Stupid military question - what is an RPG?

[PVnRT]

I'm pretty sure it's not role-playing game - I have a hard time imagining troops on the battlefield using the d20's to roll initiative and damage with their +1 Maces of Malice. What is an RPG?

[Frodo]

1. "Rocket Propelled Grenade"

Sort of like the "modern" replacement for the bazooka, except there are much "better" replacements now. Really a term for any one of a number of similar weapons.

basically an unguided rocket with a small explosive warhead. useless against most armored vehicles, but deadly in numbers or if lucky.

[Loonman]

2. Rocket Propelled Grenade

n/t

[GOPisEvil]

3. Rocket propelled grenade.

:nuke:

[Arbustosux]

4. rocket propelled grenade

:)

[ajacobson]

5. rocket propelled grenade

cheap and effective, as we are finding out on the receiving end.

[SoCalDem]

6. is there an echo in here???

:evilgrin:

[PVnRT]

9. HERE....HEre...here...here

n/t

[Frodo]

10. Did I yell???

[XNASA]

7. Really Pretty Girl

Oh.........you mean the other RPG. I think your question has already been answered.

[bif]

8. Richard Rearle's Gun

I mean Rocket Propelled Grenade

[PVnRT]

11. Wouldn't Richard Pearle's Gun

be considered small arms? :evilgrin:

[Renew Deal]

12. Rocket Propelled Grenade

[corporatewhore]

39. My how phallic

[Loonman]

13. Here's what one looks like:

When it exits the tube, the fins deploy, and it flys to it's target.

It is armor-piercing, and contains a shaped charge that explodes as it enters a tank/APC, and blows molten metal and shrapnel all over the place.

Kill rate is usually 100% when used against tanks/APCs

The post above is the tubes they are fired from.

[Frodo]

15. Please allow a correction.

The most common variety (Soviet RPG-7) generally can NOT take out A-1 tank. Although it is possible (I think there is ONE credited with taking out an Abrams) the most likely outcome is a desperate need for a new coat of paint for the Abrams and replacement of anything "soft" near the point of impact (radio antennas or luggage strapped to the outside of the tank).

An unarmored Humvee would be in danger, (on edit) A Bradley likely would not.

[TheMightyFavog]

17. M2 Bradleys are vulnerable too, aren't they?

I seem to recall RPG's taking a frw of em out in Iraq.

[Frodo]

20. Sorry. I edited my post before I saw yours.

Bradleys are MORE vulnerable, but it still would take a lucky hit for something that light to do too much damage. Bradleys are really light tanks (if it weren't for their main gun being so "non-tankish" they probably would be - they sure cost enough).

[TheMightyFavog]

21. IIRC..

Someone I know who worked on developing the bradley called it the "mouse designed by a committee".

[Frodo]

25. That about nailed it.

Turns out to be a capable system (especially for what they've used it for lately), but WAY too expensive. By the time everyone was happy you should have just built a tank.

[Superfly]

28. You try carrying a squad of infantry in a tank...

get back to me on how well you can fit them in...

[Frodo]

32. An excellent point. Though I'd challenge you to fit a squad in a Bradley

Unless the Airborne has gone to six man squads?

But I get your point. :-)

[Loonman]

19. I think they call the USA variety AT4, but I'm not sure

Yeah,the Sov models probably could not do it.

[Frodo]

24. Actually, the AT4 is soviet as well.

Circa mid-70's.

A better weapon (say 500mm penetration on standard armor), but I's still feel pretty comfortable in a main battle tank. Not that you ever want anyone shootting at you.

The US weapon with that purpose is usually a "TOW" missle. Target sensitive, Optically tracked, Wire guided missile. OK, the accronym sucks... but

[Superfly]

29. That's

"Tube Launched, Optically tracked, Wire guided"

[Wcross]

33. AT4 is a current us weapon

The M136 AT4 is the Army's primary light anti-tank weapon. The M136 AT4 is a recoilless rifle used primarily by Infantry Forces for engagement and defeat of light armor.

I guess the at4 was used as a name for a soviet weapon in the 70's as well.

[Frodo]

35. Oops... right you are. Sorry Loonman!

I guess it was being introduced around the time I was leaving the Navy. Was it originally just called the M136?

[Wonder_Cow]

38. More often

RPGs can disable tanks (i believe), but not destroy them, by damaging their tracks, which will exposes the tank to more fire.

[bobthedrummer]

31. I noticed the tip-is this RPG a sabot shot?

eom

[democracyindanger]

14. Rocket Propelled Grenade

[TheDebbieDee]

16. Rape Prevention Glasses:

Really ugly glasses approved for wear with the Army uniform.

[jmowreader]

36. Don't you mean "BCG"?

Means Birth Control Glasses. Can't get laid when you wear BCGs.

[TheMightyFavog]

18. I think these are the unguided anti armor rocket launchers used by us....

[name not needed]

22. Not anymore

That is the LAW, a disposable rocket launcher used in Vietnam. Now the M136/AT4 is used.

[TheMightyFavog]

23. You mean this thing?

[name not needed]

27. Yes

Thats what we use.

[Superfly]

30. Also the Javelin...

Top attack rocket....very nifty weapon

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/javelin.htm

[ajacobson]

26. I distinctly remember in basic training

the DIs telling us, don't stand behind the launcher or we'll be sorry and left it at that.

One of those intelligence tests with a high penalty for failure.
:-)

[JanMichael]

34. I thought that Iraq had the Russian Kornet-E?

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/kornet/



I would suspect that these would be used spareingly due to supply so the everyday RPG would probably be a much less effective but more common type.

[jmowreader]

37. RPG: A Soviet-designed manportable antitank rocket

In World War II our forces had a weapon which allowed the individual ground-pounder some degree of parity against enemy tanks: the bazooka. By carefully choosing your point of aim, a soldier armed with a bazooka could kill an enemy tank.

They're making tanks better these days, so the era when a guy with a cheap weapon could destroy a heavily-armored combat vehicle is over. Still, every country has some sort of bazooka; the Soviets called theirs a "rocket propelled grenade" launcher. We went through a period when every US soldier carried a Light Antitank Weapon (which was a great single-use mortar but a bad antitank weapon) and now issue the Swedish-designed AT-4. The Germans issue Armbrust, the Brits LAW-80. Every communist worth his salt carried the RPG-7 until the RPG-18 came out.

You can't do a catastrophic kill on an Abrams with an RPG-7 or RPG-18, but you can blow away part of a track, which would give you a mobility kill (and would allow you to shoot the crew when they get out to fix the track), if you're slick you can take out the bore evacuator on the main gun and get a firepower kill, you can take off the machinegun and get a minor firepower kill...blowing the shit out of a tank is not the only way to take it out of the fight.