Russian RPG-30 rocket launcher;
French "dart" bazooka;
Soviet RPG-7 rocket launcher;
AMERICAN SMAW rocket launchers;
Figure (5): French "Abira" rocket launcher.
"Bazooka!" In the movie "Watergate Bridge", volunteer soldiers used captured American individual rocket launchers to launch a fierce attack on the enemy's fortifications, leaving a deep impression on the audience.
Since its inception, bazookas have almost flourished. In some hotspot conflict areas in recent years, it remains very "active". The reason is, on the one hand, because it is "good quality and low price", on the other hand, because it is "very hard", has been "excellence" in the warhead, range, safety, precision, showing strong adaptability and combat effectiveness.
Bigger caliber, more powerful, more diverse models... This allows it to attack a variety of targets such as armored vehicles, bunker fire points, ground or semi-underground bunkers at close range, and continue to perform its immortal legend on the battlefield. On some battlefields, there was even a dramatic scene of bazookas changing food. The popularity of bazookas is evident from this.
In the past, what kind of development process has the individual rocket launcher gone through? What will be the future? See the expert interpretation.
World War II emerged, and stronger shields spawned sharper spears
As a sharp weapon for infantry to attack the stronghold, once the individual rocket launcher appeared, it established a close connection with close combat.
Tracing back to the source, the development of individual rocket launchers can be roughly divided into four stages.
The first generation of rocket launchers (1940s): At the beginning of World War II, the United States, Britain and other countries tried their best to develop anti-tank weapons in response to the "blitzkrieg" of German armored groups. In 1942, the U.S. military finalized the M1 anti-tank bazooka, and the ammunition used was to install a concentrated charge warhead on the front end of the rocket engine and launch it with a slender launcher. Because of the shape of the launcher resembling the tubular instrument "Bazooka", the M1 anti-tank bazooka received the nickname "Bazooka". In World War II, the "Bazouga", the atomic bomb, the jeep and the C-47 transport aircraft were called the four major weapons for victory in the war by the US military, and their status and role can be imagined. In addition to the Bazooka, the first generation of rocket launchers included the German 1943 "Iron Fist" recoilless gun type rocket launcher. These two early bazookas were equipped with mechanical optical sights with an effective range of 30 to 200 meters, which could effectively destroy armored targets at that time.
Second Generation Rocket Launcher (1950s and 1960s): After the end of World War II, the bazooka was further developed, the effective range was increased to 200 to 500 meters, and the ability to break armor was stronger. Typical products are the American M20 and M72, Sweden's Carl Gustav, Germany's "Iron Fist" 44 and "Iron Fist" 3 series, The French F1 and the Soviet RPG-7. The RPG-7 was the world's first rocket launcher to combine non-recoil and rocket range-extending technology, with light weight, high power, long range, ruggedness, and both left and right shoulders. In addition to equipping the Soviet army, it was also heavily equipped to the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries and Arab and African countries. In the Fourth Middle East War, Israel lost nearly a thousand tanks, many of which were destroyed by RPG-7s.
The third generation of rocket launchers (1970s and 1980s): The representative products of this generation of rocket launchers include Israel's B-300 type 82 mm rocket launcher, The British Lao 80 type 94 mm rocket launcher, And France's "dart" 120 mm rocket launcher. Due to the continuous advancement of photoelectric fire control technology and detection technology, the range of the rocket launcher increased to 500 to 1000 meters, which could destroy the composite armored main battle tanks of the time. At the same time, small, miniature, and disposable rocket launchers that can be launched in small spaces such as trenches have also appeared, and light and heavy rocket launchers have also emerged, and light and heavy rocket launchers have developed at the same time. Light bazookas include soviet RPG-22, RPG-26, etc.; Heavy bazookas include French "darts" and Yugoslav "Hornets" and other rocket launchers.
Fourth-generation rocket launcher (1990s to present): In the 1990s, many countries vigorously developed reactive armor, and multinational main battle tanks were successively equipped with active protection systems. Stronger shields spawn sharper spears. On the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the RPG-29 bazooka used to deal with a new generation of main battle tanks was introduced. The rocket used in this bazooka has a tandem hollow charge armor-breaking warhead, and a separate small warhead in front of the main warhead, which is used to destroy the outer composite protection of the target tank, and then use the main warhead to penetrate the main armor of the target tank. Entering the twenty-first century, Russia introduced a new generation of portable multi-caliber rocket launcher RPG-30, which can use both tandem concentrated energy warheads and cloud blasters and multi-purpose bombs for attacking tanks, armored vehicles, fortifications and living forces. The United States has also developed a new PSRL precision shoulder-fired rocket launcher on the basis of the Russian-made RPG-7, which has similar advantages to the RPG-7, but the manufacturing cost is much higher than the RPG rocket launcher.
There are many advantages, so that the bazooka firmly occupies a corner of the battlefield
In the era of informationization and intelligence, although missiles have gradually shown a trend of "cabbage price", the "live drama" of war in which bazookas firmly occupy a corner of the battlefield continues to be staged. The reason why individual rocket launchers can become a small and large weapon is mainly because they have the following characteristics.
First, it is powerful. The original intention of designing the individual bazooka was to use it against tanks. Whether it is the early "Bazooka" and "Iron Fist", or the later RPG series, it can effectively fight against the main battle tanks of the same era. That's because the rockets they use are generally designed to be called "concentrated charges" – encapsulating high explosives in a concave shape, and the energy generated during detonation is focused at a point, turning the rocket's metal shell into a metallic jet of extremely hot and extremely high pressure. This high-speed metal jet can penetrate the armor, thereby killing the tank's personnel and destroying the equipment inside the vehicle.
Second, it is widely used. In addition to tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, individual bazookas have a lot of "nibbling dishes" on the battlefield, including field fortifications, city buildings, military equipment, living forces, etc., and can even attack low-altitude helicopters. At the end of World War II, the US military in the Pacific theater turned to a counter-offensive, the Japanese armored force is not worth mentioning, but the stubborn ground fire point makes the US army a headache. Later, the US military used the "Bazooka" rocket launcher to destroy a large number of Japanese bunker fortifications, accelerating the process of victory. In 1993, two US "Black Hawk" helicopters were shot down by RPG-7 in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, and the US Delta Special Forces then fell into a bitter battle, killing and wounding more than 80 people. U.S. troops were later forced to withdraw from Somalia.
Third, it is very convenient. The individual bazooka is a typical "hit and run" type weapon. It only takes one or two people to carry it through the mountains or ruins of the city destroyed by artillery fire, and some can be fired in a hidden and narrow space, making the opponent invincible. The precise firing range of the RPG bazooka is only 400 meters, but it has become one of the most versatile weapons in the hands of the Afghan Taliban. Using bazookas, they sometimes organize mountain ambushes and sometimes fire at longer distances. The Taliban militia could even run blindly and shoot down a Chinook transport helicopter carrying SEALs at a distance of 200 meters.
Fourth, it is cheaper. Anti-tank missiles are sophisticated modern weapons and equipment, and two or three trained and skilled professionals can complete missile handling, deployment, launch, evacuation and other tasks. The barrier to entry for individual rocket launchers is much lower. After an hour or so of simple training, the hastily recruited militiamen were able to basically grasp the essentials of launch. It is also easier to maintain. Compared to anti-tank missiles, bazookas are inexpensive, and the most advanced bazookas are also cheaper than anti-tank missiles. The Los Angeles Times reported that during the Iraq War, the US military's M1A2 tank and M2 infantry fighting vehicle were able to resist the blows of the RPG-7 rocket launcher head-on, so the RPG-7 had little effect in wartime. However, when the US military was transformed from a combat unit to an occupying army, the RPG-7 rocket launchers that could be seen everywhere like AK-47 assault rifles became a weapon for anti-AMERICAN forces to attack various targets such as US jeeps, helicopters, bunkers and even buildings, oil pipelines, and substations. In many hot spots of military conflict, the "familiar face" of RPG-7 can be seen.
Constantly evolving, constantly changing and constantly new "battlefield evergreen tree"
The application of new mechanisms, new materials and new processes has made individual rocket launchers continue to evolve and become "battlefield evergreens" that stand firm.
Facing the future battlefield, the development of individual rocket launchers shows the following trends:
Enhance the anti-armor power. The protection of modern main battle tanks has been continuously improved, and some use multi-layer materials to make composite armor; Some are equipped with active protection systems to remove the threat of anti-tank missiles and rockets in a "hard-hitting" manner. In order to break the strong shield, all countries attach great importance to upgrading the existing rocket launcher, and improve the anti-armor capability by increasing the caliber of the rocket, accelerating the speed of the projectile, increasing the tandem warhead, and actively developing a new type of anti-tank rocket launcher that can crack the active protection system. The Russian RPG-30 uses a parallel twin-barrel structure, first firing a 72 mm decoy bomb to attract and interfere with the active protection system of the target tank, and then using a 105 mm rocket to "take advantage of the void" to destroy the target. The key to its success is to complete the strike mission before the active protection system reacts again. This design concept marks a new phase in the confrontation between armor and anti-armor forces.
Development of multifunctional ammunition. Early bazookas mainly used armor-breaking shells against tanks, and later developed a variety of ammunition such as anti-personnel grenades, smoke grenades, incendiary bombs, and thermobaric bombs, which can carry out a variety of combat tasks. Later, more advanced multi-functional ammunition appeared, a rocket with multiple functions of explosion, explosion and armor piercing, which can automatically select the best damage method according to the nature and characteristics of the target. For example, the MK118 type high-explosive rocket used in the AMERICAN SMAW83 mm rocket launcher, which uses an detonation device that can identify the density of the target material, encounters a hard target instantaneously detonates, and encounters a soft target to delay the detonation after penetrating the interior, which has certain intelligent attributes. With the advancement of science and technology, there may also be rockets with more new functions in the future, such as electromagnetic pulse bombs equipped with anti-electronic equipment, incapacitated bombs for anti-terrorism operations, dazzling bombs, etc.
Improve shooting accuracy. Individual bazookas, like many light weapons, have the weakness of slower projectile flight speed and low hit accuracy. In order to improve the accuracy of hits, many countries are improving it. Some introduce guidance technology to develop high-precision ammunition, and some apply photoelectric comprehensive technology to improve the first hit rate. The Israeli "outpost" 81 mm rocket launcher adopts target-locking technology, and after firing, the rocket flies along the aiming line, the ballistic trajectory is straight, and the accuracy within a range of 500 meters is very high; American SMAW 83 mm rocket launcher, equipped with a laser rangefinder with computer-aided device, 400 meters range hit rate of 80%; France is equipped with photoelectric aiming and calculation devices for the "Abira" rocket launcher, which can not only accurately determine the target distance and speed of movement, but also automatically calculate and correct the wind direction, wind speed, air temperature, air pressure, etc., and the projectile can still maintain good accuracy at a distance of 600 meters. It is conceivable that the accuracy of bazooka shooting will be further improved in the future.
Remotely control the "liberation" shooter. The artillery range of modern tanks is more than 2500 meters, and most individual bazookas have a range of less than 1000 meters. The risk of a shooter carrying a bazooka against a tank is high, and if a single shot is not hit or the target is not completely destroyed, it is easy to expose himself to be killed. Therefore, improving the viability of the shooter battlefield is a major trend in the development of bazookas. Some countries use remote sensing self-control technology to develop new intelligent rocket launchers to "liberate" shooters from their positions. On the basis of the "Abira" bazooka, France and the United Kingdom jointly developed the "Apajex" autonomous anti-tank rocket launcher, which can identify the type of target and automatically search, capture and destroy the target. In the future, remotely controllable intelligent bazookas may increasingly appear on the battlefield.
(Author: Zhang Yi, Bai Haihui, Dong Zhe, Courtesy photo: Yang Ming pictures are all information pictures)
Source: People's Liberation Army Daily