RPG-7

RPG-7
An RPG-7 with a Russian PG-7G inert training warhead and booster
Type	Rocket-propelled grenade launcher
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1961–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Since the Vietnam War
Production history
Designer	Bazalt
Designed	1961
Manufacturer	Bazalt and Degtyarev plant (Russian Federation)
Produced	June 1961–present
No. built	9,000,000+
Variants	RPG-7V2 (current model) RPG-7D3 (paratrooper) Type 69 RPG (China) RPG-7USA (Airtronic) B-41 (Vietnam), (Cambodia)
Specifications
Weight	7 kg (15 lb)
Length	950 mm (37.4 in)
Caliber	40 mm
Muzzle velocity	115 m/s (boost) 300 m/s (flight)
Effective firing range	200 m
Maximum firing range	500 m (self detonates at ≈920 m (1,000 yd))
Sights	PGO-7 (2.7x), UP-7V Telescopic sight and 1PN51/1PN58 night vision sights Red dot reflex sight

The RPG-7 (Russian: РПГ-7) is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 (Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт – Ruchnoy Protivotankoviy Granatomyot – Hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher) and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union; it is now manufactured by the Russian company Bazalt. The weapon has the GRAU index 6G3. The English-language term "rocket-propelled grenade", though frequently encountered and reasonably descriptive, is a backronym for "RPG" and not based on a literal translation. "RPG-7" properly refers to the launcher itself, whereas "RPG" refers to the ammunition.

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, and it is manufactured in several variants by nine countries. It is popular with irregular and guerrilla forces. The RPG has been used in almost all conflicts across all continents since the mid-1960s from the Vietnam War to the early 2010s War in Afghanistan.

Widely produced, the most commonly seen major variations are the RPG-7D paratrooper model (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 pistol grips, and a Commando variant.

The RPG-7 was first delivered to the Soviet Army in 1961 and deployed at a 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 (see below), 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.