The SPG-9 Kop'yo (, transliterated: Stankovyi Protivotankovyi Granatomet "Kop'yo" - Easel Anti-tank Grenade Launcher "Spear") is a tripod-mounted man-portable, 73mm caliber recoilless gun developed by the Soviet Union. It fires fin-stabilized, rocket-assisted high explosive (HE) and high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shaped charge projectiles similar to those fired by the 73mm 2A28 Grom low pressure gun of the BMP-1 armored vehicle. It was accepted into service in 1962, replacing the B-10 recoilless rifle.
Description
The projectile is launched from the gun by a small charge, which gives it an initial velocity of between . The launch charge also imparts spin to the projectile by a series of offset holes. Once the projectile has traveled approximately from the launcher, a rocket motor in its base ignites. For the PG-9 projectile, this takes it to a velocity of before the motor burns out.
The SPG-9 is heavy, ~, and normally transported by vehicle, and carried into position by its two person crew. It can be deployed in about a minute. The weapon is in service with a large number of armed forces, and a variety of ammunition is produced; however, they are mostly copies of the original Soviet PG-9 HEAT and OG-9 fragmentation high explosive (Frag-HE) rounds.
The SPG-9 is widely available to maritime pirates, such as in the Horn of Africa region, and in other regions to a lesser degree. It is not as popular as the RPG-7 because it must be mounted on a vehicle or boat and cannot be easily carried and shoulder fired. The SPG-9 requires much more skill to fire accurately than the RPG-7. There have been reports of these mounted in skiffs and larger "mother ships". The SPG-9 can typically be found mounted on a wide variety of vehicles known as "technicals" in Somalia.
A variant for use with airborne troops including detachable wheels was built as the SPG-9D.
Combat use The SPG-9 was used by both sides during the Transnistria War.
In addition to using the SPG-9 as light indirect fire artillery, members of Wagner PMC modified SPG-9 ammunition to be fired from more portable RPG-7 launchers during the Battle of Bakhmut.
In mid October 2023 Israeli forces, during the Gaza war, captured a flyer produced by Hamas about destroying Merkava tanks. The flyer recommended the SPG-9 as an effective way of defeating the Israeli Trophy System designed to intercept incoming RPG or Anti-tank Guided Missiles. The SPG-9 was recommended due "simply by virtue of its projectile’s high speed".
Projectiles Round(projectile) Type Weight(kg) Fuze Length(mm) Explosivecontent(kg) Muzzlevelocity(m/s) Effectiverange(m) Maximumrange(m) Armourpenetration(mm) Notes PG-9(PG-9V) HEAT-FS 4.39 VP-9 920 0.322(hexogen) 435 800 1,300 300 — PG-9N HEAT-FS VP-9 920 0.340(OKFOL-3.5)95% HME 5% wax 435 800 1,300 400 — PG-9VS HEAT-FS 4.4 ? 920 ? 1,300 ? 400 - PG-9VNT(PG-9NT) HEAT-FS 3.2 ? 920 ? 400 700 1,200 600 or450 behind ERA Tandem-charge OG-9V(OG-9) FRAG-HE 5.35 GO-2 orO-4M 1062 0.735(TNT) 316 – – n/a Cast iron casing OG-9VM(OG-9M) FRAG-HE 5.35 GO-2 orO-4M 1062 0.655(TD-50)TNT/dinitronaphthalene 316 – – n/a — OG-9VM1(OG-9V) FRAG-HE 5.35 GO-2 orO-4M 1062 ? 316 – 4,500 n/a — OG-9BG(OG-9G) FRAG-HE 6.9 O-4M 1030 0.750 316 – 7,500 n/a Bulgarian made OG-9BG1(OG-9G1) FRAG-HE 5.48 O-4M 1024 0.750 250 – 4,200 n/a Bulgarian made
Users
: manufactured locally as Arsenal ATGL
: AMIG SPG-9
: RomArm AG-9
, also used by separatist forces SPG-9T2
Non-state actors Iraqi Kurdistan Islamic State Lord's Resistance Army Kurdistan Workers' Party Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North Free Syrian Army
Hamas
See also SPG-82
References
Bibliography
External links