Thursday, May 12, 2016

War technology: understand how a launcher … – Tecmundo

The acronym RPG can have several different meanings. For many, these three letters stand for “Role-playing Game”, a kind of playing game in which players assume the role of fictional characters. Another portion of the population may know this acronym as a result of the expression “Global Postural Reeducation”, a physical therapy method for posture correction. But many probably also know RPG as the synonym of a very destructive weapon: the “Rocket-Propelled Grenade”, something like a “rocket grenade launcher”

If you follow news about wars that happen. our globe, is likely to have already seen an RPG before in any report. This is a weapon with an explosive projectile widely used by armies around the world and also part of the arsenal of terrorist and insurgent groups. But how these weapons work? As RPGs were created? And why this type of weapon is so dangerous?

You know how an RPG?

Attack distance

Even in the past, the ability to attack an enemy without approaching him very much was a need for companies carrying some sort of weapon. That is why weapons like the spear, the bow and arrow, sling and even the boomerang were created. However, with the discovery of new materials, war technology has also evolved.

By the year 1500, a type of weaponry began to stand out because of the possibility of being used in the distance and relative safety before their enemies. The mortar is a weapon used to date and consists of a long pipe mounted on the ground that shoots projectiles – explosive or not -. Into the air in order to make them fall in the middle of the enemy line

Although the mortar is very effective, it has some drawbacks: its use format, mounted on the floor, does not allow a very precise aim. . It is even possible to determine where the projectiles will fall, but even advanced calculations can ignore some factors that affect the accuracy

From there, a simple idea, but brilliant emerged: direct mortar for where you want to hit, a very similar to what makes a rocket during launch form. This method combined the safety of a weapon that does not need the enemy’s proximity and the firepower of explosive projectiles. Thus was born the “Rocket-Propelled Grenades”, also known by the acronym RPG

Although it is still widely used today, the mortar can be considered an ancestor of RPG

Although the acronym is usually associated with the name “Rocket-Propelled Grenades” RPG actually comes from the Russian phrase for “hand weapons antitank grenade launcher”: R uchnoi P rotivotankovye L ranatamyot .

How the RPG work?

the rocket grenade launcher is the result of several revisions and modifications until the arrival of the model currently used by many armies and terrorist groups. The so-called RPG-7, whose predecessors received numbering as have evolved over time, is an extremely simple and lethal anti-tank weapon, and very popular among the guerrillas.

The RPG is a weapon that can be basically separated into two parts: the grenade and launcher. Often the launcher, a tube that sits on the shoulder of the person who operates, can be recharged, making life easier for the artillery to take the weapons from one area to another.

the rocket grenade launcher is the result of several revisions and modifications until the arrival of the model currently used by many armies and terrorist groups

Overall, the two launcher tips are opened, and a projectile with a kind of “motor” is set in the front end of the tube. Shooting is performed when a trigger mechanism is triggered, which starts the combustion of a number of gases that throw the grenade towards the target. The models of modern RPGs can reach the target at a distance 150-300 meters, which may vary depending on the type of weapon and the ability of those who are working.

The time to drive an RPG

the damage

the following images, photos of a M2 Bradley tank, show the damage caused by an RPG-7.

The damage caused in a tank with an RPG-7

The damage caused in a tank with an RPG-7

The damage caused in a tank with an RPG-7

The damage caused in a tank with an RPG-7

The damage caused in a tank with an RPG-7

RPG in the future

although robustness, simplicity and low cost have caused the RPG has been one of the most popular weapons in the world, there is still considerable improvements to be made. This armament antitank, which has been used by over 40 countries, present in wars since the mid-1960s – from the Vietnam War – even more current battles – like what happened in Afghanistan and Iraq – will still be widely used by several years.

the improvements mentioned involve, for example, the implementation of automatic and semi-automatic systems for launching grenades. The accuracy of RPGs is another point that has been improved over time with the addition of laser guides that greatly increase accuracy. Therefore, probably still will hear a lot about this weapon in the coming years.

You know how an RPG, or rocket grenade launcher? Comment on TecMundo Forum

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