RPG-43
| RPG-43 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Anti-tankgrenade |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | April 1943–present[1] |
| Used by | Soviet UnionandWarsaw pactcountries |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | N. P. Belyakov[1] |
| Designed | 1942–1943[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1.247 kg[1] |
| Diameter | 95 mm |
| Filling | TNTshaped charge |
| Filling weight | 0.610 kg[1] |
Detonation mechanism | Inertial impactfuze |
TheRPG-43(ruchnaya protivotankovaya granata obraztca 1943 goda,meaninghand-held anti-tank grenade) was ahigh-explosive anti-tank(HEAT)shaped chargehandgrenadeused by theSoviet UnionduringWorld War II.It entered service in 1943, replacing the earlier modelsRPG-40and RPG-41; the RPG-40 used a simplerhigh explosive(HE) warhead. The RPG-43 had a penetration of around 75 millimetres (3.0 in) ofrolled homogeneous armourat a 90-degree angle. Later in the war, it was improved and became theRPG-6.[1]
History[edit]
During the early days ofOperation Barbarossa,the USSR's only infantryanti-armour weaponswereanti-tank rifles,anti-tank guns,[2]and anti-tank hand grenades. These were adequate against early German tanks such as thePanzer IandPanzer IIbut, as the war progressed, they were found to be nearly useless against the heavierPanthersandTigers.The RPG-43 was developed as a result, and it was produced in large numbers until the end of the war. After the war it was passed on extensively to Sovietclient states,and was used in the manyArab–Israeli conflicts.Despite being thoroughly outdated, it can still be encountered in manythird worldnations, mainly due to its reliability and low cost.
Description[edit]
The RPG-43 externally was shaped like an oversized stick grenade with a 95 mm HEAT warhead on the end. It weighed 1.247 kilograms (2.75 lb) of which 0.612 kilograms (1.35 lb) was high explosive. When thrown, a cylindrical metal cone was released from the rear of the grenade and held by fabric strips to stabilise flight and increase the likelihood of a 90 degree hit. Its range was limited by how far a user could throw it, and was obviously shorter than the contemporary rocket-propelled USBazookaand recoilless GermanPanzerfaust,so that the user had to get closer and was in more danger of being seen. However, it was much smaller than rocket weapons and produced no sound, smoke, or light when launched, and thus did not betray a thrower's position. Despite its limits, it was cheap and fast to manufacture, allowing it to become the main Soviet infantry anti-tank weapon of World War II.
Tactics[edit]
Overall the RPG-43 was an awkward and difficult weapon to use effectively. To use it, the user had to get within throwing range of an enemy tank, which was often dangerous. Despite having a powerful warhead, it took a skilled user to make the most of it as, like all shaped-charge weapons, it was effective only if the striking angle was close to 90 degrees. It also had to hit hard enough to detonate the impact fuse, or it would bounce harmlessly off the tank.
Users[edit]
Soviet Union[1]
DPRK[3]
German Democratic Republic[4]
Georgia- used by Georgian military and militia units during 1990s period.[5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abcdefgОружие Победы / колл. авт., отв. ред. В. Н. Новиков. 2-е изд., пер. и доп. М., "Машиностроение", 1987. стр.427(in Russian).
- ^such as the45 mm anti-tank gun M1937 (53-K)
- ^RPG-43 Antitank Hand Grenade. North Korea Country Handbook MCIA-2630-NK-016-97. U.S. Department of Defense, May 1997. page A-102
- ^Artillerie des Einzelkämpfers // "Armeerundschau", № 6, 1968. s.66-67
- ^Demetriou, Spyros (November 2002). "Politics from the Barrel of a Gun: Small Arms Proliferation and Conflict in the Republic of Georgia (1989–2001)".Small Arms Survey(PDF).Cambridge University Press.p. 40. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on January 12, 2011.