During the hostilities on the Korean Peninsula, Chinese people's volunteers often encountered American and British armored vehicles. Based on the experience of using existing anti-tank weapons, the PLA command came to the conclusion that it was necessary to further improve anti-tank hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
Anti-tank hand grenades
The RPG-43 and RPG-6 hand-held cumulative grenades supplied from the USSR performed well in Korea, but it was obvious that with the increase in the protection of medium and heavy tanks, the available anti-tank grenades in the near future would no longer be able to penetrate their armor. In the 1950s, the Chinese military-industrial complex was not yet able to independently develop modern weapons, and once again the northern neighbor provided assistance in strengthening the defense capability of the PRC.
In 1950, the RGK-3 cumulative hand grenade was adopted in the USSR. Its principle of operation was similar to the RPG-43 and RPG-6, but the new infantry anti-tank ammunition had increased armor penetration and, thanks to several degrees of protection, increased safety of use. In the mid-1950s, a license was transferred to the PRC for the production of the RKG-3E grenade, which, when approaching the target at an angle of 30 ° from the normal, could penetrate 170-mm homogeneous armor. In China, the grenade, modified for local production conditions, received the designation Type 3.
The total length of the Type 3 grenade was 352 mm, diameter - 70 mm, weight - 1100 g. The warhead weighing 435 g was equipped with TNT. A well-trained fighter could throw a grenade at 15-20 m. The grenade is thrown from any position, but only from behind cover.
In the 1950-1970s, the Type 3 grenade could be successfully used against medium and heavy tanks of the first post-war generation. However, after the appearance in the USSR of the T-64 and T-72 tanks with multilayer frontal armor, the PLA command in 1977 demanded the creation of individual anti-tank weapons with which it would be possible to fight these machines.
In 1980, testing of a new grenade began, which was adopted in the same year under the designation Type 80. A grenade with a light alloy body in the equipped position weighed 1000 g, had a length of 330 mm, and a diameter of 75 mm. The warhead equipped with an alloy of TNT and RDX, according to information published in Chinese sources, normally penetrated 250-mm homogeneous armor. During the tests, it was found that physically strong soldiers could throw a Type 80 grenade at 30 m. As in the case of other hand-held cumulative grenades, the relatively safe use of the Type 80 was possible only from cover. The Type 80 cumulative hand grenade has become the most advanced ammunition of its kind. But by the early 1980s, a hand-thrown anti-tank grenade was already an anachronism, and disposable grenade launchers were in service with the Soviet and American infantry.
Currently, Type 3 and Type 80 hand-held anti-tank grenades are not used by the PLA, and in the PRC they can only be in warehouses. At the same time, a significant number of Chinese-made cumulative grenades have in the past been delivered to Iran, which transferred them to the Iraqi Shiite militia. Hand-held cumulative grenades during attacks on the American occupation forces in Iraq in the conditions of urban development proved to be a fairly effective anti-tank weapon.
Hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers
After comprehending the experience of military operations in Korea, it became clear that the anti-tank weapons of the Chinese infantry did not meet modern requirements. Chinese clones of "superbazuki" and recoilless 57- and 75-mm guns had significant dimensions and weight, which made it difficult for them to move and camouflage on the battlefield. The anti-tank 90-mm Type 51 grenade launcher in its characteristics did not reach the level of the American prototype 88, 9-mm M20. The same was true for recoilless guns - in terms of effective fire range and armor penetration, the Chinese samples were noticeably inferior to the American M18 and M20 recoilless recoilless guns. The new conditions required a weapon that could be freely carried and used by one soldier, and, unlike hand-held anti-tank grenades, it was safe to use at a greater distance and outside of cover.
In 1949, the USSR began mass production of the RPG-2 hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher. This weapon had a fairly simple design and had very high characteristics for that time. When creating the RPG-2, technical solutions were laid, which later became basic in the creation of more advanced grenade launchers.
The grenade launcher in the firing position weighed 4, 67 kg and had a length of 1200 mm. The direct firing range was 100 m, the aiming range was 150 m. Aiming was carried out using an open sight. For firing at armored vehicles, an 80-mm PG-2 over-caliber grenade weighing 1.85 kg was used. After detonation of the bottom fuse, a cumulative warhead (220 g), capable of penetrating 200 mm armor along the normal. A cardboard sleeve filled with black gunpowder was attached to the PG-2 grenade using a threaded connection before firing. The grenade was stabilized in flight by six flexible steel feathers, rolled around the tube and deployed after flying out of the barrel. The barrel of a grenade launcher with an inner diameter of 40 mm is closed on the outside in the rear with a wooden casing that protects the shooter from burns. The staff of the grenade launcher is 2 people, a shooter and an ammunition carrier. The shooter carries a grenade launcher and three grenades in a special knapsack, a carrier armed with a machine gun carries three more grenades.
In 1956, the PLA entered service with a Chinese copy of the RPG-2, designated Type 56, the PG-2 cumulative grenade, known as the Type 50. China may have surpassed the Soviet Union in terms of the number of copies produced.
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According to Chinese sources, by the late 1960s, every PLA infantry platoon had at least one anti-tank grenade launcher. However, do not forget that, in addition to the Type 56, the Chinese army operated a significant number of 90 mm Type 51 grenade launchers.
The production of Type 56 grenade launchers in China continued until 1970. The late-release weapon differed from the Soviet prototype in plastic overlays. Since in the late 1960s - early 1970s, the security of Western and Soviet tanks increased markedly, the PRC developed and adopted its own cumulative grenade capable of penetrating 300 mm thick armor. Since in the course of local conflicts, anti-tank grenade launchers were very often used against manpower and field fortifications, a grenade with a fragmentation shirt was created in China. Chinese Type 56 grenade launchers, along with Soviet RPG-2s, were very widely used during regional conflicts and were in service with the PLA until the mid-1980s. They are still operated by the armies of some Asian and African countries.
The wide distribution and long service life of the RPG-2 grenade launchers and the Chinese analogue of the Type 56 became possible due to the high reliability due to the simple design and low production cost. At the same time, the grenade launcher was not devoid of flaws. The use of black powder, which had a low energy potential, in the propellant charge, when fired, led to the formation of a cloud of thick white smoke, unmasking the grenade launcher position. In conditions of high humidity, the cardboard sleeve swelled, which made loading difficult, and the gunpowder itself, becoming damp, became unsuitable for shooting. Due to the low initial speed of the cumulative grenade (85 m / s), it was subject to wind drift on the trajectory. Only a well-trained grenade launcher could hit the tank with a crosswind of 8-10 m / s at a distance of 100 meters.
In 1961, the RPG-7 grenade launcher entered service with the Soviet Army. When creating it, the experience of the combat use of domestic and foreign anti-tank grenade launchers was taken into account.
In a cumulative rocket-propelled grenade PG-7V, for the first time in our country, a piezoelectric fuse was used for weapons of this kind. The grenade was stabilized in flight by four drop-down blades. In order to increase the accuracy of fire and compensate for errors in the manufacture of a grenade due to the inclination of the stabilizer blades, rotation is transmitted at a speed of several tens of revolutions per second.
The design of the grenade launcher and the shot was based on the schemes of a reusable recoilless launcher and a shot with an over-caliber warhead that proved themselves in the RPG-2. In the middle part of the RPG-7 barrel there is a special charging chamber, which allows more rational use of the propellant charge energy. A bell in the breech of the barrel is designed to disperse the jet stream when fired. The RPG-7 hand grenade launcher, in addition to the mechanical sight, was equipped with an optical 2, 7-fold sight PGO-7. The telescopic sight had a rangefinder reticle scale and lateral corrections, which increases the accuracy of shooting and allows you to effectively introduce corrections taking into account the range and speed of the target. After the adoption of new, more effective cumulative grenades, sights began to be mounted on grenade launchers in which the ballistics of different types of grenades were taken into account.
The over-caliber 85-mm anti-tank grenade PG-7V with a shot mass of 2, 2 kg could penetrate 260-mm armor. The initial speed of the grenade is about 120 m / s, at the end of the active section it increases to 300 m / s. Due to the relatively high initial speed and the presence of an active section of the jet engine, in comparison with the PG-2, it was possible to significantly increase the accuracy and firing range. With a direct shot range of 330 m, the aiming range was about 600 m. As the protection of the potential enemy's tanks increased, more effective grenade launcher shots were adopted. Depending on the modification and purpose, the RPG-7 ammunition has a caliber of 40-105 mm with armor penetration up to 700 mm behind ERA, and a mass of 2 to 4.5 kg.
Since by the time the RPG-7 was adopted, relations between the USSR and the PRC began to deteriorate, the license for the production of a new grenade launcher was not transferred to China. In the late 1960s, Egypt, which has a production license, sold to China the technical documentation for the RPG-7, as well as a significant number of grenade launchers and rounds for them. After that, the PRC created its own analogue of the RPG-7, known as the Type 69. In terms of its characteristics, the Chinese grenade launcher is generally similar to the Soviet prototype, but differed in some details. The first modification of the Type 69 was equipped with bipods, mechanical sights and had one grip.
The first Type 69 grenade launchers entered the army in 1970. Until the troops were saturated with new anti-tank weapons, most of the Type 69 grenade launchers were sent to units deployed along the border with the USSR. The relevance of this approach was confirmed during the border conflict in the area of Damansky Island. Despite loud statements about military successes, in practice, the main Chinese infantry anti-tank weapons (Type 56 recoilless 75-mm guns and Type 56 rocket-propelled grenade launchers) turned out to be ineffective in the fight against Soviet T-62 tanks. At present, the PRC recognized that in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Chinese infantry could do little to oppose the Soviet tank wedges if it came to a big war. Multiple launch rocket systems, air superiority, and tactical nuclear weapons were quite capable of devaluing the superiority of the Chinese army in manpower.
The production of Type 69 grenade launchers was established at a plant in Xiangtan, Hunan province. According to information published on Chinese Internet resources, the PLA command in the 1970s attached great importance to the rearmament of the army with new grenade launchers. However, due to the large number of Type 56 hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers issued, they continued to be used in parallel with the Type 69.
In the second half of the 1970s, the Chinese infantry received a new modification of the Type 69-I grenade launcher with an optical sight and a cumulative grenade capable of penetrating 180 mm of armor when hit at an angle of 65 °.
In the 1980s, grenade launchers, equipped with night sights and rocket-propelled grenades with an increased firing range, appeared in the troops. In 1988, simultaneously with the creation of new cumulative grenades with increased armor penetration, a fragmentation shot with a firing range of up to 1500 m was introduced into the ammunition load. According to Chinese data, a high-explosive fragmentation warhead provides a continuous destruction zone within a radius of 5 m.
Type 69 grenade launchers were first used in combat in February 1979 during the Sino-Vietnamese War and are still widely used by the PLA, but parts of the "first line" in the 21st century are gradually switching to more modern models of infantry anti-tank weapons.
In the second half of the 1960s, several disposable 66-mm M72 LAW grenade launchers (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) were delivered to China from Vietnam. This weapon, which is the individual freelance anti-tank weapon of the American infantry, officially entered service in March 1961, and subsequently became a role model for the creation of disposable grenade launchers in other countries. Thanks to the use of fiberglass and inexpensive aluminum alloys, the M72 LAW was lightweight and relatively cheap. To launch a feathered cumulative grenade, a telescopic smooth barrel is used - an internal aluminum and an external fiberglass. On the body of the grenade launcher there is a starting device and an open mechanical sight. The launching device, which also acts as a sealed shipping container, is closed on both sides by hinged covers. During preparation for a shot, the covers are folded back, and the inner tube is pushed back from the outer one, while the firing mechanism is cocked and the folding sight is opened. The shooter sets the launch tube on his shoulder, takes aim and, by pressing the launch key, launches a rocket-propelled grenade. The combustion of the charge of a solid propellant engine occurs entirely inside the launch tube. After leaving the launcher, the grenade is stabilized by the folding tail. The fuse is cocked at a distance of 10 m from the muzzle.
The mass of the grenade launcher is 3.5 kg, the length in the stowed position is 665 mm, in the combat position - 899 mm. The initial speed of the grenade is 180 m / s. The declared armor penetration is 300 mm. Sights are designed for a range of up to 300 m. However, the effective firing range at moving targets does not exceed 100 meters. Also, the armor penetration indicators can be considered overestimated. In the course of real hostilities, hits from a 66-mm grenade launcher were repeatedly withstood by the frontal armor of the hull and turret of Soviet T-55 and T-62 tanks. Nevertheless, the M72 LAW disposable grenade launcher, in comparison with hand and rifle cumulative grenades, was a big step forward and significantly increased the individual capabilities of infantrymen in the fight against enemy armored vehicles.
Tests of the Chinese Type 70 grenade launcher, based on the M72 LAW, began in the 1970 year. The delivery of the first batch to the troops took place in 1974. Unlike the American prototype, the Chinese grenade launcher was not sliding. A disposable cartridge with a grenade launcher was attached to the front fiberglass barrel impregnated with epoxy composite and reinforced with an aluminum alloy liner.
The Type 70 cumulative grenade looks very similar to the grenade used in the M72 LAW grenade launcher. But the Type 70 uses a piezoelectric fuse developed in the PRC, and the Chinese grenade does not have a self-destruct device.
According to Chinese sources, a Chinese-made 62-mm cumulative grenade could normally penetrate 345-mm armor. However, Western experts believe that real armor penetration may be 30-40% less.
The grenade left the barrel at a speed of 130 m / s. The sights of the Type 70 were calibrated for a distance of 50 to 250 m. The effective firing range at moving targets did not exceed 130 m.
The mass of the grenade launcher in the firing position was 4.47 kg, the length in the firing position was 1200 mm, in the stowed position - 740 mm. Thus, the Chinese grenade launcher was heavier and longer than the American M72 LAW, but still remained light and compact enough to be used as an infantryman's individual anti-tank weapon.
However, unlike the American M72 LAW grenade launcher, later modifications of which are still in service, the Chinese Type 70 was used in the PLA very limitedly. During operation, it turned out that when fired, there is a risk of rupture of the coupling, which was fraught with serious injury to the shooter. The safety-launch mechanism of the grenade launcher worked unreliable, and the imperfection of the fuse of the cumulative grenade led to a large number of failures when meeting with armor having a large angle of inclination. All this became the reason that, after a short period of operation, the Chinese military abandoned the Type 70 grenade launchers.
Easel anti-tank grenade launchers
Shortly before the termination of military-technical cooperation between the countries, the Soviet Union transferred to China a license to manufacture the 82-mm B-10 recoilless gun, which had been in service with the Soviet Army since 1954. In the Soviet Army, the gun served as an anti-tank weapon for motorized rifle and airborne battalions.
The B-10 recoilless gun had a smooth barrel 1910 mm long and fired with feathered cumulative and fragmentation shells. A gun weighing 85 kg (with a wheel drive) could fire at targets at a distance of up to 4400 m, firing up to 6 shells per minute. Effective firing range at armored targets - up to 400 m, armor penetration - up to 200 mm. The gun ammunition included cumulative and caseless-loaded fragmentation shots. The mass of the fragmentation and cumulative projectiles is 3.89 kg, the muzzle velocity is 320 m / s.
In terms of its characteristics, the 82-mm Soviet B-10 recoilless recoil was significantly superior to the 57- and 75-mm recoilless guns available in the PLA, and was put into service in the PRC under the designation Type 65.
Production of the Type 65 gun was established in China in 1965 and continued until 1978. By the mid-1970s, 82-mm recoilless guns were supplanted in parts of the first line of the 75-mm Type 56 recoilless guns. According to the states of the early 1980s, the anti-tank platoon of the PLA infantry battalion was supposed to have 6 recoilless 82-mm guns.
In 1978, the PLA entered service with an 82-mm Type 78 recoilless gun (referred to as PW78 in a number of sources). The main difference between the Type 78 and the previous model was the weight, reduced to 35 kg, which made it possible, in case of urgent need, to carry out a shot from the shoulder.
This was achieved by using a light tripod machine and by shortening the barrel to 1445 mm. In addition, changes were made to the shutter, which facilitated the work of the loader. On the Type 65, the bolt opens downward, on the Type 78 to the right.
Since the barrel has become significantly shorter, in order to maintain an acceptable range of a direct shot, it was necessary to increase the propellant charge. At the same time, the initial speed of the cumulative grenade is 260 m / s, the effective firing range against tanks is 300 m. The maximum firing range of a fragmentation grenade is 2000 m. The effective rate of fire is up to 7 rounds / min.
It is stated that the armor penetration of a cumulative 82-mm grenade of a new type is 400 mm along the normal. To combat manpower, projectiles equipped with 5 mm steel balls are intended, with an effective engagement zone of up to 15 m.
The recoilless 82-mm guns were used by the PLA during the armed conflict with Vietnam and on the Sino-Indian border, supplied to the armed units of the Afghan opposition, African and Asian countries.
In the 1980s, the gun was modernized. Serial production of improved modifications of the Type 78-I and Type 78-II continued until the mid-1990s. The ability to mount night sights appeared, the shutter was improved, and the ammunition load included shots of increased power. 82-mm recoilless guns are still available in the PLA, but now these weapons are unable to effectively deal with modern tanks and are mainly considered as a means of fire support for infantry.
