Rocket - propelled grenade A rocket - propelled grenade ( often abbreviated RPG ) is a shoulder - fired , anti - tank weapon system that fires rockets equipped with an explosive warhead . These warheads are affixed to a rocket motor and stabilized in flight with fins . Some types of RPG are reloadable , while others are single - use . RPGs , with the exception of self - contained versions , are loaded from the muzzle . RPGs with HEAT warheads are very effective against armored vehicles such as armored personnel carriers ( APCs ) . Etymology of " RPG " . RPG is an initialism from the Russian language РПГ or " ручной противотанковый гранатомёт " ( transliterated as " " ruchnoy protivotankovy granatomyot " " ) , meaning " hand - held anti - tank grenade launcher " . Thus , " rocket - propelled grenade " is an acronym . There were Soviet weapons preceding the rocket - propelled grenade that were also designated with the " RPG " acronym ( RPG - 40 , RPG - 43 and RPG - 6 ) but those were anti - tank hand grenade s , and the acronym stood for ручная противотанковая граната , or " hand - held anti - tank grenade " , they were not launchers . The projectile of RPG launchers is similarly designated PG , ( PG - 7 , etc . ) , which similarly stands for противотанковая граната , " anti - tank grenade " . History . The RPG has its roots in the 20th century with the early development of the explosive shaped charge . The development of practical rocketry provided a means of delivering such an explosive . Research occasioned by World War II produced such weapons as the American bazooka and German Panzerfaust , which combined portability with effectiveness against armored vehicles such as tanks . The Soviet Union - developed RPG - 7 is the most widely distributed , recognizable and used RPG in the world . The basic design of this RPG was developed by the Soviets shortly after World War II in the form of the RPG - 2 , which is similar in function to the bazooka and the Panzerfaust . An early method of disabling shaped charges developed during World War II was to apply thin skirt armor or meshwire at a distance around the hull and turret of the tank . The skirt or mesh armor ( cage armor ) triggers the RPG on contact and much of the molten jet that a shaped charge produces dissipates before coming into contact with the main armor of the vehicle . Well - sloped armor also gives some protection because the shaped charge is forced to penetrate a greater amount of armor due to the oblique angle . The benefits of cage armor are still considered great in modern battlefields in the Middle East , and although similar effects can be obtained using spaced armor , either as a part of the original design or as appliqué armor fitted later , cage armor is preferable due to its low weight and ease of repair . Today , technologically advanced armies have implemented composite armor s such as Chobham armor , which provide superior protection to steel . For added protection , vehicles may be retrofitted with reactive armor ; on impact , reactive tiles explode or deform , disrupting the normal function of the shaped charge . Russian and Israeli vehicles also use active protection system s like Drozd , Arena APS or Trophy . Such a system detects and shoots down incoming projectiles before they reach the vehicle . As in all arms races , these developments in armor countermeasures have led to the development of RPG rounds designed specifically to defeat them , with methods such as a tandem - charge warhead , which has two shaped charges , of which the first is meant to activate any reactive armor , and the second to penetrate the vehicle . Description . An RPG comprises two main parts : the launcher and a rocket equipped with a warhead . The most common types of warheads are high explosive ( HE ) or high explosive anti - tank ( HEAT ) rounds . These warheads are affixed to a rocket motor and stabilized in flight with fins . Some types of RPGs are single - use disposable units similar to the RPG - 22 ; others are re - loadable , such as the Soviet RPG - 7 . The launcher is designed such that the rocket exits the launcher without discharging an exhaust that would be dangerous to the operator . In the case of the RPG - 7 , the rocket is launched by a gunpowder booster charge , and the rocket motor ignites only after 10 metres . In some other designs , the propellant charge burns completely within the tube . An RPG is an inexpensive way to deliver an explosive payload over a distance with moderate accuracy . Substantially more expensive , wire - guided rockets are used when accuracy is important ; these rockets trail a thin wire behind them during firing and steering corrections can be sent by the operator ( see Missile guidance ) while in flight , such as in the AT - 3 Sagger . Warheads . The HE ( high explosive ) warhead is a general - purpose explosive warhead for use against soft targets such as infantry , unarmored vehicles and fixed positions . The HE warhead detonates on impact or when the fuse runs out ; usually the fuse is set to the maximum burn of the rocket motor but it can be shortened for improvised anti aircraft purposes . The warhead case and charge generate a moderate amount of fragmentation , which can pass through many obstacles without stopping . The HEAT ( high explosive anti - tank ) round is a standard shaped charge warhead , similar in concept to those used in tank cannon rounds . In this type of warhead , the shape of the explosive material within the warhead focuses the explosive energy on a copper ( or similar metal ) lining . This heats the metal lining and propels some of it forward at a very high velocity in a highly plastic state . The resulting narrow jet of metal can defeat armor several hundred milimeters of RHA equivalent , such as that used in light and medium armored vehicles . However , heavily armored vehicles such as main battle tanks are generally too well armored to be penetrated by an RPG , unless weaker sections of the armor are exploited . Various warheads are also capable of causing secondary damage to vulnerable systems ( especially sights , tracks , rear and roof of turrets ) and other soft targets . Specialized warheads are available for illumination , smoke , tear gas , and white phosphorus . Russia , China , and many former Warsaw Pact nations have also developed a fuel - air explosive ( thermobaric ) warhead . Another recent development is a tandem HEAT warhead capable of penetrating reactive armor . So - called PRIGs ( Propelled Recoilless Improvised Grenade ) were improvised warheads used by the Provisional IRA . Effectiveness . The RPG - 29 uses a tandem - charge high explosive anti - tank warhead to penetrate explosive reactive armor ( ERA ) as well as composite armor behind it . It is capable of penetrating MBTs such as the M1 Abrams , older model Mark II version of the Merkava , Challenger 2 , or T - 90 . In August 2006 in al - Amarah , a Soviet RPG - 29 damaged the front underside of a Challenger 2 , detonating ERA in the area of the driver ' s cabin . The driver lost part of his foot and two more of the crew were also injured but the driver was able to reverse 1 . 5 mi ( 2 . 4 km ) to an aid post . The incident was not made public until May 2007 , and in response to accusations , the MoD said " We have never claimed that the Challenger 2 is impenetrable . " Since then , the ERA has been replaced with a Dorchester block and the steel underbelly lined with armour , as part of the ' Streetfighter ' upgrade , which was a direct response to this incident . In May 2008 , " The New York Times " disclosed that an American M1 tank had also been damaged by an RPG - 29 in Iraq . The American army is ranking the RPG - 29 threat to American armor as high ; they have refused to allow the newly formed Iraqi army to buy it , fearing it will fall into the insurgent hands . Various armies and manufacturers have developed add - on tank armor and other systems for urban combat , such as the Tank Urban Survival Kit ( TUSK ) for M1 Abrams , slat armor for the Stryker , ERA kit for the FV432 , AZUR for Leclerc , and others . Similar solutions are active protection system s , engaging closing projectiles such as the Russian Drozd and Arena , as well as the recent Israeli Trophy system . The RPG - 30 was designed to address the threat of active protection systems on tanks by using a false target to trick the APS . Tactics . RPGs were used extensively during the Vietnam War ( by the Vietnam People ' s Army and Vietcong ) , Soviet invasion of Afghanistan by the Mujahideen and against South Africans in Angola and Namibia ( formerly South West Africa ) by SWAPO guerillas during what the South Africans called the South African Border War . Twenty years later , they are still being used widely in recent conflict areas such as Chechnya , Iraq , and Sri Lanka . One of the first instances when it was used by militants was on 13 January 1975 at the Orly airport in France , when Carlos the Jackal , together with another member from the PFLP , used two Soviet RPG - 7 grenades to attack an Israeli El Al airliner . Both missed , and one of them hit a DC - 9 of Yugoslav Airlines instead . RPGs can also be used to achieve a mobility kill , because no matter how thick the tank ' s armor is , its tracks remain the weakest components . Once a tank has been immobilized , if the tank crew cannot provide covering fire ( e . g . , from a . 50 cal machine gun ) , the tank may be destroyed easily as it unable to move to protect itself . However , if the tank is recovered and towed out of the battle zone , the tank can easily be repaired and ready for action . Due to the lack of a guidance system in the RPG rockets , the operator must fire relatively close to the intended target , increasing the chances of being spotted . Most modern armies deploy anti tank guided missiles ( ATGM ) as their primary infantry anti - tank weapon , but the RPG still remains a potent threat to armored vehicles , especially in situations such as urban warfare or jungle warfare , where they are favored by guerrillas . They are most effective when used in restricted terrain as the availability of cover and concealment can make it difficult for the intended target to spot the RPG operator . Note that this concealment is often preferably outdoors , because firing an RPG within an enclosed area may create a dangerous backblast . When deployed against personnel , the warhead can be aimed at a solid surface to detonate ; popular choices being trees or buildings . Another option is an indirect method of firing the warhead over the intended target area at ranges of 800 – 1000 m where the warhead would detonate automatically . More skilled shooters can use the RPG self - destruct feature to make it explode over the enemy at closer range . When used in this fashion , the RPG is being used almost like an artillery weapon . Although they can be — and often are — used against hovering helicopters , they should not be confused with anti - aircraft shoulder fired surface - to - air missile ( MANPADS ) systems such as the Stinger or SA - 7 Grail / SA - 14 . MANPADS are capable of actively tracking the target as opposed to flying in a ballistic trajectory as the unguided RPG - missiles do ; allowing kills at high altitude ( which are too far to be hit by an unguided projectile ) . Furthermore , firing at steep angles poses a danger to the user , because the backblast from firing reflects off the ground . In Somalia , militia members sometimes welded a steel plate in the exhaust end of an RPG ' s tube to deflect pressure away from the shooter when shooting up at US helicopters . RPGs are used in this role only when more effective weapons are not available . Afghanistan . In Afghanistan , Mujahideen guerrillas used RPG - 7s to destroy Soviet vehicles . To assure a kill , two to four RPG shooters would be assigned to each vehicle . Each armor - vehicle hunter - killer teams can have as many as 15 RPG . In areas where vehicles were confined to a single path ( a mountain road , swamps , snow , urban areas ) , RPG teams trapped convoys by destroying the first and last vehicles in line , preventing movement of the other vehicles . This tactic was especially effective in cities . Convoys learned to avoid approaches with overhangs and to send infantrymen forward in hazardous areas to detect the RPG teams . Multiple shooters were also effective against heavy tanks with reactive armor : The first shot would be against the driver ' s viewing prisms . Following shots would be in pairs , one to set off the reactive armor , the second to penetrate the tank ' s armor . Favored weak spots were the top and rear of the turret . , Afghans sometimes used RPG - 7s at extreme range , exploded by their 4 . 5 - second self - destruct timer , which translates to roughly 950m flight distance , as a method of long distance approach denial for infantry and reconnaissance . Angola . During the South African Border War , the Soviet RPGs used by SWAPO guerilllas and their Angolan supporters posed a serious threat to South Africa ' s lightly armored APCs , which could be easily targeted as soon as they stopped to disembark troops . In response to such ambushes , police and military units , such as the infamous Koevoet , used the Cantabrian circle tactic of driving their vehicles in widening circles , using automatic weapons fire from one side to destroy the RPG teams . By staying on the move and refusing to halt as normal , the APCs were difficult to target . This peculiar tactic was developed informally in the field and passed on to new personnel as it demanded precise coordination skills from everyone involved . Chechnya . During the First ( 1994 – 1996 ) and Second Chechen War s ( 1999 – 2009 ) , Chechen rebels used RPGs to attack Russian tanks from basements and high rooftops . This tactic was effective because tank main guns could not be depressed or raised far enough to return fire , in addition , armor on the very top and bottom of tanks is usually the weakest . Russia n forces had to rely on artillery suppression , good crew gunners and infantry screens to prevent such attacks . Tank columns were eventually protected by attached self - propelled anti - aircraft gun s ( ZSU - 23 - 4 , Tunguska - M1 ) used in the ground role to suppress and destroy Chechen ambushes . Chechen fighters formed independent " cells " that worked together to destroy a specific Russian armored target . Each cell contained small arms and some form of RPG ( RPG - 7 V or RPG - 18 , for example ) . The small arms were used to button the tank up and keep any infantry occupied , while the RPG gunner struck at the tank . While doing so , other teams would attempt to fire at the target in order to overwhelm the Russians ' ability to effectively counter the attack . To further increase the chance of success , the teams took up positions at different elevations where possible . Firing from the third and higher floors allowed good shots at the weakest armor ( the top ) . When the Russians began moving in tanks fitted with explosive reactive armor ( ERA ) , the Chechens had to adapt their tactics , because the RPGs they had access to were unlikely to result in the destruction of the tank . Iraq . In the period following the 2003 invasion of Iraq , the RPG became a favorite weapon of the insurgent forces fighting U . S . troops . Since most of the readily - available RPG - 7 rounds cannot penetrate M1 Abrams tank armor from the front , it is primarily effective against soft - skinned or lightly armored vehicles , and infantry . Even if the RPG hit does not completely disable the tank or kill the crew , it can still damage external equipment , lowering the tank ' s effectiveness or forcing the crew to abandon and destroy it . Newer RPG - 7 rounds are more capable , and in August 2006 , an RPG - 29 round penetrated the frontal ERA of a Challenger 2 tank during an engagement in al - Amarah , Iraq , and wounded several crew members . Northern Ireland . The RPG - 7 has been used during The Troubles by both the Provisional Irish Republican Army , the Ulster Volunteer Force , and other Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries . The RPG - 7 has been used on British armoured personal carriers and static observation points throughout the conflict , especially in Republican West Belfast and South Armagh . El Salvador . RPGs were a main tool used by the FMLN ' s guerrilla forces in the Salvadoran Civil War . For example , during the June 19 , 1986 overrun of the San Miguel Army base , FMLN sappers dressed only in black shorts , their faces blacked out with grease , sneaked through barbed wire at night , avoiding the searchlights , they made it to within firing range of the outer wall . Using RPGs to initiate the attack , they blew through the wall and killed a number of Salvadorean soldiers . They eliminated the outermost sentries and searchlights with the rockets , then made it into the inner wall , which they also punched through . They were then able to create mayhem as their comrades attacked from the outside . Yugoslavia . During the Yugoslav Wars ( 1991 - 1995 ) , RPGs were used by all sides with great effect . RPGs used were M - 79 Osa { Wasp } , RPG - 7 , RB M - 57 and M - 64 ' Zolja ' . RPGs were used with great effect in the famous Battle of Vukovar by the Croatian army , during which more than 300 tanks , APCs and vehicles were put out of action by the defenders . Anti - aircraft . Using RPGs as improvised anti aircraft batteries has proved successful in Somalia , Afghanistan and Chechnya . Helicopter s are typically ambushed as they land , take off or hover . In Afghanistan , the Mujahideen often modified RPGs for use against Soviet helicopters by adding a curved pipe to the rear of the launcher tube , which diverted the backblast , allowing the RPG to be fired upward at aircraft from a prone position . This made the operator less visible prior to firing and decreased the risk of injury from hot exhaust gases . Mujahideen also utilised the 4 . 5 - second timer on RPG rounds to make the weapon function as part of a flak battery , using multiple launchers to increase hit probabilities . At the time , Soviet helicopters countered the threat from RPGs at landing zones by first clearing them with anti - personnel saturation fire . The Soviets also varied the number of accompanying helicopters ( two or three ) in an effort to upset Afghan force estimations and preparation . In response , the Mujahideen prepared dug - in firing positions with top cover , and again , Soviet forces altered their tactics by using air - dropped fuel - air bombs on such landing zones . As the U . S . - supplied Stinger surface - to - air missile s became available to them , the Afghans abandoned RPG attacks as the smart missiles proved especially efficient in the destruction of unarmed Soviet transport helicopters , such as Mil Mi - 17 . In Somalia , both of the UH - 60 Black Hawk helicopters lost by U . S . forces during the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993 were downed by RPG - 7s . Russian RPGs . RPGs currently in service in the Russian Ground Forces :