| RPG-7 | |
|---|---|
 An RPG-7 launcher (top) with a Bulgarian PG-7G inert training warhead and booster (bottom) | |
| Type | Handheld rocket launcher[1] |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1961–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | See Conflicts |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Bazalt |
| Designed | 1958 |
| Manufacturer | Bazalt and Degtyarev plant (Russian Federation) |
| Unit cost | c. US$350[2] |
| Produced | 1958–present |
| No. built | 9,000,000+[3] |
| Variants |
|
| Specifications | |
| Mass |
|
| Length | 950 mm (37.4 in) |
| Cartridge | 85 mm (3.3 in) |
| Caliber | 40 mm (1.6 in) |
| Muzzle velocity |
|
| Effective firing range | 330 m (1,080 ft) (PG-7V) |
| Maximum firing range | 700 m (2,300 ft) (OG-7V) (self detonates at c. 920 m (3,020 ft)) |
| Sights |
|
The RPG-7[a] is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket launcher. The RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and are now manufactured by the Russian company Bazalt. The weapon has the GRAU index (Russian armed forces index) 6G3.
The ruggedness, simplicity, low cost, and effectiveness of the RPG-7 has made it the most widely used anti-armor weapon in the world. Currently around 40 countries use the weapon; it is manufactured in several variants by nine countries. It is popular with irregular and guerrilla forces.
Widely produced, the most commonly seen major variations are the RPG-7D (десантник – desantnik – paratrooper) model, which can be broken into two parts for easier carrying; and the lighter Chinese Type 69 RPG. DIO of Iran manufactures RPG-7s with olive green handguards, H&K style pistol grips, and a commando variant.
The RPG-7 was first delivered to the Soviet Army in 1961 and deployed at the squad level. It replaced the RPG-2, having clearly out-performed the intermediate RPG-4 design during testing. The current model produced by the Russian Federation is the RPG-7V2, capable of firing standard and dual high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds, high explosive/fragmentation, and thermobaric warheads, with a UP-7V sighting device fitted (used in tandem with the standard 2.7× PGO-7 optical sight) to allow the use of extended range ammunition. The RPG-7D3 is the equivalent paratrooper model. Both the RPG-7V2 and RPG-7D3 were adopted by the Russian Ground Forces in 2001.
- ^ "RPG-7/RPG-7V/RPG-7VR Rocket Propelled Grenade Launcher (Multi Purpose Weapon)". Defense Update. 2006. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ "Iraqi Gun Market Trends: Early January – SIG Sauer M17 Handgun, NEA PDW-CCS". silahreport. 3 February 2020.
- ^ Small Arms Survey. Graduate Institute of International Studies. 2004. p. 8.
- ^ Rottman 2010, p. 41.
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