RPG-7 Rocket Launcher History
The Soviet Army introduced the RPG-7 Rocket Launcher in 1962 based on a World War II recoilless
launcher with a tank-destroying warhead called a Panzerfaust. The RPG-7 illustrates the genius of Soviet
design. It is intuitively easy to fire. It is a forgiving weapon, reliably firing after being dropped in mud,
blood, and beer. It is brutally effective.
These qualities made the RPG-7 rocket launcher the dominant shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon system
in the world. Over forty million RPGs have been manufactured, and two million are in current use on
battlefields all over the world.
Over thirty countries manufacture the weapon from castings. Only in America is the tube of the weapon
entirely machined from a solid bar of steel and dye-penetrant inspected or X-rayed to ensure there are
no voids in the tube. A tube with a void can blow up if an over-pressure rocket is fired from within it.
The United States Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) requested the
current owner of RRDS make RPG-7 design changes necessary to meet the U.S. military milestone of
“safe, suitable, and effective.” A patent is pending with her as the named inventor to the
improvements to the RPG-7 weapon system. Innovation is a continuous process, and the RPG-7 rocket
launcher RRDS offers contains significant new improvements, which will also be patented.
The manufacturing process for an RPG starts with a 35 lb. bar of 4140/4150 steel, which is machined
down to approximately 14 lbs. An RPG with a machined tube has a lifecycle of 1,000 shots. RPGs made
from castings usually have warranties for 250 shots. When deciding which RPG to purchase, buyers
should divide the number of shots they can expect to fire into the cost of the weapon. From that
standpoint the RRDS RPG is the least expensive option from a lifecycle standpoint. And, of course, most
buyers factor operator safety into their cost calculation.
So the 1,000 shot RPG-7 rocket launcher is not only affordable, it is highly flexible too. It operates in all
environments, and fires rockets with different effects – anti-tank, anti-light armor (SUVs and technical),
anti-structure, anti-helicopter, anti-personnel, thermobaric – from warheads ranging from 40mm to 106mm.
RPG-7 Specifications:
Caliber: 40MM
Weight: 14 lbs. (6.5 kg.) without furniture
Length: 35.75 inches (909 mm.)
Material: Aluminum trigger group. 4140/4150 steel tube, each dye penetrant inspected before shipment.
Sight: Flip-up up BUIS on Picatinny Rail
Maximum range: 1000 meters (round dependent)
Effective range: 250-350 meters (round dependent)
Rear Safety Danger Zone: Back 25 meters, Side 8 meters
Muzzle velocity: 110-140 meters per second (round dependent)
Lifecycle: 1,000 shots guaranteed
Ammunition: Backwards compatible with all existing rockets with warheads from 40mm to 106mm.
Warranty: 1,000 shots or two-years, whichever occurs first, limited for defects in material and workmanship.
Spare parts: Available for seven years.