Spg-9

The SPG-9 Kopyo (, transliterated: ''Stankovyi Protivotankovyi Granatomet "Kopyo"'' - Easel Anti-tank Grenade Launcher "Spear") is a tripod-mounted man-portable, 73mm caliber recoilless gun developed by the Soviet Union. It fires fin-stabilized, rocket-assisted high explosive (HE) and high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shaped charge projectiles similar to those fired by the 73mm 2A28 Grom low pressure gun of the BMP-1 armored vehicle. It was accepted into service in 1962, replacing the B-10 recoilless rifle.

Description

The projectile is launched from the gun by a small charge, which gives it an initial velocity of between . The launch charge also imparts spin to the projectile by a series of offset holes. Once the projectile has traveled approximately from the launcher, a rocket motor in its base ignites. For the PG-9 projectile, this takes it to a velocity of before the motor burns out.

The SPG-9 is heavy, ~, and normally transported by vehicle, and carried into position by its two person crew. It can be deployed in about a minute. The weapon is in service with a large number of armed forces, and a variety of ammunition is produced; however, they are mostly copies of the original Soviet PG-9 HEAT and OG-9 fragmentation high explosive (Frag-HE) rounds.

The SPG-9 is widely available to terrorists and maritime pirates such as in the Horn of Africa region, and in other regions to a lesser degree. It is not as popular as the RPG-7 because it must be mounted on a vehicle or boat and cannot be easily carried and shoulder fired. The SPG-9 requires much more skill to fire accurately than the RPG-7. There have been reports of these mounted in skiffs and larger "mother ships". The SPG-9 can typically be found mounted on a wide variety of vehicles known as " technicals" in Somalia.

A variant for use with airborne troops including detachable wheels was built as the SPG-9D.

Combat use

The SPG-9 was used by both sides during the Transnistria War.

In addition to using the SPG-9 as light indirect fire artillery, members of Wagner PMC modified SPG-9 ammunition to be fired from more portable RPG-7 launchers during the Battle of Bakhmut.

In mid October 2023 Israeli forces, during the Gaza war, captured a flyer produced by Hamas about destroying Merkava tanks. The flyer recommended the SPG-9 as an effective way of defeating the Israeli Trophy System designed to intercept incoming RPG or Anti-tank Guided Missiles. The SPG-9 was recommended due "simply by virtue of its projectile’s high speed".

Projectiles

Users

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* : manufactured locally as ''Arsenal ATGL''
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* : ''AMIG SPG-9''
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* : ''RomArm AG-9''
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* , also used by separatist forces
* SPG-9T2
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Non-state actors

* Iraqi Kurdistan
* Islamic State
* Lord's Resistance Army
* Kurdistan Workers' Party
* Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition
* Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North
* Free Syrian Army
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* Hamas

See also

* SPG-82

References

Bibliography

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External links

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{{Soviet and Russian artillery after WW2

Recoilless rifles of the Soviet Union
Weapons of Bulgaria
Weapons of Romania
Military equipment introduced in the 1960s