A new US-made version of the iconic RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher is entering the infantry weapons market, and could soon be followed by a lightweight model and safer grenades. In February Airtronic USA unveiled its RPG-7 ( USA), which the company hopes to sell to international customers as well as the US military. The weapon is a 40 mm recoilless rifle that fires muzzle-loaded fin-stabilised 'grenades'. The rounds are constructed with a solid fuel rocket motor and a warhead that can be differently sized and can carry explosive or chemical materials. The RPG-7 first appeared more than 45 years ago and today is still one of the world's most popular infantry weapons, particularly among insurgent and guerilla forces without the means to field heavy armour. The systems are inexpensive and simple to train with and to use. The former Soviet Union and several Warsaw Pact countries have built vast numbers of RPG-7s, and other countries - including Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Romania and Thailand - continue to produce variants or copies. Because the launchers are so pervasive, some can be purchased second-hand for as little as a few hundred dollars. RPG launchers are typically made of an iron casting and cracks or defects can occur and then grow over time and use, eventually resulting in the system malfunctioning and severely injuring its user. Bob Walter, president of Airtronic USA, told Jane's : "What we're offering the market is man-safe launchers that don't blow up because there's no casting involved." Airtronic is producing its RPG-7 (USA) with ordnance-grade steel that is used to make gun barrels, and Walter told Jane's that this material will allow the company's weapon to fire at least - and possibly much more than - 1,000 rounds. Some current RPG-7s can only fire about 250 rounds before the barrels burn out. Airtronic's launcher integrates a 'Picatinny' rail system that can mount an array of optical sights, aiming lasers or ballistic-compensation sights. Additionally, the system comes with flip-up iron sights. The RPG-7 (USA) is built with familiar components from the M4 carbine. These include an AR-15/M16 pistol grip, a vertical foregrip and the M4/M4A1 collapsible stock. The whole system weighs about 15.3 lb (6.9 kg), Walter said. According to Airtronic Chief Executive Officer Merriellyn Kett, the launchers can be sold for USD1,640 when purchased in 10,000-unit quantities. Also in the works is a lightweight RPG system, for which Airtronic is teaming with munitions giant ATK. They plan to unveil a model of a new 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) launcher, the RPG-7 (Elite), in May at a National Defense Industrial Association small arms symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first firing of the weapon is slated for late October or early November. In order to increase its accuracy, the 'Elite' variant will be built with a rifled tube and double-action trigger. The rocket fins will be updated as well. Kett said the company is striving to achieve a rocket and launcher combination that can be accurate within a one-metre target area from up to 400 m away. "We think this is technically doable ... but it adds a little cost," she told Jane's . A man-safe rocket will be Airtronic's next development effort because some of the currently produced explosives do not comply with US regulations, because they tend to leak and are too easy to detonate accidentally, Walter said. He added that the new rockets would use "US produced propellants and energetics" as well. Further, currently fielded RPG rounds generate a significant 'backblast' out of the barrel's back end, and Airtronic is examining rocket technology that could mitigate this effect so the weapon could be fired indoors or in close proximity to friendly troops. These rounds are expected to debut around early November.
С уважением, Exeter
Это не прикол? - Skvortsov02.05.2009 01:19:27 (662, 1788 b)
