SPG-9
SPG-9 | |
---|---|
A Russian SPG-9M | |
Type |
Recoilless gun Anti-tank gun |
Place of origin | Soviet Union |
Service history | |
In service | 1962–present |
Wars |
Vietnam War Iran–Iraq War Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Gulf War Lebanese Civil War Iraq War Northern Mali conflict Syrian Civil War War in Donbass Iraq Civil War (2014–present) Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)[1][2] Saudi-led intervention in Yemen (2015-present) Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir |
Specifications | |
Weight |
47.5 kg (105 lb) 59.5 kg (131 lb) with the tripod[3] |
Length | 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in)[3] |
Width |
99 cm (3 ft 3 in) allowing for full weapon traverse[3] |
Height | 80 cm (2 ft 7 in)[3] |
Crew | 2 (1 gunner, 1 loader) |
| |
Caliber | 73 mm (2.87 in) smoothbore[3] |
Breech | Interrupted screw[3] |
Recoil | None |
Carriage | Tripod |
Elevation | +7°/−3° |
Traverse | 30° total |
Rate of fire | 5–6 rounds per minute[3] |
Muzzle velocity |
250 to 435 m/s (800 to 1,427 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 800 m (875 yds) |
Maximum firing range |
1,200 m to 6,500 m (1,300 to 7,100 yd) |
Feed system | Manually breech-loaded |
Sights | PGO-9 optical 4× sight or PGN-9 IR and passive night sight |
The SPG-9 Kopye (Spear) is a tripod-mounted man-portable, 73 millimetre calibre recoilless gun developed by the Soviet Union. It fires fin-stabilised, rocket-assisted HE and HEAT projectiles similar to those fired by the 73 mm 2A28 Grom low pressure gun of the BMP-1 armored vehicle. It was accepted into service in 1962, replacing the B-10 recoilless rifle.
Description
The projectile is launched from the gun by a small charge, which gives it an initial velocity of between 250 and 400 metres per second. The launch charge also imparts spin to the projectile by a series of offset holes. Once the projectile has traveled approximately 20 meters (65.6 feet) from the launcher, a rocket motor in its base ignites. For the PG-9 projectile, this takes it to a velocity of 700 metres per second (2,297 feet per second) before the motor burns out.
The SPG-9 is light, and is normally transported by vehicle, and carried into position by its two crew. It can be deployed in around a minute. The weapon is in service with a large number of armed forces, and a variety of ammunition is produced; however, they are mostly copies of the original Soviet PG-9 HEAT and OG-9 FRAG-HE rounds.
The SPG-9 is widely available to terrorists and maritime pirates such as in the Horn of Africa region, as well as in other regions to a lesser degree. It is not as popular as the RPG-7 because it has to be mounted on a vehicle or boat and cannot be easily carried and shoulder fired. The SPG-9 requires much more skill to fire accurately than the RPG-7. There have been reports of these mounted in skiffs and larger "mother ships". The SPG-9 can typically be found mounted on a wide variety of vehicles known as "technicals" in Somalia.
A variant for use with airborne troops including detachable wheels was built as the SPG-9D.
Combat usage
The SPG-9 was used by both sides during the Transnistria War, with at least one combat kill: a T-64BV of Russian peacekeepers was destroyed using an SPG.[4]
Projectiles
Round (projectile) | Type | Weight | Fuze | Length | Explosive content | Muzzle velocity | Effective range | Maximum range | Armour penetration | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PG-9 (PG-9V) | HEAT-FS | 4.39 kg | VP-9 | 920 mm | 0.322 kg of hexogen | 435 m/s | 800 m | 1,300 m | 300 mm | — |
PG-9N | HEAT-FS | VP-9 | 920 mm | 0.340 kg of OKFOL-3.5[5] | 435 m/s | 800 m | 1,300 m | 400 mm | — | |
PG-9VS | HEAT-FS | 4.4 kg | ? | 920 mm | ? | 1,300 m | ? | 400 mm | - | |
PG-9VNT (PG-9NT) | HEAT-FS | 3.2 kg | ? | 920 mm | ? | 400 m/s | 700 m | 1,200 m | 550 mm or 400 mm behind ERA | Tandem warhead |
OG-9V (OG-9) | FRAG-HE | 5.35 kg | GO-2 or O-4M | 1062 mm | 0.735 kg of TNT | 316 m/s | — | — | n/a | Cast iron casing |
OG-9VM (OG-9M) | FRAG-HE | 5.35 kg | GO-2 or O-4M | 1062 mm | 0.655 kg of TD-50[6] | 316 m/s | — | — | n/a | — |
OG-9VM1 (OG-9V) | FRAG-HE | 5.35 kg | GO-2 or O-4M | 1062 mm | ? | 316 m/s | — | 4,500 m | n/a | — |
OG-9BG[7] (OG-9G) | FRAG-HE | 6.9 kg | O-4M | 1030 mm | 0.750 kg | 316 m/s | — | 7,500 m | n/a | Bulgarian made |
OG-9BG1 (OG-9G1) | FRAG-HE | 5.48 kg | O-4M | 1024 mm | 0.750 kg | 250 m/s | — | 4,200 m | n/a | Bulgarian made |
Users
Afghanistan[8] Armenia Belarus Bulgaria: SPG-9DNM People's Republic of China: manufactured locally Cuba Egypt: manufactured locally Georgia[9] Grenada (People's Revolutionary Army of Grenada): 8 units Hungary Iran: SPG-9 Iraq[10] Libya Mali[11] Moldova: SPG-9, AG-9 138+ units Mongolia Morocco[12] Nepal Pakistan: licensed copy Poland Romania: AG-9 Soviet Union (former user) Sudan South Sudan[13] Syria Ukraine Vietnam[14] North Korea
Non-state actors
See also
Notes
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8kYvGMUaVs
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKfs_whXnis
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 OPFOR Worldwide Equipment Guide, TRADOC DCSINT Threat Support Directorate, January 21, 1999
- ↑ http://otvaga2004.ru/tanki/istoriya-sozdaniya/t-64-tank-ubijca-mirnogo-naseleniya/ (in Russian)
- ↑ 95% HME 5% wax
- ↑ TNT/dinitronaphthalene
- ↑ http://universal-dsg.com/product/rounds-og-9vg-with-he-fragmentation-grenade-og-9g-og-9g1/
- ↑ Bhatia, Michael Vinai; Sedra, Mark (May 2008). Small Arms Survey, ed. Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society. Routledge. pp. 48, 66, 165. ISBN 978-0-415-45308-0.
- ↑ Small Arms Survey (2003). "Dangerous Supply: Small Arms and Conflict in the Republic of Georgia" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied. Oxford University Press.
- ↑ Rottman, Gordon L. (1993). Armies of the Gulf War. Elite 45. Osprey Publishing. p. 49. ISBN 9781855322776.
- ↑ Powelson, Simon J. (December 2013). "Enduring engagement yes, episodic engagement no: lessons for SOF from Mali" (PDF). Monterey, California: Naval postgraduate school. p. 24. hdl:10945/38996.
- ↑
- ↑ Military Balance 2017
- ↑ Rottman, Gordon L. (10 Feb 2009). North Vietnamese Army Soldier 1958–75. Warrior 135. Osprey Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 9781846033711.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK6e_rw85So
- ↑ HSBA Arms and Ammunition Tracing Desk. SPLA-N weapons and equipment, South Kordofan, December 2012. Small Arms Survey, 2013, p. 9.
- ↑ Hennessey, Patrick. The Junior Officers' Reading Club. Penguin Publications, 2009, p. 272
- ↑ Kemp, Colonel Richard and Hughes, Chris, Attack State RED, Penguin Books Ltd, London, 2010, pp. 325–334.
- ↑ Small Arms Survey (2006). "Fuelling Fear: The Lord's Resistance Army and Small Arms" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2006: Unfinished Business. Oxford University Press. p. 283. ISBN 978-0-19-929848-8.
External links
Media related to SPG-9 at Wikimedia Commons