The First Soviet RPG- 1 -LPG-70 - RKG-70. TPG-90

[Kriegerfaust007]

The First Soviet RPG

Widespread use of anti-tank rocket launchers by both the USSR’s allies and enemies starting in 1943 forced it to expedite experimental work on these weapons. The first positive results were achieved in early 1944.

First steps

The Soviet military did not see value in light anti-tank rocket launchers at the start of the war. Their function was fulfilled by PTRD and PTRS anti-tank rifles. Light and maneuverable anti-tank weapons of the future would use either a more powerful 14.5 mm cartridge or a 20 mm caliber.

The first requirements for a large caliber man-portable anti-tank rocket launcher were issued by the GAU on December 11th, 1942. This weapon was expected to penetrate 50 mm of armour at an angle of 60 degrees from 400 meters. The weight of the system was limited to 12 kg. The weapon had to be able to fire with the shooter lying down, kneeling, or standing. With the exception of Ostrovskiy’s heavy anti-tank rifle, there is no information of anyone working on such a weapon in 1943.

“Faustpatrone” HEAT warhead launcher.

The sudden acceleration of work on anti-tank rocket launchers in early 1944 in the USSR was caused by the appearance of new German antitank weapons: the single shot Faustpatrone and multi-use Ofenrohr. Detailed instructions on the design and usage of German anti-tank rocket launchers were distributed in January of 1944. On January 31st the GAU Artillery Committee gave orders to develop new powerful short rangee anti-tank weapons.

Kazanovich’s group

The NIPSMVO (Small Arms and Mortar Research Proving Grounds) carried out trials of American, German, and British anti-tank warheads. The German ones proved the most capable, penetrating 180-230 mm of armour. Simple copying of foreign designs with use of substitute materials resulted in a considerable drop in penetration. A special group of engineers was formed at the NIPSMVO consisting of Gribakin, Boroshnev, Lominsky, and Renberg, led by Kazanovich. They began designing a new Soviet RPG from scratch.

The first stage of work took place between February 5th and April 12th, 1944. Trials showed that using a milled funnel rather than a welded one gave a better effect. A mix of TNT and cyclonite called TG-50 was chosen as the optimal explosive charge. The best results were given by a charge located at the top of the funnel. There was not a lot of time to experiment further. Soviet designers selected a shape with a cylindrical tip and truncated cone shape in the rear with a 1:1 tapering ratio. Experiments carried out at the Gorohovets Artillery Research Proving Grounds (ANIOP) in 1942-43 showed that funnel walls 2 mm thick gave the best results. Two types of ammunition were prepared, 70 and 90 mm in caliber with 150 and 200 mm of penetration respectively.

The design of the launcher was also worked out. One of the variants was the conversion of a PTRD with a worn out barrel. Another design, one resembling a recoilless rifle, was much more conventional. The result of this work was three variants of the launched indexed A, B, and V.

Firing from the A type launcher, 1944.

The A type launcher consisted of a converted PTRD with a shortened barrel, relocated bipod and handle, and new sights. The stabilizer for the warhead consisted of a smooth pipe with six fins. The 70 mm supercaliber grenade was fired by a 14.5 mm blank round filled with P-45 gunpowder.

The B type launcher consisted of a pipe open at both ends with a simple sight and trigger mechanism. The same supercaliber grenade used in the A type system was used, but with a 4-finned ring stabilizer and an additional black powder propellant charge. The V type launcher only differed from the B type in the size of the warhead it fired.

Comparative trials of domestic and foreign launchers showed that “they not only match foreign weapons with a similar purpose, but also surpass them in penetration, caliber, and weight”.

Firing the B type launcher while standing.

After more than two months of work, conclusions of the proving grounds dated April 12th, 1944, read:

" 1. The grenades and grenade launchers tested are powerful anti-tank infantry weapons that can combat armoured targets with up to 200 mm of armour inclusive at ranges up to 150 m.

2. These designs have significant advantages over analogous weapons used by enemy and allied armies (Ofenrohr, Panzerfaust, Pz.B.39, American 60 mm launcher, British PIAT) both in combat effectiveness and economical/production factors.

3. It is sensible to produce a pilot batch of launchers and grenades to conduct wide scale proving grounds and battlefield trials.

4. It is sensible to create an 80 mm grenade based on the more effective 70 mm grenade, preserving its optimal parameters. Produce a test batch of 250-300 units for comparative trials of 80 mm and 90 mm grenades."

A light rocket launcher for infantry

A set of 660 pages of blueprints for all three launchers split into 40 albums was ready in April of 1944. The new documentation gave the type A launcher the name PTG-44, its projectile was indexed AKG-70. The B type launcher became LPG-70, ands projectile became the RKG-70. The V type launcher was named TPG-90 and its grenade the RKG-90.

The People’s Commissariat of Ammunition (NKV) factory #143 polished the designs and produced a test batch of warheads from June to August. Trials showed that penetration was stable at 150 mm at 100 meters. Due to "significant and sudden recoil when firing and small range" the PTG-44 launcher was rejected by military trials. Only the improved version of the LPG-70 reached large scale proving grounds and military trials in 1945. This happened after Germany surrendered. GOKO degree 8668ss issued on May 19th, 1945, ordered factory #2 to produce 500 launchers and factory #846 to produce 11,000 warheads. Trials were held at the NIPSVMO from August 29th to September 11th, 1945, led by Senior Technician-Lieutenant Lominskiy.

Firing the LPG-44 rocket launcher standing,

15 launchers produced at factory #2, 970 rockets produced at factory #846 and armed at factory #11 were tested. The LPG-44 light infantry rocket launcher had few differences from its predecessor, preserving almost all of its characteristics. It was mostly the GK-70 grenade that was improved, as the original had issues with the fuse. The inertial fuse was an improved version of the VKG-40 grenade fuse designed at GSKB-30.

The LPG-44 could be fired while standing, held either over the shoulder or under the arm, while kneeling, or prone. To fire, the fuse was inserted into the rear of the rocket, then the rocket was inserted into the launcher. The shooter armed the launcher by pulling the firing mechanism back. Trials showed that this procedure resulted in a practical rate of fire of 9-12 RPM.

The penetration of the GK-70 rocket was measured to be 150 mm both during bench trials against plates and live fire trials at a Tiger tank. Bench trials showed that the results were lower than those obtained using rockets assembled at the NIPSVMO. Firing at 25, 50, and 75 mm plates resulted in 100% penetration. When the rocket hit the tank’s front armour, penetration was achieved in every case, and in some cases hits resulted in ignition of the oil in the sump, destruction of the gun’s elevation mechanism, and jamming of the turret. However, testers noted inconsistent quality of rockets and unstable penetration.

Trials also showed that the trigger mechanism was fouled with gunpowder residue after 15-30 shots, which resulted in misfires and the trigger jamming. In total, 691 rocket out of 750 worked normally. In addition to failures to fire on impact or ricochets, there were also cases where the rocket did not fire at all. The primer could be inserted too far or not far enough, which made the rocket impossible to fire. 7.9% misfires sounds like a lot, but in most cases the issue could be corrected on the spot.

Firing the LPG-44 rocket launcher while kneeling, 1945.

The conclusions stated that the LPG-44 light anti-tank rocket launcher and the GK-70 HEAT rocket "passed proving grounds trials and can be considered a reliable and effective method of combat against armoured targets at close range, with characteristics no worse than any known foreign weapon of similar purpose". The defects and drawbacks of the weapon given in the NIPSMVO final report were to be corrected.

Still first

The rocket launcher improved in 1946 by designers of the Project Design Bureau of factory #2 (PKB-2) in Kovrov had wooden pads to protect the shooter from the barrel, which heated up if the weapon was fired rapidly. A brief manual of operation was produced in 1947, and in 1948 the GAU Artillery Committee finally approved the RPG-1 and PG-70 blueprints, giving them the index 56-G-661 and 57-GK-661 respectively.

RPG-1 rocket launcher, 1946.

The rest of the RPG-1’s fate is not completely known. There is no information about official acceptance into service or entry into production. The similar system designed by GSKB-30 seemed more promising around this time, and in 1949 they were accepted into service as the RPG-2 launcher and PG-2 rocket. Mass production began at factory #575 in Kovrov in the 1950s.

Characteristics of early Soviet RPGs:

	AKG-70	LPG-70	TPG-90	LPG-44	RPG-2
Launcher caliber, mm	26	30	45	30	40
Length, mm	1250	1000	1200	1000	950
Weight, kg	13.5	2.0	3.5	2.0	2.75
Grenade caliber, mm	70	70	90	70	80
Grenade weight, kg	1.4	1.45	2.3	1.6	1.62
Propellant weight, g	9	70	110	70	220
Muzzle velocity, m/s	58.2	43.8	35.5	40	84
Maximum range of aimed fire, m	150	100	75	75	150
Penetration, mm	170	170	200	150	200

[Greyparrots]

Can we stop looking for weapons past 1946 and try and stay in 1945

[Kriegerfaust007]

if you at least skimmed it you would see development began before 1945 thus meeting the prototype requirement

[generalpanther]

As much as I hate the DP belt fed being it’s a 1946 firearm, The RPG-1 has a good reason to exist and over all, The DP Belt fed does not really have a reason to exist in enlisted, Other then to “match” the MG-45.

Over all these AT weapons would be majorly unique and special that I can give a pass, Even more if they replace the Panzerfausts we have in berlin and the tech tree, It would make the faction more unique!

[TheUnclaimedOne]

Man EVERYONE wanted a piece of our Bazooka, huh?

[KeepuptheFire9th]

The DP Belt was actualy pre 1946 it saw full production in 1946 which is why it got the name RP-46 after date of production as their were a number of prototype RP-46 made prior to the end of hostilities

[GiltBurrito7238]

I would like these to replace the Soviet Panzerfaust

[KeepuptheFire9th]

again similar to the RPG-1

[KeepuptheFire9th]

no it needs to be treated like all other prototype weapons in the game be either a premium squad or a gold order weapon or event weapon

[LandserSkin]

I do agree with you even though i also agree with nations having their specific guns and stuff. I mean the soviets should be able to build their 76mm gun instead of the german PaK as a field AT weapon. And sure they captured a lot of panzefausts but those ran out at some point. Makes sense for Stalingrad and a late weapon for Moskow but in Berlin, not so much.

[KeepuptheFire9th]

They captured so many that even after the Battle of Berlin they sill had more than enough

[Cat-]

I support the idea but I won’t like your post because you literally copied the entire text from the internet

[CRO_SkyGuard]

You could have put more effort in this rather than copying the whole Tank Archives blog…

The First Soviet RPG

[CRO_SkyGuard]

@generalpanther

DP belt fed being it’s a 1946 firearm

An experimental version of the Degtyaryov DP-27 with a Polyakov receiver for a belt, it was tested in 1940–1942:

Here is an actual RP-46:

[Kriegerfaust007]

The RPG-1 (Russian: РПГ-1, Ручной противотанковый гранатомёт-1, Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot-1; English: Hand-held Anti-tank Grenade Launcher-1) was a Soviet lightweight anti-tank warfare rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) equipped with a shaped charge warhead. The design was inspired by similar weapons being introduced by the US and Germany in the late-World War II period. Work on the design began in 1944 and continued until 1948, but it was not put into production, as the RPG-2 was selected for this role instead. The RPG-1 introduced the basic physical and mechanical layout that was also used on the RPG-2 and the far more famous and ubiquitous RPG-7.

History[edit]

In 1944, the Soviets extensively tested new anti-tank weapons, including the German Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck, and the US bazooka. They decided to produce their own design combining the best features of all of these, and began development under G.P. Lominskiy at the Main Artillery Directorate’s Small Arms and Mortar Research Range.[1]

Initially named LPG-44, after the program’s start date, the weapon was intended to be smaller and lighter than a Panzerfaust, but easily reloadable like a bazooka. Its PG-70 warhead was a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) round, named for its size, 70 millimetres (2.8 in) wide at its widest point. Development was largely completed by the end of 1944. The system was renamed RPG-1 and the round became the PG-1.[1]

However, continued testing revealed a series of problems. A major issue was problems in the firing cap, and that the propellant tended to perform inconsistently with temperature changes. The warhead also penetrated considerably less armor than the Panzerfaust, around 140 millimetres (5.5 in) of rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) equivalent. This was too small to fight newer tanks like the Panther. However, it retained Panzerfaust 's low velocity, making it accurate only over perhaps 50 metres (160 ft), with a maximum range of only 75 metres (246 ft).[1]

Work continued to try to address these issues, but in 1947, an all-new design emerged that became the RPG-2. This design was clearly superior. RPG-1 work ended in 1948.[1]

Description[edit]

The RPG-1 launcher consisted mainly of a 1-metre (3 ft 3 in) long, 30 millimetres (1.2 in) diameter soft steel tube. The rear 3⁄4 was covered by a thin wooden sheath to protect the operator from the heat of firing. Immediately in front of the sheath was a pistol grip firing trigger, and in front of that, a cocking lever. A leaf sight flipped forward and up from the top of the tube above the trigger. Sighting was done by comparing range markings on the leaf sight against the outermost portion of the round, a solution also used on the Panzerfaust. The launcher empty weight was 2 kilograms (4.4 lb).[1]

The PG-70 was inserted into the muzzle of the launcher and fired using a simple percussion cap firing a 30 millimetres (1.2 in) cartridge. Three ring-shaped stabilising fins were mounted on a tube that extended down the outside of barrel of the launcher, avoiding the need for flip-out fins or other solutions that would fit inside the barrel. The round was 425 millimetres (16.7 in) long and weighed 1.6 kilograms (3.5 lb). It fired at a muzzle velocity of 40 metres per second (130 ft/s) and had a maximum effective range of about 75 metres (246 ft). A trained two-man crew could fire 4 to 6 rounds per minute.[1]

There is not a lot about anything prior to the RPG-7. Much less the RPG-1 and RPG-2

SPG-82

SPG-82
Type Antitank rocket launcher
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In service 1950 to mid-1970s
Used by Soviet Union, Syria, Afghanistan and various Warsaw Pact countries, Indonesia
Wars Portuguese Colonial War
Syrian Civil War[citation needed]
Production history
Designer NII-6
Designed 1944
Produced 1950 to 1964
Specifications
Mass 37.8 kg
Length 2.15 m
Crew 2 or 3

Caliber 82 mm
Action Single shot
Recoil Recoilless
Carriage Two wheels
Rate of fire 5 to 6 rounds per minute
Effective firing range 200 m direct
Maximum firing range 700 m

The SPG-82 (transliterated Russian: Stankovyi Protivotankovyi Granatomet - heavy antitank grenade launcher) was a Soviet wheeled antitank rocket launcher that entered service after the end of World War II. It was replaced in Soviet service by the B-10 recoilless rifle from 1954 but remained in service with some armies, notably in the Middle East until the 1970s.[1] The SPG-82 was also carried by BRIMOB (the Indonesia Police Mobile Brigade) in 1963.[citation needed] It has been replaced by B-10 recoilless rifle.

Description[edit]

The weapon consists of a long barrel tube with a flared muzzle, supported by a simple carriage with two small solid wheels. A curved shoulder pad is attached to left side of the barrel, and a large shield is fitted to protect the crew from the back-blast produced by the rocket projectiles. The shield is not thick enough to provide protection from enemy fire. The weapon is normally fired from the carriage, but it can be dismounted and shoulder fired by two men working together to support the weapon.

The weapon fires two types of projectiles, a general purpose explosive/fragmentation round, the OG-82, and an armour piercing anti-tank round, the PG-82. It has two sets of iron sights corresponding to the two different rounds fired by the weapon. The HE sight is graduated out to 700 meters while the weapon’s effective range for the HEAT round is around 200 meters.

[Kriegerfaust007]

The RPR-82 anti-tank rifle can be considered the Soviet answer to the successful Panzerschrek. Work on this weapon in the USSR began even before the appearance of the German analogue, but successful results were obtained only after the end of the war.

Narkomneft engineering group

The first anti-tank grenade launcher is considered to be the American M1 Bazooka , which appeared in the US Army in 1942. Such weapons soon found their way not only to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease , but also to Nazi Germany as trophies. German specialists modified the 60-mm Bazooka, receiving by 1943 their more powerful 88-mm Ofenror, and then the improved Panzerschreck. In the USSR, the development of a rocket-propelled anti-tank gun (that’s what heavy anti-tank grenade launchers were originally called) began around the same time and followed its original path.

German soldiers with PTR-54 “Panzerschrek”. Bundesarchiv

In March 1942, a group of engineers from Narkomneft (NKNP) of the USSR under the leadership of A.P. Ostrovsky, on instructions from the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU), began developing the design of a rocket-propelled anti-tank gun and cumulative armor-piercing mines intended for flat fire on armored targets. The first guns were tubes with a diameter of 96 mm, lengths of 929 and 1330 mm on a bipod with a collimator sight. The cumulative-action grenades had a rocket chamber with a six-fin stabilizer and a high-explosive head with a fuse. A reactive charge of nitroglycerin powder weighing 510 g was ignited by an electric fuse through an igniter made of black gunpowder.

The gun didn’t turn out very well. With a direct shot range at tanks of about 100 m, almost half of the grenades, with an average initial speed of 82.4 m/s, tumbled in flight and had unsatisfactory stabilization. Shooting could only be carried out from a special trench and was accompanied by a strong unmasking effect in the form of a cloud of gases and flames, as well as a loud sound. The first pancake turned out to be lumpy, and the guns were not recommended for service with the Red Army.

In March 1943, rifles and grenades with a significantly modified design were tested at the Small Arms Research Site (NIPSVO). Instead of stabilizing the flight of the grenade with the tail, the principle of rotational motion was used, which was imparted to the grenade using inclined nozzles. The body of the grenade took the form of an elongated projectile and was made of plastic. The gun had a longer barrel and a mechanical sight in the form of a rear sight and a front sight, but even in this version it was not reliable enough, and the grenades were not stable enough in flight.

82 mm rocket

Since April 1943, the gun again undergoes significant changes and receives an 82 mm caliber, familiar to RS-82 unguided rockets. This borrowing of technical solutions from a finished serial product has finally led to the first positive results. In September, specialized research institutes (SRIs) were involved in the work. The reactive part of the new mine was developed at Scientific Research Institute-3 of the Council of People’s Commissars (SNK), and the head part was developed at Scientific Research Institute-6 of the People’s Commissariat of Ammunition (NKB). The speed of the grenade more than doubled, and the firing range increased to 300 m. Armor penetration at a distance of 50 m reached 90-100 mm.

PTR-82 and RPM-82, 1943RGASPI

In addition to reducing the caliber of the system, the electric ignition was replaced by a puncture ignition with a firing and trigger mechanism, and the grenade had a special fuse. The rocket charge for the projectile was also improved and replaced three brands of nitroglycerin powder. The body of the grenade became metal, and a retainer appeared in the barrel for its loading. The gun acquired a safety shield with handles for the gunner and loader. At the same time, the design of the weapon allowed safe shooting from the shoulder.

At the beginning of 1944, the rifle could hit the armor"all German tanks, including the T-6 and the Tiger tank (with the exception of the front of the T-6, which has 110 mm armor)."Pilot production of the gun and ammunition for it was mastered by Moscow factories. Decree GOKO-5098ss of February 6, 1944 ordered the production of 250 pieces of 82 mm PTR-82 rocket anti-tank rifles and 10,000 RPM-82 rocket anti-tank mines by April. To implement these plans, a special design bureau (SDB) of the NKNP was organized, consisting of 14 people, which was headed by AP Ostrovsky.

PTR-82 in stowed position, 1943RGASPI

In the spring of 1944, field tests of the gun took place at NIPSVO, the conclusion of which was that “82-mm jet anti-tank gun, damn. 2-09316, and grenades for it, damn it. 2-09317, did not withstand field tests and cannot be recommended for military tests . " The guns had an insufficient rate of fire, inconvenience of loading and shooting, low protection of the crew from the action of powder gases, low accuracy of fire and unstable armor penetration. At the same time, the gun was installed for the first time on a machine with wheels.

In May of the same year, non-rotating grenades were tested by fire to identify the causes of poor armor penetration. It turned out that nutation during the rotational movement of the grenade significantly reduces armor penetration. Later, SKB-36 produced rotating grenades with a non-rotating explosive charge, which due to nutation showed high dispersion and poor armor penetration.

Armor-piercing grenades

Since June 1944, the RBG-82 armor-burning grenades received feathered stabilizers. The new grenade had a different cumulative head and a fundamentally different tail (reactive) part. The grenade’s flight speed decreased to 176 m/s, and forward motion occurred due to the exhaust of gases backwards from the jet chamber through six straight nozzles. The plumage had eight straight long feathers with a ring. This version of the ammunition also did not show satisfactory results.

After that, the grenade had one central nozzle and ring stabilizers. With this grenade, better accuracy results were obtained than in all previously tested RBG-82s. However, there was one significant drawback: due to the concentration of the action of the jet of powder gases, the crew needed special clothing, and the glass of the shield lost transparency.

RPR-82 in combat position, October 1945TsAMO

Military tests of the RPR-82 shotgun at the Vystrel courses also revealed a number of shortcomings of the system:

"- the difficulty of moving the gun forward in a “wheelbarrow” (the flap of the shield was buried in the ground);

– when moving “in the Plastun way”, the breech of the gun forward, the fighter’s legs got stuck under the flaps of the shield;

“Stealthy movement with a gun in the trench is not possible due to the large width of the gun.”

“Summer” option

In March of 1945, the modified RPR-82-M and new RBG-82 grenades (ref. 3-09710), created at the Central Design Bureau of the NKNP, were tested at the NIPSVO. From October 12 to October 29, 1945, regular tests of the redesigned rifle and grenades for it took place there. This time, the designers of the Special Design Bureau No. 1 of the NKNP managed to achieve significant success. As stated in the conclusion of the training ground, the rifle and grenades"in some characteristics are superior to the systems of the same type used in foreign armies (the German Ofenror rifle and the 60 mm American anti-tank rifle)."

The recoil when firing a weapon, although it caused some discomfort, did not affect the accuracy of shooting. The accuracy of fire was satisfactory, and at a distance of 50 m the grenade penetrated the frontal armor of the Tiger tank with a direct hit and 150 mm of armor at an angle of 30 degrees. The maneuverability of the gun was significantly improved, and the design of the shield sufficiently protected the crew from damage by particles of unburned gunpowder and powder gases. The weight of the gun has decreased by more than 2 kg, and its design has become more technologically advanced.

Defects from RPR-82, October 1945TsAMO

Three variants of ammunition capping (three grenades each) were tested: the"PIAT"type across the back; canvas cases along the back and across it at a 90-degree angle. It turned out that all the samples of closures “do not meet the requirements of strength, convenience of stowage and carrying of ammunition, as well as convenience of maneuvering with them.”

One of the problems that was never solved was plexiglass (4 mm thick) or Stalinized and stripplexed (10 mm thick). After a few shots, all variants were pitted, cracked, or lost transparency. Further aimed firing from such RPR-82s became impossible.

Among other things, it turned out that"the main disadvantage of the gun and grenades is (as previously indicated in the reports of the NIPSMVO) a sharp deterioration in accuracy with a decrease in the temperature of the charges, in general, and cases of prolonged shots, in particular."This additionally led to the loss of aiming and a weakening of the tension of the crew holding the gun. For grenades, “winter” nozzles with a smaller diameter of the critical section were even tested, which improved ballistics, but did not meet the requirements.

Despite a lot of positive features of the system, its shortcomings did not allow us to talk about the adoption of the RPR-82 and RBG-82 into service with the Red Army. Nevertheless, on the pages of the test site report, there was a note made in pencil and dated November 17, 1945, with the indexes 56-G-651 and 57-G-651 for the rifle and grenade, which were probably assigned by the GAU Artillery Committee. This was a sure sign of the imminent serial production of products for extensive military trials.

Mounted Grenade Launcher

Refinement of weapons designed by Ostrovsky after the war dragged on for several years. The gun became an SPG-82 mounted anti-tank grenade launcher with a PG-82 anti-tank grenade. The exact date of its adoption by the Soviet army is unknown, but some sources indicate the year 1950, which may refer to a later version of the system. Earlier, in 1947, for the creation of a new type of weapon, the developers of LNG-82 A.P. Ostrovsky, N.G. Grigoryan and P.P. Shumilov (the latter posthumously, died in 1942 during testing) received the Stalin Prize of the second degree for outstanding inventions and fundamental improvements in production methods for 1946. It is also known that the draft short manual for the LNG-82 service appeared on March 26, 1947, and in May 1949 it was published in its finally approved form. However, already in 1951, the grenade launcher included the OG-82 fragmentation grenade, and the launcher itself ceased to be only anti-tank. It was the SG-82 easel grenade launcher that was mastered in mass serial production in the 50s.

Main parts of SPG-82, 1947. Draft Service Quick Start Guide

The development of the ROG-82 fragmentation grenades for the RPR-82 began in 1944. In March of the same year, a draft order of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR was prepared on the production of 7000,<> fragmentation grenades, which were planned to be used at the front simultaneously with anti-tank grenades. However, as we already know, the appearance of fragmentation ammunition occurred somewhat later than anti-tank ammunition.

It can also be noticed that during the short period of product development, all elements of the system have repeatedly changed their names and designations. The grenade launcher was anti-tank and RPR rifles, and its ammunition was both RPM (anti-tank) and RBM (armor-piercing) rocket mines, as well as RBG grenades. At the same time, the combination of these names could also vary in different periods of the work of the Special Design Bureau No. 1 of the NKNP, which also managed to visit the Special Design Bureau, the Special Design Bureau-36 and the Central Design Bureau.

According to the same resolution GOKO-5098ss, work was carried out in the Special Design Bureau of the NKNP to increase the armor penetration of the system. For this purpose, the RPR-200 rifle and the RBM-200 (RBG-200) mine were developed, which were a light system based on a machine gun mount and a 200 mm mine for it. In parallel with this work of the People’s Commissariat of Oil, the Moscow Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI), under the leadership of the head of the Special Design Bureau AG Nadiradze, tested the 120 mm SN anti-tank rifle, the rotating projectile of which had a muzzle velocity in the range of 73.6-81.7 m/s. However, the larger anti-tank caliber then remained only in prototypes.

Characteristics of Soviet rocket-propelled anti-tank rifles and grenade launchers|NAME|PTR-82|RPR-82|RPR-82-M|SPG-82|
| — | — | — | — | — |
|YEAR OF DEVELOPMENT|1943|1944|1945|1947|
|SHOTGUN/GRENADE LAUNCHER INDEX|–|–|56-G-651|56-G-662|
|CALIBER, MM|82|82|82|82|
|LENGTH, MM|N/A|2090|2190|2060|
|WEIGHT, KG|22|37.8|35.4|39|
|AMMUNITION TYPE|RPM-82|RBG-82|57-G-651|57-GK-662|
|MINE/GRENADE WEIGHT, KG|4.5|3.99|n/a|4.5|
|INITIAL SPEED, M/S|200|176|n/a|160|
|DIRECT SHOT RANGE, M|200|200|200|200|
|ARMOR-PIERCING, MM|90|150|150|150|
|RATE OF FIRE, RDS/MIN|5-6|5-6|5-6|6|

---

Sources and literature:

1. TsAMO RF, fund 81, inventory 12040
2. RGASPI, fund 644, inventory 2
3. 82-mm mounted anti-tank grenade launcher (SPG-82) and grenade (PG-82). Quick service guide. Project. GAU USSR Armed Forces, M. - 1947
4. Easel anti-tank grenade launcher (SPG-82) and anti-tank grenade (PG-82). Quick guide. Voenizdat, M. - 1949

[GiltBurrito7238]

I don’t necessarily want a tech tree absolutely filled with prototypes, but then we look at Japan and how they had to put a few prototypes in. But at the same time I do an make an acception for a few here and there

I can make an acception for just one. Replace the Panzerfaust with the PTG-44. It’s basically their equivalent to a Granatbusche

And make the RPG-1 an event or something.

Or the other way around whatever people prefer

[Kriegerfaust007]

Thank you everyone who reads my posts which are many. If i could snap my fingers and include everything i have ever asked for i would not. It takes time to balance a game what i am ask for is just thing that i think would be fun. There not demands, just i would like to see the game grow and people to have fun.

[KeepuptheFire9th]

the Japanese prototypes unlike the RPG actualy saw limited servise in the conflict at least

[GiltBurrito7238]

True, but if we look at the Soviets practically 99% of their unlockable arsenal is stuff they produced and served with, so I can make an acception for just one AT launcher