SPG-9

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The SPG-9 Kopye (Spear) is a Russian tripod-mounted man-portable, 73 millimetre calibre recoilless gun developed by the Soviet Union. It fires fin-stabilised, rocket-assisted HE and HEAT projectiles similar to those fired by the 73 mm 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 250 and 400 metres per second. The launch charge also imparts spin to the projectile by a series of offset holes. Once the projectile has travelled approximately 20 meters (65.6 feet) from the launcher, a rocket motor in its base ignites. For the PG-9 projectile, this takes it to a velocity of 700 metres per second (2,296.6 feet per second) before the motor burns out.

The SPG-9 is light, and is normally transported by vehicle, and carried into position by its two crew. It can be deployed in around 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 FRAG-HE rounds.

The SPG-9 is widely available to guerillas and maritime pirates in the Horn of Africa region, as well as in other regions to a lesser degree. It is not as popular as the RPG-7 because it has to 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 in comparison to 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.

Projectiles

Round (projectile)	Type	Weight	Fuze	Length	Explosive content	Muzzle velocity	Effective range	Maximum range	Armour penetration	Notes
PG-9 (PG-9V)	HEAT-FS	4.39 kg	VP-9	920 mm	0.322 kg of hexogen	435 m/s	800 m	1,300 m	300 mm	-
PG-9N	HEAT-FS		VP-9	920 mm	0.340 kg of OKFOL-3.5 ^[2]	435 m/s	800 m	1,300 m	400 mm	-
PG-9VS	HEAT-FS	4.4 kg	?	920 mm	?		1,300 m	?	400 mm	-
PG-9VNT (PG-9NT)	HEAT-FS	3.2 kg	?	920 mm	?	400 m/s	700 m	1,200 m	550 mm or 400 mm behind ERA	Tandem warhead
OG-9V (OG-9)	FRAG-HE	5.35 kg	GO-2 or O-4M	1062 mm	0.735 kg of TNT	316 m/s	-	-	n/a	Cast iron casing
OG-9VM (OG-9M)	FRAG-HE	5.35 kg	GO-2 or O-4M	1062 mm	0.655 kg of TD-50 ^[3]	316 m/s	-	-	n/a	-
OG-9VM1 (OG-9V)	FRAG-HE	5.35 kg	GO-2 or O-4M	1062 mm	?	316 m/s	-	4,500 m	n/a	-
OG-9BG (OG-9G)	FRAG-HE	6.9 kg	O-4M	?	?	250 m/s	-	4,000 m	n/a	Bulgarian made
OG-9BG1 (OG-9G1)	FRAG-HE	?	O-4M	?	?	?	-	6,500 m	n/a	Bulgarian made

Users

Romanian soldiers with an AG-9 (licensed built SPG-9) in traveling position.

A Mongolian Mobile Training Team member reviews the SPG-9 recoilless gun, with Afghan National Army soldiers prior to a live-fire weapons demonstration, Sept. 2, at the Camp Scenic weapons range near the Darulaman Infantry School in Kabul, Afghanistan. The MTT specialize in SPG-9 recoilless rifle systems and train ANA soldiers at the infantry school.