RPG-16
| RPG-16 | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1968 |
| No. built | ~120,000[3] |
| Variants | RPG-16D for Airborne troops[2] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 9.4 kg (21 lb) Loaded - 12.4 kg (27 lb) Rocket - 3 kg (6.6 lb) |
| Length | Ready to fire - 1,104 mm (43.5 in) Carrying - 645 mm (25.4 in) |
| Crew | 2 men standard - Gunner and assistant |
| Caliber | 58.3 mm (2.30 in) warhead |
| Rate of fire | 4–6 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | Initial - 130 m/s (430 ft/s) Max - 350 m/s (1,100 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 300 m (980 ft) against tanks 500 m (1,600 ft) against stationary targets |
| Sights | Iron sights or Optical sight |
| Blast yield | 300 mm (12 in) RHA |
The RPG-16 is a
Combat History
The RPG-16 was widely used during Soviet campaign in Afghanistan, mostly against hardened fire positions and buildings from stand-off ranges. When it was first introduced it was considered superior to the RPG-7, but the RPG-7's ability to accommodate oversized rockets gave it growth potential the RPG-16's undercaliber projectile couldn't compete with. Beginning in the 1980s, it was replaced by the older RPG-7D equipped with newer and more powerful rockets. Low-rate production was maintained by Russia until the 1990s, when it was removed from service after about 120,000 units being produced. The RPG-16 was not widely exported.[5][6][7]
In 2023, Russian troops were seen using it against Ukrainian troops in Eastern Ukraine.[8]
Design
The RPG-16 has a 58.3 mm (2.30 in) barrel with a
Compared to its main counterpart, the RPG-7, the RPG-16 has a smaller calibre warhead and a more powerful rocket booster, which made it more accurate over long ranges. Unlike the RPG-7, the warhead does not stick out of the launcher since it has exactly the same diameter as the tube and fits entirely inside it. The smaller warhead does, however, sacrifice firepower when compared to the PG-7VL round used in the RPG-7 (which has 500 mm (20 in) RHA penetration, as opposed to the 300 mm (12 in) penetration the RPG-16 provides). In Soviet service, the launcher was issued to special operation teams in pairs: one man, the grenadier, carried the launcher and two PG-16 HEAT warheads; another man, the assistant, carried three more warheads.
Externally, the RPG-16 resembles the RPG-7; it is distinguished mainly by its single handgrip under the tube and its folding bipod, but its round is quite different from the RPG-7. The RPG-16 round is of smaller calibre but offers better performance, having what is believed to be a doubled
Users
Afghanistan[1]
Armenia[1]
Azerbaijan[1]
Belarus[1]
Bulgaria (unconfirmed)[1]
Estonia (unconfirmed)[1]
Georgia[1]
Iran (unconfirmed)[1]
Iraqi insurgents[10]
Kazakhstan[1]
Kyrgyzstan[1]
Latvia (unconfirmed)[1]
Lithuania (unconfirmed)[1]
Moldova[1]
Romania (unconfirmed)[1]
Soviet Union
Syria (unconfirmed)[1]
Tajikistan[1]
Turkmenistan[1]
Ukraine[1]
Uzbekistan[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Forecast 1996, p. 4.
- ^ a b Forecast 1996, p. 3.
- ^ Forecast 1996, p. 1.
- ^ "Артиллерия Партизан. Рпг-7 В Локальных Вооружённых Конфликтах". Archived from the original on 2011-08-09. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ RPG-16 antitank grenade launcher (USSR/Russia) - Modernfirearms.net
- ^ RPG-16 - Military-Today.com
- ^ RPG-16 - Weaponsystems.net
- ^ https://armourersbench.com/2024/02/11/russias-rare-rpg-16-in-ukraine/
- ^ Isby, David C (1988). Weapons And Tactics Of the Soviet Army (Fully Revised ed.). United Kingdom: Jane's Publishing Company Limited. pp. 199–200.
- ISBN 978-0-521-19714-4. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 30, 2012.
Bibliography
- RPG.16 (Report). Forecast International. September 1996.