"Spear" for special forces. The LNG-9 grenade launcher found new use
The plans of the military in relation to the LNG-9 heavy machine-gun grenade launchers became known on the night of February 8 from a new publication of the Izvestia publication. Information on such weapons was obtained from an unnamed source in the Ministry of Defense. The military department, in turn, has not yet commented on press reports.
According to Izvestia, the reason for the new decision regarding the LNG-9 grenade launcher was the results of the use of various anti-tank weapons during the current war in Syria. In the arsenals of different armies and armed formations there are grenade launchers of different classes and types, both Soviet / Russian and foreign. In this case, the fighters had the opportunity to test in practice the existing weapons and compare them with other samples.
It is indicated that in the Syrian war a number of armed formations used foreign-made anti-tank grenade launchers. The answer to such a threat could be the Soviet / Russian RPG-7 grenade launcher, but their characteristics were not always sufficient to suppress the enemy. First of all, there was not enough firing range. At the same time, the SPG-9 "Spear" products, which are distinguished by higher fire characteristics, were an effective means of suppressing enemy grenade launchers.
According to recent reports, according to the experience of the Syrian battles, the Russian military department intends to introduce “Spear” grenade launchers into the arsenals of special units. The latter will have to use such weapons as lightweight portable weapons, suitable for the destruction of manpower, fire points, light armored vehicles and other purposes. It is expected that the use of mounted grenade launchers will give the special forces certain advantages and will simplify the solution of some combat missions.
According to Izvestia, SPG-9 grenade launchers will go into service with special forces after a certain modernization. To improve the main characteristics and combat qualities, it is proposed to use a new sight, as well as updated ammunition. Grenades of new types will have to be distinguished by a greater power of the warhead.
It is curious that the decision to return to the arsenals of LNG-9 grenade launchers is similar to ideas already implemented by some foreign countries. So, quite a long time ago, based on the results of the first operations in Afghanistan, the American command decided to supplement the existing armaments of the operating units with hand grenade launchers. This led to a certain increase in firepower, and also expanded the range of tasks to be solved. Also an important consequence of such decisions was a certain savings. The same tasks can be solved with the help of anti-tank missile systems, but the use of such systems leads to an obvious increase in costs.
The LNG-9 “Spear” machine-gun anti-tank grenade launcher was developed from the end of the fifties, works were carried out in GSKB-47 (now BNTG GNPP). Ready weapons entered service with the Soviet army in 1963 year. For a long time, this grenade launcher was one of the main anti-tank weapons of the armed forces. At the beginning of the next decade, work was carried out on the modernization of the existing sample, and in addition, several new shots for different purposes with different characteristics appeared. The presence of several ammunition allowed to obtain sufficient combat potential.
LNG-9 maintained the status of one of the main means to combat armored vehicles until the eighties. By this time, new anti-tank complexes with guided missiles were created in our country, suitable for the full replacement of existing grenade launchers. Mass production and delivery of new ATGMs to the troops allowed the company to gradually reduce the share of heavy-duty grenade launchers, while simultaneously increasing the effectiveness of the anti-tank infantry defense.
Officially, the Lance is still in service with the Russian army, but the number of such systems has declined markedly in recent decades. Due to the emergence of newer and more advanced anti-tank weapons, grenade launchers were sent to storage, deducted or sold to third countries. The situation is similar with LNG-9 ammunition. Having certain stocks of shots, the army managed to send for disposal or sell abroad a significant part of such products.
LNG-9 rocket launchers, having appeared at the height of the Cold War, were actively acquired by foreign countries. Much of the buyers of such weapons still continues to operate them. At the moment, products "Spear" are in service with nearly three dozen countries. It should be noted that the list of countries-operators significantly increased in the early nineties, according to the results of the collapse of the Soviet Union. In connection with the well-known events in the Middle East, grenade launchers of Soviet and Russian production began to fall into the hands of various armed organizations. Such users of LNG-9 simply can not be counted.
In the course of various conflicts of the last decades, LNG-9 grenade launchers were used not only in the original anti-tank role, but also for other tasks. Due to the absence of large numbers of armored vehicles, they were used as a means of reinforcing infantry units and in fact became a substitute for light field guns. Despite the limitations in terms of firing range (the maximum achievable - up to 4-5 km, effective - no more than 800-1300 m, depending on the type of grenade), the Spear grenade launchers effectively hit remote small-sized targets that did not have serious protection.
According to an unnamed source of Izvestia, the Russian military studied the experience of using mounted anti-tank grenade launchers by foreign troops and armed formations. An analysis of the collected data showed that such weapons, despite their advanced age, may be of interest to modern special forces units. They can use the Spear as a light, portable weapon for a variety of tasks.
According to the latest news, before being adopted by special forces, the SPG-9 grenade launcher must undergo some modernization. First of all, this weapon needs new sighting equipment. At the moment there are two types of sights. For shooting during daylight hours, a PGO-9 optical sight with a 4,2x magnification is offered. At night, the PGN-9 passive infrared sight should be used. These products were developed specifically for the Spear and have the required parameters. How exactly the sighting systems will be upgraded is unknown.
It can be assumed that the used day sight that meets the requirements will be retained. Significant progress has been made in the field of night sights in recent decades. There is reason to believe that for the use of SPG-9 in special forces, a promising night sight built on a modern component base can be created.
Of great interest are information on the development of new high-capacity ammunition. Grenade launchers for LNG-9 are caliber grenades for various purposes, equipped with a propelling charge. Grenades of several types are also equipped with a jet engine that provides acceleration during the flight. The first LNG-9 ammunition was an 73-mm PG-9 shot with a cumulative warhead capable of penetrating up to 300 mm of homogeneous armor. Subsequently, new ammunition was developed with improved armor penetration rates. Fragmentation ammunition also appeared, among other things, distinguished by the absence of a jet engine.
Enrolling in the special forces, a modernized grenade launcher will have to perform various combat missions. He will have to retain the functions of anti-tank weapons and weapons to combat manpower or unprotected equipment. In connection with the current progress in the field of ammunition and current trends, it can be assumed that the nomenclature of “Lance” shots will be replenished with a product with a thermobaric warhead. Creating a guided projectile in theory looks possible, but hardly has a practical meaning.
It should be noted that, having a number of positive features, the LNG-9 grenade launcher is quite large and heavy. The length of the non-separable system exceeds 2,1 m. The body weight of the grenade launcher is 47,6 kg. The tripod machine weighs 12 kg; The wheel travel used in the LNG-9D modification is heavier on the 2 kg. Ammunition has a length of about 1 m and weighs from 3,2 to 6,9 kg. Thus, transporting a grenade launcher with ammunition can be associated with certain difficulties. It can be transported by various combat or civilian vehicles. Carrying weapons and shots by the forces of calculation is associated with known difficulties.
How the mobility problem of the grenade launcher will be solved in a possible modernization project is unknown. An acceptable way out of this situation could be the installation of the “Spear” on one of the existing chassis, which is in service with the army. Such an improvised combat vehicle could solve urgent problems and increase the potential of the special forces. However, often grenade launchers are transported and used on existing equipment without any of its modifications.
The proposal to equip special units with mounted anti-tank grenade launchers SPG-9 "Spear", which was recently reported by the domestic press, so far has an ambiguous image. The implementation of such a proposal will give special forces some new opportunities. First of all, grenade launchers will increase the firepower of the unit and increase its potential in the fight against certain targets. The development of new sighting devices and shots with improved performance will also have a positive effect on the overall effectiveness of the weapon. At the same time, there will be problems in the context of mobility, which, however, can be solved in obvious ways.
It should not be forgotten that the imminent adoption of the SPG-9 by special forces is only known from reports from unnamed press sources. At the same time, the source did not specify the approximate time frame for the implementation of such a decision, and also did not name which units would have to master the new weapons for themselves. Perhaps such information will be published in the near future. However, in this case we are talking about the rearmament of special units, and therefore all open information can be limited only to reports about the very fact of the adoption of modernized grenade launchers.
On the materials of the sites:
https://iz.ru/
http://ria.ru/
http://bratishka.ru/
http://army.lv/
- Ryabov Kirill
- MO RF, Wikimedia Commons
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