally produced from 1958-1959
*
Designated as the B-40 in Vietnamese service.
*
**
*
* : Used in small numbers, mainly by
Thahan Phran.
Former users
*
* : Used Type 56s in small numbers.
*
*
* : Adopted and produce by the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
(PLA) as the Type 56 RPG; replaced by the newer
Type 69 RPG.
* :P-27 clone
*
*
*
*
*
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
*
*
*
*
*
* : Type 56s were supplied by China during
Independence War[
* : Supposedly used RPG-2 secretly provided by Israel through Singaporean channel from pro-Palestinian guerrilla stock.
* :Ordered 2.600 P-27s from Czechoslovakia between 1952 and 1955 Also used RPG2]
*
*
*
* - Several units in storage as of 2008.
* :Used by MACVSOG recon teams
* :Adopted and produced as the M57
*
Non-state actors
* Abu Sayyaf
Abu Sayyaf (; ar, جماعة أبو سياف; ', ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, is a Jihadist militant and pirate group that follows the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It is ba ...
(Used RPG-2/B40s)
* Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda
The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (french: Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, FDLR) is an armed rebel group active in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. As an ethnic Hutu group opposed to the ethnic Tut ...
* Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front
The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional, FMLN) is a left-wing political party in El Salvador.
The FMLN was formed as an umbrella group on 10 October 1980, from five leftist gu ...
* Moro Islamic Liberation Front (RPG-2 clones)[smallarmssurvey.org](_blank)
/ref>
* Moro National Liberation Front
The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF; ar, الجبهة الوطنية لتحرير مورو) is a political organization in the Philippines that was founded in 1972. It started as a splinter group of the Muslim Independence Movement. The ...
* Mozambique Liberation Front
* NPA
* Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pas ...
* Ta'ang National Liberation Army
* Viet Cong
,
, war = the Vietnam War
, image = FNL Flag.svg
, caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green.
, active ...
* National Democratic Alliance Army
* Kachin Independence Army
* United Wa State Army
The United Wa State Army (; my, ဝပြည် သွေးစည်းညီညွတ်ရေး တပ်မတော်, ), abbreviated as the UWSA or the UWS Army, is the military wing of the United Wa State Party (UWSP), the ''de facto' ...
References
*
External links
Russian Weapons
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rpg-2
Rocket-propelled grenade launchers of the Soviet Union
Military equipment introduced in the 1950s