RPG - 29 The RPG - 29 ( NATO designation : Vampir ) is a Russia n 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 " Hashim " . The RPG - 29 ' s PG - 29V tandem - charge warhead is one of the few warhead systems which has penetrated the hulls of Western composite - armored main battle tanks in active combat . Description . The RPG - 29 is a shoulder - launched , tube - style , breech - loading weapon designed to be carried and used by a single soldier . On the top of the launch tube is the 2 . 7× 1P38 optical sight . 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 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 . Two projectiles are available for the weapon ; the PG - 29V anti - tank / anti - bunker round and the TBG - 29V thermobaric anti - personnel round . The PG - 29V round has a tandem - charge HEAT warhead for defeating explosive reactive armor ( ERA ) . 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 . The warhead itself comprises two charges ; an initial small high explosive charge destroys the reactive armor , or , if ERA or cage armor is absent , the main armor is impacted . Behind the primary charge , a much larger secondary shaped charge bursts at the rear of the initial warhead and projects a jet of metal into the pre - compromised armor . History . 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 . 2003 Iraq War . The RPG - 29 is believed to have been used in multiple skirmishes against U . S . and British mobilized forces during the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq . In August 2006 an RPG - 29 round was reported to have penetrated the frontal ERA of a Challenger 2 tank during an engagement in al - Amarah , Iraq , lightly wounding several crew members , but only lightly damaging the tank which drove home under its own power . From WikiLeaks : In August 5 , 2007 an RPG - 29V hit a passing M1 in the hull rear caused 3 WIA . In September 5 , 2007 an RPG - 29V hit the side turret of an M1 tank in Baghdad , caused 1 KIA and 2 WIA , the tank was seriously damaged . In May 2008 " The New York Times " disclosed that an American M1 tank had also been damaged by an RPG - 29 in Iraq . The US Army ranks the RPG - 29 threat to armor so high that they refused to allow the newly formed Iraqi army to buy it , fearing it would fall into insurgent hands . 2006 Lebanon War . During the conflict the Israeli newspaper " Haaretz " stated that the RPG - 29 was a major source of IDF casualties in the 2006 Lebanon War . A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry denied that Russia had supplied arms directly to Hezbollah . Shortly before the end of the conflict the Russian " Kommersant " magazine acknowledged through anonymous sources the possibility of a weapons transfer between Syria and Hezbollah during the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon .