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Warhead Weight Classes
In PR v1.3.5 we now have three weight classes for our RPG-7 Warheads; Light, Medium and Heavy. When it comes to aiming these different types of warhead with iron sights the ranging will be done automatically for each warheads weight with the ranging menu BUT, when aiming with the PGO-7 optical sight on the RPG-7V2, you will need to know which weight class your warhead is in order to range it properly with the sights reticle.
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Many of you should already be familiar with this reticle from previous releases but now with more than just two types of RPG-7 Warheads in PR v1.3.5 you will now have to use all the different ranging marks for different types of warhead. The left side ranges being for the Light Warheads like the PG-7V and PG-7VM, the right side ranges for Medium Warheads like the PG-7VL and the SAKR Cobrra, and finally the bottom middle ranges for the Heavy Warheads like the PG-7VR Tandem and eventually the TBG-7V Thermobaric and DZGI-40 Airburst rounds (which are not featured in v1.3.5). The weights of each warhead will be stated below with each round but if you forget, just look at the size of the warhead and judge it against any you already know and you can probably guess pretty accurately what weight class it comes in.
Warhead Types
In v1.3.5 we only have two types of RPG-7 Warhead which are High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) and Tandem HEAT Warheads. They are both designed to penetrate though armour but Tandem HEAT is designed to be more effective against reactive armour, found on most modern day tanks, by having two warheads packed in to one rocket. The first stage of the weapon is typically a weak charge that either pierces the reactive armour of the target without detonating it leaving a channel through the reactive armour so that the second warhead may pass unimpeded, or simply detonating the armourplate causing the timing of the counter-explosion to fail. The second detonation from the same projectile (which defines it as a tandem charge) attacks the same location as the first detonation where the reactive armour has been compromised. Since the regular armour plating is often the only defence remaining, the main charge (second detonation) has an increased likelihood of penetrating the armour.
While standard HEAT rounds can still do a lot of damage to a tank, your going to need a few of them to be able to destroy it.
While there may only be two types of RPG-7 warheads in v1.3.5, each round is still unique with different sizes of warhead with different penetration levels for each so be sure to study the stats so you know what your shooting.
RPG-7 Series Warheads
PG-7V HEAT
This was the original RPG-7 Warhead produced by the Soviet Union and provided to North Vietnam starting in 1966, with eventually being carried by every infantry squad in the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). Although it saw its initial combat in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the RPG-7 gained its vaunted international reputation in Vietnam. The rocket first came to the American public's notice during the 1968 Tet Offensive, where it was employed to deadly effect in the fighting in and around Hue. More accurate, longer-ranged, easier to use and far more powerful than the RPG-2 that it replaced and even more powerful than the much heavier 57mm recoilless rifles North Vietnam had received from China and the Soviet Union in the 1950s, it proved to be an equalizer in infantry vs tank combat.
This warhead is no longer produced in Russia but copies of it are still being used and produced all over the world to this day.
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Date Created: 1961
Countries of Origin: USSR/Russia
Diameter: 85mm
Length: 899mm
Weight: 2.25kg - Light
Armour Penetration: 260mm RHA
Effective Range: 330m
Factions & Kits using this warhead:
ARF: Rifleman AT Alternative (x3)
Militia: Rifleman AT Alternative (x2)
Taliban: Rifleman AT Alternative (x3)
HAMAS: Rifleman AT Alternative (x3)
FSA: Rifleman AT Alternative (x3)
NVA: Rifleman AT (x2)
NVA: Rifleman AT Alternative (x2)
NVA: Heavy-AT (x4)
PG-7VM HEAT
After the RPG-7 rocket launcher and the PG-7V round were fielded in 1961, the Bazalt State Research and Production Enterprise continued improving them. As a result, in 1969 the PG-7V round was replaced with the upgraded PG-7VM, designed by V. I. Medvedev.
A more advanced shaped-charge warhead taken from the PG-9 round, fired by the SPG-9 recoilless gun, improved expelling charge and rocket motor, as well as a reduced weight of the round from 2.2kg of the PG-7V to 2.0kg, have resulted in a significant increase in a number of its characteristics. For instance, despite a reduction in the calibre from 85mm to 70mm. its armour penetration increased from 260mm to 300mm. Improved expelling charge and rocket motor have significantly reduced the side wind-caused cross-trail (1.5-fold). The accuracy of fire has also been improved by 20-25%. Overall the warhead was a big improvement over the old PG-7V and as such its still used and produced widely today.
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Date Created: 1969
Countries of Origin: USSR/Russia
Diameter: 70mm
Length: 925mm
Weight: 1.98kg - Light
Armour Penetration: 300mm RHA
Effective Range: 500m
Factions & Kits using this warhead:
ARF: Rifleman AT (x2)
Taliban: Rifleman AT (x2)
HAMAS: Rifleman AT (x2)
FSA: Rifleman AT (x2)
Insurgents: Rifleman AT (x2)
PG-7VS HEAT
In the early 1970s Russia needed to upgrade its RPG-7 rounds to counter the thicker armour of new western armoured vehicles. This consisted in considerably increasing the PG-7VM rounds armour penetration, while preserving its weight and dimensions. The work was done by Bazalt in cooperation with a number of special enterprises. V. P. Zaitsev and O. F. Dzyadukh were appointed leading designers.
Characteristics of the new round were improved through the use of more powerful warhead explosives, a brass shaped-charge cone, and a modified cone production technology. A reduction in the spin rate of the rocket along the trajectory decreased the dispersion of the shaped-charge jet, caused by the centrifugal force. Design and technology improvements increased armour penetration from 300mm to 400mm without increasing warhead dimensions. The new PG-7VS round for the RPG-7V rocket launcher entered the inventory in 1973. A PG-7VS1, fitted with cheaper warhead explosives and featuring an armour penetration of 360mm, was manufactured in the mid 1970s as well.
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Date Created: 1973
Countries of Origin: USSR/Russia
Diameter: 70mm
Length: 925mm
Weight: 1.98kg - Light
Armour Penetration: 360mm RHA
Effective Range: 500m
Factions & Kits using this warhead:
Russia: Rifleman AT Alternative (x2)
PG-7VL HEAT
Development of a new enhanced-penetration anti-tank round was a response to better armour protection of NATO main battle tanks (M1 Abrams and Leopard-2), expected in the late 1970s, through the use of multi-layered (composite) and spaced armour. The new round was based on the results of the research and development, conducted by Bazalt in the mid 1970s. Back then designers determined that the calibre and the warhead weight of a rocket could be increased at the expense of a slight reduction in the range of fire. It would increase armour penetration while preserving the design of the rocket launcher proper. The new round was designed under the supervision of V. M. Lenin.
The new round, designated PG-7VL ('L' stands for 'Luch' - the codename of the research and development project) was fielded in 1977. A larger calibre of 93mm and a heavier warhead increased armour penetration up to 500mm. A greater weight of the rocket reduced its muzzle velocity and the effective range of fire down to 300m, which had an impact on ensuring accurate fire from new rocket launchers, firing all types of rounds. The sight was also upgraded and designated PGO-7V1. Rocket launchers already in service were fitted with an instruction plate, mounted on the PGO-7V sight and sporting a conversion table for converting the tangent scale into the real range of fire of PG-7L rounds.
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Date Created: 1977
Countries of Origin: USSR/Russia
Diameter: 93mm
Length: 990mm
Weight: 2.6kg - Medium
Armour Penetration: 500mm RHA
Effective Range: 300m
Factions & Kits using this warhead:
Militia: Heavy-AT Alternative (x2)
Russia: Heavy-AT Alternative (x2)
Cobrra HEAT
The Cobrra is an Egyptian-manufactured unitary HEAT projectile. The Cobra was developed by the state-owned Arab Organization for Industrialization. The projectile weighs approximately 2.25kg, and is said to have an effective range of 300m. The main charge of the projectile is approximately 85mm in diameter and is stated of being capable of penetrating over 500mm of RHA.
In recent years this round has been seen quite a bit in Sryia with the FSA and other factions.
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Date Created: ~2005?
Countries of Origin: Egypt
Diameter: ~85mm
Length: ~985mm
Weight: 2.75kg - Medium
Armour Penetration: 500mm RHA
Effective Range: 300m
Factions & Kits using this warhead:
ARF: Heavy-AT Alternative (x2)
Taliban: Heavy-AT (x2)
Taliban: Heavy-AT Pickup (x2)
FSA: Heavy-AT Alternative (x2)
Iranian Tandem HEAT
Little is known about this projectile, and what OSINT is available seems to come primarily from Iranian sources. The tip of the warhead features a 30mm precursor charge that is integrated into the elongated nose probe, ahead of an 80mm main charge. The projectile weighs 2.5kg, is supposedly effective out to 300m, and is said to be able to penetrate 350mm of RHA after detonating though the reactive armour (ERA).
In recent years this warhead has been seen quite a bit in the Syrian conflict with the FSA and other factions.
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Date Created: N/A
Countries of Origin: Iran
Diameter: 30mm / 80mm
Length: ~1050mm
Weight: 2.5kg - Medium
Armour Penetration: ERA + 350mm RHA
Effective Range: 300m
Factions & Kits using this warhead:
ARF: Heavy-AT (x3)
Taliban: Heavy-AT Alternative (x3)
FSA: Heavy-AT (x3)
PG-7VR Tandem HEAT
In the early 1980s NATO countries started using add-on explosive reactive armour (ERA) to improve protection against shaped-charge ammunition. As a result, the efficiency of man-portable anti-tank rocket launchers, firing HEAT rounds, was drastically affected.
To counter this Russia produced the world's first Tandem HEAT warhead round for a rocket launcher which was developed by the Bazalt State Research and Production Enterprise (leading engineer A. B. Kulakovsky) and fielded with the USSR Armed Forces in 1988 under the designation of PG-7VR (R stands for 'Rezyume' - the codename of the research and development project) and is capable of defeating tanks equipped with add-on ERA.
The PG-7VR tandem warhead consists of two HEAT warheads - the first or precursor charge with a calibre of 64mm and the main warhead with a calibre of 105mm. The front warhead detonates explosives of the ERA. The main warhead, accommodated at a certain distance from the precursor charge, which ensures its safety during the explosion of the front warhead and ERA. detonates with a slight delay. This arrangement allows the rocket to penetrate 600mm of the core armour after defeating ERA. However, a considerably heavier round resulted in a reduction in the effective rage of fire down to 200m.
When the new round with totally different ballistics entered the inventory of the RPG-7V launcher, it became necessary to modify the sight (the new sight was designated PGO-7V3) and fit them to the rocket launchers, with a detachable folding bipod (just like on the older 'night' versions of the rocket launcher). The new PGO-7V3 optical sight has range scales for firing all types of rounds, including the TBG-7V Thermobaric round and the OG-7V Fragmentation round developed later on. The irons sights were modified as well. The new rocket launcher was designated RPG-7V1. while its airborne variant was designated RPG-7D2.
This warhead was seen in use with the Iraqi Insurgents during the 2003 Iraq war and on the 28th of August 2003, it achieved a mobility kill against an American M1 Abrams, hitting the left side hull next to the forward section of the engine compartment. It penetrated a fuel tank, flooding the compartment with fuel. In more recent years it has been seen in many other conflicts from the Gaza Strip, Libya, and most recently Syria.
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Date Created: 1988
Countries of Origin: USSR / Russia
Diameter: 64mm / 105mm
Length: 1250mm
Weight: 4.5kg - Heavy
Armour Penetration: ERA + 600mm RHA
Effective Range: 200m
Factions & Kits using this warhead:
ARF: Heavy-AT Alternative (x1)
Militia: Heavy-AT (x2)
Militia: Heavy-AT Alternative (x1)
Taliban: Heavy-AT (x1)
FSA: Heavy-AT Alternative (x1)
FSA: Heavy-AT Pickup (x2)
Russia: Heavy-AT (x2)
Russia: Heavy-AT Alternative (x1)
Fired Projectile Tail-boom and Thins
Another small update over the old RPG-7 warheads is that when fired ingame, the tail-boom will be exposed and the thins will be folded out, unlike the old RPG-7 rounds in PR which still had the "expelling charge" attached after being fired.
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Cheers for reading and stay tuned for the installment of the other RPG-7 Warheads in a later release!
is still in the Alternative HAT for NVA, but in r/l it wasn't as powerful as the PG-7V.
