The RPG-26 ''Aglen'' is a disposable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. It fires a single-stage

rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

with jack-knife fins, which unfold after launch. The rocket carries a diameter

high explosive anti-tank High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) is the effect of a shaped charge explosive that uses the Munroe effect to penetrate heavy armor. The warhead functions by having an explosive charge collapse a metal liner inside the warhead into a high-velocity ...

single

shaped charge A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to form an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, ini ...

warhead capable of penetrating of armour, of reinforced concrete or of

brickwork Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called ''courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by si ...

. It has a maximum effective range of around . The similar sized rocket features a slightly heavier and more powerful HEAT warhead and more powerful rocket engine. The limited extension of the RPG-22 launch tube was found of little use. Therefore the RPG-26 has a rigid non-telescoping launch tube.

Variants

RShG-2 The RShG-2 (Russian: , ''Reaktivnaya Shturmovaya Granata'', Rocket-propelled Assault Grenade ) ''Aglen-2'' (Аглень-2) is a RPG-26 variant with

thermobaric A thermobaric weapon, also called an aerosol bomb, a vacuum bomb or a fuel air explosive (FAE), is a type of explosive that uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion. The fuel–air explosive is one of the be ...

warhead. RShG-2 is heavier than the RPG-26 at and has a reduced direct fire range of . It is intended to be used against infantry and structures rather than armoured vehicles. The warhead contains of

mixture, with an explosive yield roughly equal to that of of

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

. The solid rocket booster of the warhead in question was taken from the RPG-26 and the fuse taken from the TBG-7 warhead used by the

RPG-7 The RPG-7 (russian: link=no, РПГ-7, Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт, Ruchnoy Protivotankoviy Granatomyot) is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Th ...

. The warhead has a stated penetration capability of of concrete and of brickwork.

Operators

Current operators

* * * * - RShG-2 variant * - domestic variant PDM-1 * - 3,000 in possession * * :

Liwa al-Quds Liwa al-Quds ( ar, لواء القدس) or the Jerusalem Brigade is a predominantly Palestinian militia (brigade) that operates as a part of pro- Syrian government forces in the Syrian Civil War. It was formed in 2013 by the engineer Muhammad al- ...

* * * - RShG-2 variant

Variants

Operators

Current operators

Former operators

References

Further reading