RPG-18

RPG-18
RPG-18
	RPG-18 rocket launcher with PG-18 rocket
Type	Rocket-propelled grenade
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1972–present
Wars	Vietnam War; Cambodian Civil War; Laotian Civil War; Sino-Vietnamese War; Cambodian–Vietnamese War; Third Indochina War; Soviet–Afghan War; Salvadoran Civil War; Gulf War; First Nagorno-Karabakh War; Tajikistan Civil War; First Chechen War; Congo Civil War; Second Chechen War; War in Afghanistan; Iraq War; 2008 South Ossetian War; Kivu conflict; Syrian Civil War
Specifications
Mass	1.4 kg (projectile); 2.6 kg (loaded)
Length	705 mm (unarmed); 1,050 mm (ready to fire)
Crew	1
Shell	HEAT
Caliber	64 mm
Action	300 mm: RHA; 500 mm: Reinforced concrete; 1000 mm: Brickwork
Muzzle velocity	115 m/s
Effective firing range	200 m

The RPG-18 Mukha (Russian: Муха, romanized: Fly) is a Soviet short-range, disposable light anti-tank rocket launcher.

History[]

RPG-18 (bottom) with comparable Soviet/Russian rocket launchers

The RPG-18 is very similar to the US M72-series LAW anti-tank rocket launcher.^[2] The RPG-18 has been succeeded by the RPG-22, a very similar design with a larger warhead.

Description[]

The RPG-18 fires a 64 mm PG-18 HEAT warhead mounted on a small rocket capable of engaging targets within 200 meters. The warhead self-destructs 6 seconds after launch, placing definite limits on range even if a sight was used that was effective with targets beyond 200 meters. The RPG-18 itself can penetrate up to 375 mm of conventional armor. However, performance is significantly diminished when the RPG-18 is employed against targets protected by HEAT-resistant ERA or composite armor.

Unlike better known weapons, the RPG-18 requires only one operator because it is not reloadable. Assistant grenadiers are used to help reload the RPG-2, RPG-7 and RPG-16 systems.

Users[]

Afghanistan^[3]
Armenia^{[citation needed]}
Azerbaijan^{[citation needed]}
Belarus^{[citation needed]}
Chad^[4]
Republic of the Congo^[5]
Georgia^[6]
Greece^[7]
Hamas^{[citation needed]}
Iraq Iraqi insurgents^[8]
Kazakhstan^{[citation needed]}
Kyrgyzstan^{[citation needed]}
Moldova^{[citation needed]}
Panama^[9]
Russia
Syria^{[citation needed]}
- Free Syrian Army^{[citation needed]}
Tajikistan^{[citation needed]}
Turkmenistan^{[citation needed]}
Ukraine^{[citation needed]}
- Donetsk People's Republic^[10]
Uzbekistan^{[citation needed]}

Former Users[]

Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda^[4]
Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN)^[9]
East Germany
Nicaragua Sandinista Popular Army^[9]
Soviet Union

Similar weapons[]

M72 LAW
RPG-22
RPG-76
M80 Zolja

References[]

^ Campbell, David (30 Nov 2017). Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89. Combat 29. Osprey Publishing. p. 62. ISBN 9781472817648.
^ Rottman, Gordon L. (2011-03-15). The Rocket Propelled Grenade. ISBN 9781849081542.
^ 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. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-415-45308-0.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Small Arms Survey (2015). "Waning Cohesion: The Rise and Fall of the FDLR–FOCA" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2015: weapons and the world (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 203.
^ Small Arms Survey (2003). "Making the Difference?: Weapon Collection and Small Arms Availability in the Republic of Congo" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied. Oxford University Press. p. 267. ISBN 0199251754.
^ Small Arms Survey (1998). Politics From The Barrel of a Gun (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 40.
^ Greek General Army Staff (Γενικό Επιτελείο Στρατού) webpage (in Greek).
^ Small Arms Survey (2012). "Surveying the Battlefield: Illicit Arms In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-521-19714-4.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Montes, Julio A. (8 May 2015). "Portable Anti-Tank Weapons in Mexico & the Northern Central American Triangle". Small Arms Defense Journal. Vol. 7 no. 1. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019.
^ Ferguson, Jonathan; Jenzen-Jones, N.R. (November 2014). Raising Red Flags: An Examination of Arms & Munitions in the Ongoing Conflict in Ukraine, 2014 (PDF). Research Report 3. Armament Research Services. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-9924624-3-7.

Jones, Richard. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005–06. Coulsdon: Jane's, 2005. ISBN 0-7106-2694-0.

External links[]

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[1] Campbell, David (30 Nov 2017). Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89. Combat 29. Osprey Publishing. p. 62. ISBN 9781472817648.

[2] Rottman, Gordon L. (2011-03-15). The Rocket Propelled Grenade. ISBN 9781849081542.

[3] 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. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-415-45308-0.

[FDLR-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b Small Arms Survey (2015). "Waning Cohesion: The Rise and Fall of the FDLR–FOCA" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2015: weapons and the world (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 203.

[SAS_2003_263-5] Small Arms Survey (2003). "Making the Difference?: Weapon Collection and Small Arms Availability in the Republic of Congo" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied. Oxford University Press. p. 267. ISBN 0199251754.

[SAS_1998_4-6] Small Arms Survey (1998). Politics From The Barrel of a Gun (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 40.

[7] Greek General Army Staff (Γενικό Επιτελείο Στρατού) webpage (in Greek).

[SAS_2012_10-8] Small Arms Survey (2012). "Surveying the Battlefield: Illicit Arms In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia" (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-521-19714-4.

[Central_American-9] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Montes, Julio A. (8 May 2015). "Portable Anti-Tank Weapons in Mexico & the Northern Central American Triangle". Small Arms Defense Journal. Vol. 7 no. 1. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019.

[Ukraine-10] Ferguson, Jonathan; Jenzen-Jones, N.R. (November 2014). Raising Red Flags: An Examination of Arms & Munitions in the Ongoing Conflict in Ukraine, 2014 (PDF). Research Report 3. Armament Research Services. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-9924624-3-7.

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show v t Soviet and Russian RPG series
Reusable launchers	RPG-1 RPG-2 RPG-7 RPG-16 RPG-29 RPG-32
One-shot launchers	RPG-18 RPG-22 RPG-26 RPG-27 RPG-28 RPG-30
Thermobaric launchers	RPO Rys RPO-A Shmel RPO PDM-M MGK Bur MRO-A
Multipurpose warheads	RMG RShG-1 RShG-2
Hand grenades	RPG-6 RPG-40 RPG-43
Derivatives	PSRL-1 RPG-76 Komar Type 69 RPG Yasin (RPG)