SPG-82

SPG-82
SPG-82
Type	Antitank rocket launcher
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1950 to mid-1970s
Used by	Soviet Union, Syria, Afghanistan and various Warsaw Pact countries, Indonesia
Wars	Portuguese Colonial War; Soviet-Afghan War; Afghan Civil War (1989-1992); Syrian Civil War[citation needed]
Production history
Designer	NII-6
Designed	1944
Produced	1950 to 1964
Specifications
Mass	37.8 kg
Length	2.15 m
Crew	2 or 3
Caliber	82 mm
Action	Single shot
Recoil	Recoilless
Carriage	Two wheels
Rate of fire	5 to 6 rounds per minute
Effective firing range	200 m direct
Maximum firing range	700 m

The SPG-82 (transliterated Russian: Stankovyi Protivotankovyi Granatomet - heavy antitank grenade launcher) was a Soviet wheeled antitank rocket launcher that entered service after the end of World War II. It was replaced in Soviet service by the B-10 recoilless rifle from 1954 but remained in service with some armies, notably in the Middle East until the 1970s.^[1] The SPG-82 was also carried by BRIMOB (the Indonesia Police Mobile Brigade) in 1963.^{[citation needed]} It has been replaced by B-10 recoilless rifle.

Description

The weapon consists of a long barrel tube with a flared muzzle, supported by a simple carriage with two small solid wheels. A curved shoulder pad is attached to left side of the barrel, and a large shield is fitted to protect the crew from the back-blast produced by the rocket projectiles. The shield is not thick enough to provide protection from enemy fire. The weapon is normally fired from the carriage, but it can be dismounted and shoulder fired by two men working together to support the weapon.

The weapon fires two types of projectiles, a general purpose explosive/fragmentation round, the OG-82, and an armour piercing anti-tank round, the PG-82. It has two sets of iron sights corresponding to the two different rounds fired by the weapon. The HE sight is graduated out to 700 meters while the weapon's effective range for the HEAT round is around 200 meters.

Ammunition

Round name	Warhead name	Type	Weight	Warhead weight	Length	Armour penetration
PG-82	GK-662	HEAT	4.4 kg	0.69 kg	694 mm	230 mm to 175 mm ^[2]^[3]
OG-82	GO-662	HE-FRAG	4.7 kg	0.41 kg	626 mm	N/A ^[4]

Users

Map with SPG-82 users in blue

Notes

^ Brassey's Infantry Weapons of the World states that it is still in service with the Syrian and Afghan armies in 1975
^ militaertechnik-der-nva.de notes penetration as 175 mm. Given the era in which this weapon was developed, the lower figure is likely more accurate.
^ PG-82 data at ORDATA Archived 2012-02-09 at the Wayback Machine
^ OG-82 data at ORDATA Archived 2012-02-09 at the Wayback Machine

References

ORDATA database
Brassey's Infantry Weapons of the World 1950-1975, J.I.H. Owen
militaertechnik-der-nva.de SPG-82 page

[Brasseys-1] Brassey's Infantry Weapons of the World states that it is still in service with the Syrian and Afghan armies in 1975

[militaertechnik-2] taertechnik-der-nva.de notes penetration as 175 mm. Given the era in which this weapon was developed, the lower figure is likely more accurate.

[ORDATA_mines1-3] PG-82 data at ORDATA Archived 2012-02-09 at the Wayback Machine

[ORDATA_mines2-4] OG-82 data at ORDATA Archived 2012-02-09 at the Wayback Machine

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[2]

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