RPG-26

RPG-26
RPG-26
	An RPG-26 in a museum
Type	Disposable anti-tank rocket launcher
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1985–present
Used by	Russian Ground Forces
Wars	Syrian Civil War; Russo-Ukrainian War;
Production history
Designer	State Research and Production Enterprise, Bazalt
Designed	1980s
Manufacturer	State Research and Production Enterprise, Bazalt
Produced	1985–present
Variants	RShG-2
Specifications
Mass	1.8 kilograms (4.0 lb) (projectile); 2.9 kilograms (6.4 lb) (loaded);
Length	77 centimetres (30 in)
Caliber	72.5 millimetres (2.85 in)
Action	440 mm: RHA; 1000 mm: Reinforced concrete; 1500 mm: Brickwork; 2400 mm: Log and earth;
Muzzle velocity	144 m/s (470 ft/s)
Effective firing range	250 m (270 yd)
Sights	Iron sights

The RPG-26 Aglen is a disposable anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher developed by the Soviet Union. It fires a one-stage rocket with jack-knife fins, which unfold after launch. The rocket carries a 72.5-millimetre (2.85 in) diameter high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) single shaped charge warhead able to penetrate 440 millimetres (17 in) of armour, 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) of reinforced concrete or 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) of brickwork. It has a maximum effective range of around 250 metres (820 ft). The similar sized rocket features a slightly heavier and more powerful HEAT warhead and more powerful rocket engine. The limited extension of the RPG-22 launch tube was found of little use. Thus, the RPG-26 has a rigid non-telescoping launch tube.

Variants

The RShG-2 (Russian: Реактивная Штурмовая Граната, Reaktivnaya Shturmovaya Granata, Rocket-propelled Assault Grenade) Aglen-2 (Аглень-2) is a RPG-26 variant with thermobaric warhead. RShG-2 is heavier than the RPG-26 at 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lb) and has a reduced direct fire range of 115 metres (377 ft). It is intended for use against infantry and structures rather than armoured vehicles.

The warhead contains 1.16 kilograms (2.6 lb) of thermobaric mixture, with an explosive yield roughly equal to that of 3 kilograms (6.6 lb) of trinitrotoluene (TNT). The solid rocket booster of the warhead was taken from the RPG-26 and the fuse taken from the TBG-7 warhead used by the RPG-7. The warhead has a stated penetration ability of 300 millimetres (12 in) of concrete and 500 millimetres (20 in) of brickwork.

RPG-26 (second from bottom) with comparable Soviet–Russian rocket launchers

Operators

Current operators

Armenia[1]
Azerbaijan
Belarus
China - RShG-2 variant
Georgia - domestic variant PDM-1[2][3]
Jordan - 3,000 in possession
Russia[4]
Syria: Liwa al-Quds[5]
Transnistria[6]
Venezuela - RShG-2 variant

Former operators

Soviet Union

References

"Российское оружие в Армении" [Russian weapons in Armenia]. Независимая газета (in Russian). 2018-08-10. Archived from the original on 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
"SDC Delta: Small Arms" (PDF). STC Delta. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-01-29. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
"Single-shot Grenade Launcher PDM-1". STC Delta. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
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. pp. 26, 48. ISBN 978-0-9924624-3-7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
Toumaj, Amir (2016-10-14). "Russian influence evident in Palestinian militia in Syria". Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
Соколов, Борис (2013-03-12). "Malen'kaya i maloboyesposobnaya" Маленькая и малобоеспособная [Small and underpowered]. Military-Industrial Courier (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2020-10-31. Retrieved 2022-05-04.