RPG-7

Description: The RPG7 is an 85 mm Soviet infantry anti-tank weapon. It is shoulder -launched, portable, and capable of penetrating 12 inches of armor plate. As the motor-equipped rocket flies from the barrel, fins spring out to steady it for travel up to 500 meters.

Background:
The Soviet army began using the RPG7 in 1962, and the Chinese and North Korean armies soon followed suit. The weapon, known for its simplicity and effectiveness, spread throughout the Middle East as the Soviets trained and equipped friendly countries, and after the Israel seized some enemy RPG7s the Israeli Defense Force began using them as well. RPG7s crop up in most major armed conflicts of the last decade. Somali factions used the RPG7 to shoot down a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter in 1993, and the U.N. seized hundreds during their mission in Bosnia. Anti-Taliban mujahadeen in Afghanistan were kitted out with RPG7s, and the U.S. has speculated that Iraq has designed chemically filled grenades for their version of the weapon.

Manufacturers: Kovrov Mechanical Plant, Vladimir Region, Russia and SRPE Bazalt, Moscow, Russia

Length Overall: 950 mm

Weight
Launcher with sight: 6.9 kg

Maximum Effective Range: 500 m

Maximum Flight Velocity: 300 m/s

Muzzle Velocity: 120 m/s