RPG-29

RPG-29
RPG-29 launcher with PG-29V rocket
Type	Rocket-propelled grenade
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1989–present
Used by	Russia, Mexico, Hezbollah, Ukraine, Hamas, Syria, Pakistan, Vietnam
Wars	2003 Iraq war, 2006 Lebanon War, Syrian civil war
Production history
Designer	Bazalt
Designed	late 1980s
Manufacturer	Bazalt, SEDENA
Produced	1989
Specifications
Weight	12.1 kg (27 lb) unloaded (with optical sight) 18.8 kg (41 lb) loaded (ready to fire)
Length	1 m (3 ft 3 in) (disassembled for transportation) 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) (ready to fire)
Cartridge	PG-29V tandem rocket TBG-29V thermobaric rounds
Caliber	105 mm (4.1 in) barrel 65 and 105 mm (2.6 and 4.1 in) warheads
Muzzle velocity	280 m/s (920 ft/s)
Effective firing range	500 m (1,600 ft) 800 m (2,600 ft) (with tripod and fire control unit)
Sights	Iron, optical, and night sights available with ranges up to 450 m (1,480 ft); automated day and day-night sights with laser rangefinder
Blast yield	750 mm (30 in) RHA 600 mm (24 in) RHA after reactive armor effects 1,500 mm (59 in) Reinforced concrete or brick 3,700 mm (150 in) Log and earth fortification

The RPG-29 (NATO designation: Vampir) is a Russian rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher. Adopted by the Soviet Army in 1989, it was the last RPG to be adopted by the Soviet military before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The RPG-29 has since been supplemented by other rocket-propelled systems, such as the RPG-30 and RPG-32. The RPG-29's PG-29V tandem-charge warhead is one of the few anti-tank weapons that can reportedly penetrate the frontal hulls of Western composite-armored main battle tanks.

The RPG-29 is a shoulder-launched, unguided, tube-style, breech-loading anti-tank rocket system with a range of 500 meters. The light weapon is designed to be carried and used by a single soldier. On the top of the launch tube is a 2.7×1P38 optical sight.

When launched, the missile deploys eight fins as the rocket leaves the launcher, stabilizing the rocket during flight, up to a range of 500 meters.

Two projectiles are available for the weapon:

The RPG-29 is unusual among Russian anti-tank rocket launchers in that it lacks an initial propellant charge to place the projectile at a safe distance from the operator before the rocket ignites. Instead, the rocket engine starts as soon as the trigger is pulled, and burns out before the projectile leaves the barrel.

On the bottom of the tube is a shoulder brace for proper positioning along with a pistol grip trigger mechanism. A 1PN51-2 night sight can be fitted.

The RPG-29 was developed during the late 1980s, following the development of the RPG-26, and entered service with the Soviet army in 1989. It has recently seen intermittent use by irregular forces in the Middle East theater, including in combat against U.S./U.K. forces during the Iraq War, and the 2006 Lebanon War, when it was used against Israeli forces.