RPG's

[catman]

Col...is there any data that you could pass along about the RPG's that the Iraqis are using? Range, warhead, amount of armor they can penetrate, etc... Are these the same RPG's from the Vietnam era or are they new and improved?

Trav

[colmurph]

From what I could see on the TV those were RPG-7's that they were using. Same as in Vietnam. I'll put some feelers out to some contacts to see if there have been any changes.

[Andy]

Can't believe I missed this post. The weapon the Iraqi's are using are the old RPG-7's however they have a new name, don't know it. They have better optics than the Vietnam era ones. The max effective range is supposed to be 900 yards which is a total joke. It's more like half that.
What can it do? An old APC gets hit and it's lights out, the vehicle is destroyed. A Bradley gets hit, it has a much better chance to survive but can still be killed. A M-60 tank used by some Marines, again it could be taken out but at close range and hitting the exact right spot. The M1A1 tank can get it's track blown off or a shot in the butt, hitting the engine could (might, maybe) stop it. However a head on shot from an RPG-7 at an M1A1 or 2 is not a lot to get concerned about unless the driver or commander has his head poking out from the vehicle. But the same would be true for an AK round.
I've forgotten the exact size of the war head, it's about 5 pounds. Basically a 5 pound shape charge.
This info may not be exact according to "the book" but a friend who spent some time in Afgan said it was basically the same old weapon, except for the optics.
Stay healthy,
Andy

[Desdichado]

Originally posted by Andy A M-60 tank used by some Marines, again it could be taken out but at close range and hitting the exact right spot...

Range and projectile velocity aren't a factor with shaped charge warheads. It's the formation of the blast that does the work, not the speed of the projectile.