History of the Border Service. Russian grenade launchers Ags 17 frame dimensions parameters

The other day, footage from the chronicle for the first time showed the use by fighters Syrian army automatic anti-personnel grenade launcher AGS-17. This 46-year-old domestic veteran showed himself quite effective weapon in modern war, which in the first place was satisfied with the Syrian infantry.
The prototype of automatic grenade launchers was created in the USSR on the eve of World War II. The grenade launcher was developed in OKB-16 on the idea and under the guidance of Ya.G. Taubina. However, the views of the army command on the tactics of the infantry of that time, as well as the high complexity and, accordingly, the cost of the grenade launcher, led to the fact that light mortars then took over the role of artillery weapons in direct support of the infantry. The automatic grenade launcher remained an experimental weapon and was not adopted for service.
A new impetus to the creation of this type of weapon was given by the Vietnam War.
The idea to combine the rate of fire of a machine gun and the lethal effect of fragmentation grenades to perform the specific tasks of counterguerrilla warfare led to the creation by several US firms of a number of different automatic grenade launchers.

Such weapons, along with heavy machine guns, patrol boats of river flotillas and helicopters were armed. However, the American infantry treated the new type of weapon with great skepticism.
In the USSR, the idea of ​​automatic grenade launchers returned in the mid-1960s, but already based on the experience of using American automatic grenade launchers in Vietnam. Soviet intelligence became aware of the start in 1966 of work on the creation of a commissioned marines US new automatic grenade launcher Mk.19.

In 1967, on the personal instructions of D.F. Ustinov, OKB-16 began to create an automatic grenade launcher. Soon, the employees of this design bureau A.F. Kornyakov V.Ya. Nemenov created a firing model of an automatic grenade launcher. Gradually, we decided on the requirements for the grenade launcher system. After a number of improvements and testing in 1971, it was put into service and received the name "30-mm automatic grenade launcher on the machine (AGS-17)".
The development work in which the grenade launcher was developed had the code "Flame". It is worth noting here that during the development of a new weapon, it is often referred to precisely by the ROC code. Often this name, as a proper name, is unofficially used even after the adoption of the model for service. So "Flame" unofficially became a proper name for the AGS-17 grenade launcher.

A grenade launcher shot for the AGS-17 was created at GSKB-47 (today GNPP Bazalt JSC). It received the name VOG-17 (fragmentation grenade launcher for AGS-17). In the West, they were quite surprised to find that in the mid-1970s, grenade launcher platoons armed with AGS-17 appeared in the motorized rifle battalions of the Soviet Army.
In the United States at that time, by order of the Marine Corps, they still continued to improve the Mk.19 grenade launcher. However, the US Army (in our terminology - the ground forces) had not decided by that time - did it need an automatic anti-personnel grenade launcher? Moreover, the experienced 40-mm automatic grenade launchers Mk.19 mod.1 (1971) and Mk.19 mod.2 (1976) were still very far from perfect and rightly caused serious complaints from the military. A workable automatic grenade launcher in the United States was created only by the beginning of the 1980s. In 1981, the Mk.19 mod.3 was adopted.

In fairness, it should be noted that in our army, the AGS-17 grenade launcher initially raised many questions, especially in the Ground Forces. That is why, to advance the grenade launcher, it was originally used even as an armament for the river armored boats of the Amur flotilla. However, gradually the troops mastered the new weapon and successfully began to use it.
AGS-17 is designed to destroy manpower and unarmored fire weapons located openly and behind various shelters. In addition to the infantry version of the grenade launcher, variants of the grenade launcher were developed on the machine for installation on helicopters, armored boats, in remotely controlled installations to create firing structures in fortified areas and at armored vehicles.

Shooting from a grenade launcher can be carried out both along flat and hinged trajectories. The maximum firing range is 1730 m. Shooting with a flat trajectory provides least time grenade flight to the target, and a hinged trajectory - steeper grenade incidence angles and Better conditions for fragmentation, especially in open trenches and behind various obstacles.
The optical sight of the PAG-17 grenade launcher provides direct and semi-direct fire or firing from closed firing positions, as in artillery. However, it is worth noting here that firing from closed firing positions requires special education commanders and is currently used very rarely.
Based on operating experience, the grenade launcher was improved - the design of the barrel was changed, a mechanical sight was developed. However, grenade launchers were subject to the main modernization during the service. As already mentioned in 1971, simultaneously with the AGS-17 grenade launcher, the VOG-17 fragmentation round was adopted for service, but the first operating experience showed the need to improve its fuse. Soon, instead of the VOG-17, it was put into service A modernized VOG-17M round was adopted, which uses a VMG-M fuse of an instantaneous impact type. The fuse ensures that the grenade explodes when it meets almost any surface.

Fragments during the explosion of a grenade are formed due to the natural crushing of a thin-walled body, inside of which a fragmentation jacket is placed in the form of a twisted square-section steel spring with a notch. When a grenade explodes, a significant number of fragments are formed that provide a continuous defeat of unprotected manpower and unarmored vehicles within a radius of 7 meters.
Subsequently, more advanced shots VOG-30, VOG-30D and GPD-30 were created. New design solutions, technologies for the production of grenade cases and their equipment made it possible to increase the firing range and the density of fragmentation.
In the USSR, the production of a grenade launcher was mastered at a machine-building plant in the city of Vyatskiye Polyany. Licenses for the production of grenade launchers were transferred to China and Yugoslavia, and shots for it to Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. The grenade launcher was or is in service with about 20 countries of the world.

The AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher proved to be an effective weapon for direct fire support of infantry in various wars and armed conflicts. The desert and mountain-desert terrain of Syria with large areas of open space favors its effective use to destroy manpower and unarmored vehicles at maximum firing ranges. It is these goals that are the main ones for the Syrian troops today.
Single targets such as a machine gun or anti-tank systems are hit by the firing of one grenade launcher in one two bursts. All it takes is no more than a minute. Determining here is the accurate measurement of the range to the target and taking into account the crosswind, as well as the knowledge and application of the rules of shooting.

If it is necessary to hit a group target, simultaneous firing of several automatic grenade launchers is necessary - a squad, and sometimes a platoon. The almost simultaneous explosion of several dozen fragmentation grenades at limited area provides an effective solution to the fire problem.
Shooting from a grenade launcher with semi-direct fire requires certain skills and abilities from fire crew commanders and gunners. At the same time, direct fire using the optical sight scale is extremely simple, and aiming the grenade launcher is intuitive.
The experience of past wars has shown the feasibility of using automatic grenade launchers in conjunction with machine guns. Mutually complementing each other, they provide fire cover for significant areas of the terrain and continuous fire impact on the enemy. It is this type of armament that is sometimes used on some domestic Tiger armored vehicles.
Today AGS-17 continues to be the main automatic grenade launcher of the Russian army.

In 1971, the arsenal of the Soviet Army was replenished with a new model related to "hand artillery" - the AGS-17 grenade launcher, called the "Flame". This type of weapon is compact, efficient, trouble-free and, in terms of its technical performance, has no equal among analogues developed in other countries. He shoots accurately, far, and his lethal effect is deadly. Versatility of use is provided by additional accessories that allow you to fire in conditions of poor visibility and install an automatic grenade launcher on various types of equipment, both ground and air. Targets to be hit may be in a direct line of fire or behind terrain folds; the flight path of the ammunition, depending on the elevation angle, is flat or mounted. In general, the AGS-17 is a weapon for a wide range of purposes.

Machine SAG-17

The first modification was a system mounted on a relatively low tripod supporting a box consisting of two parts (upper and lower). In addition to the main function, the machine also performs an additional one: it serves as a supporting structure for the backlight batteries used for shooting at night. In the upper part of the device there are two cradles, upper and lower. The first is designed for direct installation of a grenade launcher using trunnions and has the possibility of horizontal swing. There is also a latch connecting the cradle with the AGS-17 earring. The lower one provides horizontal guidance within the firing sector and supports the mechanism of the vertically swinging part. The entire tripod, together with the machine, consisting of two cradles, is unified and has the name SAG-17.

Aviation option

The high efficiency of the means of fire destruction prompted the designers of the Bureau. Nudelman to consider other options for its application. In 1980, the 213P-A helicopter complex was put into service, which is an AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher placed in a hanging container (GUV, that is, a universal helicopter gondola) mounted on the external suspension units of assault helicopters. Aviation specifics required certain design changes. Ammunition consisting of three hundred shells is placed in the GUV. The activation of the weapon, unlike the infantry version, is carried out remotely by means of an electric drive. A sharp increase in the rate of fire (up to 500 against the usual 65 rounds per minute) caused, in turn, the need to cool the barrel, implemented by an air radiator. The barrel has also undergone a change in terms of the cutting step. starting speed, increased due to the movement of the system, required a more intense rotation of the grenade to ensure the desired hit accuracy.

Other installation options

Not only on aviation technology grenade launcher AGS-17 "Flame" can be mounted. It is a regular armament of motorized infantry armored vehicles (BMD-3, BTR-70). Its usual place of installation is the left course, but if necessary, the weapon can be easily removed and used separately. Its use is the same on armored boats - as an additional weapon for a turret installation. In both cases, there is no need for additional trigger drives, firing is carried out in the same way as in the infantry version. New models of equipment are also equipped with stationary and removable AGSs. At its core, this grenade launcher is a compact artillery gun capable of firing both direct fire and a canopy at a distance of up to 1.7 km. So it was used.

Application practice

For the first time, the AGS-17 grenade launcher passed baptism of fire during the Chinese aggression against Democratic Republic Vietnam in 1979. He showed himself well, was used for its intended purpose, that is, to defeat the living unprotected enemy force. In some cases, fire was directed at squares. The next episode, and rather lengthy, of the combat use of this type of weapons was the war in Afghanistan. Soldiers and officers of a limited contingent of Soviet troops during the fighting repeatedly demonstrated ingenuity, making changes to the design and enriching the practice of tactical use different systems, including AGS-17. So, in particular, it was found that if the frame of an automatic grenade launcher is welded to the armor of an armored personnel carrier or infantry fighting vehicle, then its effectiveness increases significantly. Also during the fighting, the soldiers empirically determined the optimal burst length - from 3 to 5 grenades.

Shot

Unlike ordinary people, gunners call a shot not only physical process pushing the charge out of the barrel with powder gases, but also the totality of the items necessary for this. For firing from cannons and howitzers, shells with cartridge cases and caps are needed, sometimes (large-caliber guns) and bags of gunpowder. The standard shot for the AGS-17 grenade launcher is the VOG-17 grenade. In addition to it, additional ammunition has been developed (VOG-17M, VOG-30, differing in the mass of explosives). They consist of a cartridge case equipped with a propelling powder charge and a primer, as well as the grenade itself. In essence, these shots are no different from fragmentation artillery shells, with the exception of a rather small caliber (30 mm) and dimensions, rather corresponding to aircraft cannon ammunition, only with a rounded tip. Within a radius of seven meters, a grenade destroys all life with fragments.

Tape and calculation

Shooting from the AGS-17, as its name implies, is carried out mainly in automatic mode, although the design also provides for a single one (OV). Grenades are fed into the feeder by a tape consisting of links connected according to the “crab” system, which, in turn, is placed in a box in a snail-like fashion. The magazine capacity is 29 shots, although there are only 30 links. The fact is that there is no shank as such in the tape, its role is played by the last link that is inserted into the charge receiver tray. The capture of ammunition is carried out not by the sleeve, but by the grenade itself. The equipment of the tape can be done manually, but usually a special machine is used for this, which, if necessary, is also used for discharge. The calculation consists of two people: the shooter and the second number, also trained in firing and helping to reload the weapon, as well as carry it in case of foot movements. The weight of the grenade launcher is considerable - 18 kg (with a machine tool 52 kg), plus ammunition.

The performance characteristics of the AGS-17 Soviet and Yugoslav (licensed) production are slightly different, although not significantly. The caliber and ammunition are completely unified (30 x 29 B). The barrel of the grenade launcher produced in the SFRY is longer (305 versus 290 mm), which explains the high initial velocity of the projectile (185 and 120 m/s, respectively). The rate of fire of the "Yugoslav" is much higher (400 rds / min.), But this advantage does not always please the soldiers, especially in conditions when ammunition needs to be saved. Sighting range both samples is the same and is 1700 m. The minimum distance to the target is 1000 m.

sights

The AGS-17 manual includes instructions for using, in addition to the main mechanical sight, also the prism optical PAG-17. In the case of direct fire at distances up to 700 meters, it is easier for the calculation to do without optics. PAG-17 is needed for firing from closed positions or at distant targets. Its design allows it to also be used as a range finder if the dimensions of the object are known. The lens is equipped with light filters, there are two of them. One has a neutral color and slightly reduces the light intensity in sunny weather, the other is designed for aiming at dusk and is made using a brightening orange optical layer. Aiming signs are applied in the form of corners and strokes, with a division value of 100 and 50 meters, respectively. On either side of the center crosshairs are lateral correction icons. Electric lighting for night mode is supplied with batteries.

Mark-19 and AGS

The first automatic grenade launcher was made by the Americans in 1967. In 1968, the first trial batch of Mark-19 (aka Mk-19) was sent to Vietnam for practical tests, mainly on riverine armored boats. Despite many technical merit, it is inferior to the Soviet model, created three years later. The main advantage is the smaller caliber, thanks to which the AGS-17 grenade launcher has a higher rate of fire. However, Mark-19 has become a kind of standard for designers of rapid-fire "hand artillery" in Western countries, while soviet weapons has traditional adherents in China, where it is produced under license. The gloomy glory of AGSs is confirmed by their reliability and high efficiency, qualities that have been repeatedly tested during many wars and conflicts of recent decades.

Automatic grenade launchers are designed to destroy infantry concentrations both in open space and behind shelters. Well-trained crews are able not only to resist a serious offensive, but also to suppress enemy strongholds.

For more than forty years now, such a formidable weapon has been in service with a grenade launcher platoon in a motorized rifle battalion called AGS-17 "Flame".

The history of the creation of AGS-17

The idea of ​​​​creating a grenade launcher appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. The first who decided to bring it to life were the British. In Russia, they "swayed" only by 1916. Staff Captain M. G. Dyakonov offered his own mortar for firing a rifle grenade.

The grenade was also created by this outstanding person. The mortar had a caliber of 40.5 mm and was attached to the . Adopted for service, it did not have time to start mass production before the revolution. Only in 1928, after the completion of mortars and grenades, they were accepted into service in the Red Army with the name "Dyakonov's rifle grenade launcher."

The barrel of the mortar received 3 grooves. Equipped with a protractor-quadrant for aiming and a bipod for convenience, the grenade launcher fired at 150 - 850 meters. The range depended on the grenade used. It was used by the Red Army until the 40s, and by the end of the war it reappeared in the troops with the VKG-40 cumulative grenade. But for a number of reasons it was almost never used.

In 1938, Ya.G. Taubin, decades ahead of his time, presented the first domestic automatic grenade launcher AG-TB, developed jointly with his deputy M.N. Baburin in OKB-16.

The caliber of the grenade launcher was 40.8 mm, it fired at a rate of 60 shots / min with magazine loading and 460 shots / min with belt loading.

From the initial 73 kg, it was possible to reduce the weight to 38 kg, and without compromising performance. Initially, it was planned to install the AG-TB on a tripod, but then they installed it on a wheeled machine, similar to the machine from the Maxim machine gun.

The grenade launcher could easily be disassembled for carrying and fired at 1200 meters. The tests revealed small easily eliminated flaws. But unfortunately the Red Army did not wait for this wonderful weapon. In the "undercover" struggle with the development group of 50-mm mortars, the mortars won.

Only a few samples were able to fight in the Finnish company on the Karelian front and receive only positive reviews.

In the future, Ya. G. Taubin was engaged in aircraft gun. The design was based on developments on an automatic grenade launcher. This greatly accelerated its creation.

Long years in the USSR, no one was engaged in automatic grenade launchers.

The Vietnam War of 1964-1975 put an end to the stagnation. During the fighting, the single-shot 40 mm M-79 grenade launcher proved to be very good.

He could shoot at 350 - 400 meters. However, for a number of reasons, he did not fully suit the military, and in 1964, Honeywell Corporation patented the design of the Mk18 (Mark 18) grenade launcher.

Remembering, the company used the idea of ​​​​a split shutter. Shooting was carried out by rotating the handle located on the right. The rate depended on the strength of the shooter and did not exceed 250 shots / min. Weighed a 40 × 46 caliber grenade launcher without ammunition 8.6 kg and could effectively shoot at 375 m.

The advantage of the Mk18 was the use of grenades, as in the M-79, as well as cheapness and simplicity. They released approximately 1200 pieces. This grenade launcher was the forerunner of the fully automatic Mk. 19.

In the Soviet Union, the military took into account the experience of the Americans and in 1967, in OKB-16, where A. E. Nudelman became the head instead of Ya. G. Taubin, they instructed Alexander Fedorovich Kornyakov to develop a new automatic grenade launcher. The designer did it in a year.

Copyright certificate No. 44547 was issued to A. F. Kornyakov and V. Ya. Nemenov. Three years were spent on the preparatory work and the organization of production at the Molot enterprise in Vyatskiye Polyany. Since 1971, the product 6G11, such a GRAU index was received by the AGS-17 "Flame", entered the troops.

Modifications AGS-17 "Flame"

Automatic grenade launcher has modifications:

• AGS-17 "Flame" - On a tripod SAG-17 is supplied to motorized rifle units;
• AP-30 "Plamya-A" - aviation, the second name is AG-17A, in 1968 it was developed for the Mi-24 helicopter. It is equipped with an electric trigger, a shot counter, with a rifling pitch reduced to 600 mm and a rate of fire increased to 500 rounds / minute;
• AG-17D, designed for installation in the embrasures of armored vehicles, first used on BMD and BTR-D;
• AG-17M - for installation in turrets and tower installations small ships and boats, also installed in the BMP-3;
• KBA-117 - created by the Ukrainian design bureau " Artillery armament» for boats and armored personnel carriers.

Ammunition

The development of shots for the AGS-17 at the end of the 60s of the last century was carried out by Design Bureau "Pribor" in Sverdlovsk (now LLC "Design and Production Enterprise" Design Bureau "Pribor" in Yekaterinburg).

Shot VOG-17 (VOG-17A) with fragmentation grenade 7P36 was upgraded very quickly. The new ammunition was named VOG-17M with a VMG-M fuse.

The fuse differs from the original version in its instantaneous action and the possibility of self-destruction.

The VOG-17M shot has an increased damage by fragments certain form and mass caused by corrugation of the inner side of the case.

The tightness of the charge packaging allows the shot not to be afraid of any climatic conditions.

For training, special shots were made with the marking VUS-17 and a red stripe on the body (in the figure on the right). The location of the fall of the non-fragmentation grenade can be determined by the orange smoke. Two types of such grenades are produced: with two holes and without them.

In the mid-80s, Pribor State Research and Production Enterprise developed a special ammunition for the AP-30 caliber 30 mm - VOG-30. The method of volumetric cold deformation of the hull made it possible to make the fragmentation damage more powerful and to abandon the fragmentation jacket. The area affected by such a shot is 110 m².

Special attention should be paid to the 30-mm shot created at the beginning of the century at Design and Production Enterprise KB Pribor LLC latest generation GPD-30.

An increase in the firing range to 2100 meters was helped by a decrease drag. The area affected by the new grenade is 130.5 m².

Design

Grenades are served with a metal band folded into a box. Three pieces of tape of ten grenades are connected with a shot, but the first link is left free. It is necessary for loading.

When cocked, one link advances and the shot comes from the second. You can stuff the tape both manually and with a special machine, which is attached to the packing box.

For shooting, the box is inserted on the right. The grenade launcher itself is mounted on the SAG-17 machine tool (automatic grenade launcher machine). When moving, the machine carries the second number folded.

For aiming there is a rear sight and a front sight. It is possible to use the PAG-17 optical sight.

Without an optical sight, it is possible to fire up to 700 meters.

The AGS-17 is controlled by two handles and a trigger between them. Handles can be folded. The trigger mechanism is designed for firing at high (up to 400 rpm) and low (50 -100 rpm) rates. A single fire is also provided. Tempo translator on the left side of the case.

In the original version, an aluminum radiator was used to cool the barrel. In the early 90s, they began to produce a barrel without it, but with ribs in thickened walls.

TTX AGS-17

Combat use

1979 was the year of the first test of a grenade launcher in real combat. During the clash on the Vietnamese-Chinese border, he showed himself from the very better side. The Vietnamese soldiers fired at large concentrations of manpower and squares, thereby inflicting enormous damage on the attackers.

The war in Afghanistan showed everything strengths grenade launcher. It was then that the most optimal burst length was determined by real shooting at real targets - 3-5 shots.

Having welded the AGS-17 machine to the armor of an armored personnel carrier or infantry fighting vehicle, the calculation sharply increased the efficiency of fire.

Also, the expediency of sharing a grenade launcher with a machine gun was revealed by soldiers and officers in that war. Some have applied this principle.

In the fifth decade of its existence, the grenade launcher has not lost its relevance, as evidenced by its active use by Syrian government forces against ISIS.

In the Armed Forces of Russia, the AGS-17 Plamya continues to be the main automatic grenade launcher in grenade launcher platoons of motorized rifle battalions.

Comparison of AGS-17 and Mark-19 (Mk-19)

Unlike the American Mark-19 (aka Mk-19), our grenade launcher has a 10 mm smaller caliber, an initial speed inferior to the American one (185 m / s and 240 m / s), a smaller number of different ammunition (fragmentation-armor-piercing M430, fragmentation M383 and M384, practical M385 and M385E4 against only fragmentation in our country).

However, this is all offset by a relatively low weight (31 kg with the machine we have - 55.3 kg with them). This greatly increases mobility.

The rate of fire of our grenade launcher is also higher (350-400 rounds / min for us, 325-375 for them), in addition, our AGS-17 can change the rate of fire. Another undoubted advantage of the "Flame" is its simplicity and unpretentiousness.

Continued development

Work on the creation of new automatic grenade launchers did not stop. Refusing to modernize the existing ones, they immediately began to create a completely new design.

Since 1980, VN Telesh has been developing the idea of ​​a new automatic grenade launcher. By the beginning of the 90s, the scheme of the TKB-0134 grenade launcher complex with the funny name "Kozlik" was ready. It was not launched into the series, but began to be used as the basic design of the next model. The result was shown at IDEX-2013 in the United Arab Emirates.

creative work V. N. Telesha, Yu. P. Galkin and Yu. V. Lebedev was named under the index GRAU 6G27. Caliber "Balkan" 40 mm. Weight with the machine - 32 kg, rate of fire - 400 shots / min. The initial speed of the grenade is 225 m / s.

The 7P39 caseless grenade can fly 2500 meters.

Such a grenade with a two-chamber ballistic engine is equipped with a large amount of explosive and, accordingly, is twice as effective.

A small batch of new Balkans sent to the troops is undergoing a comprehensive check. But it is already clear that this complex surpasses all foreign samples in all respects.

Video

A story about the best automatic grenade launchers would be incomplete without mentioning Russian weapons. At one time, the Soviet automatic easel grenade launcher AGS-17 "Flame" distributed all over the world in huge circulations. This model was in service with the armies of most countries of the post-Soviet space, as well as the DPRK, India, Serbia, Cuba, Iran, Finland and other states. The successor to the famous automatic grenade launcher is the second-generation Russian automatic grenade launcher AGS-30.

AGS-30- This is the development of specialists from the famous in our country and in the world Instrument Design Bureau (KBP) from Tula. It was created in the first half of the 90s of the last century. The grenade launcher was put into service in 1995.

Like its foreign "colleagues", this grenade launcher is designed for direct fire support of infantry, airborne units and army special forces units directly on the battlefield. AGS-30 can easily cope with enemy manpower and various types of unarmored vehicles located in open positions, including in trenches and open trenches, and it can also be used to effectively hit the enemy hiding on the reverse slopes of heights or in terrain folds.

In the army Russian Federation AGS-30 replaced the Soviet automatic grenade launcher AGS-17 "Flame", which was created in the late 1960s and in 1971 was officially adopted by the Soviet Army. Serial production of a new 30-mm automatic grenade launcher for a 30x29 mm grenade launcher was carried out in Kirov region at the Vyatka-Polyansky machine-building plant "Hammer".

The development of the grenade launcher began after the Soviet Union received a sufficient amount of intelligence information and data on the use similar weapons Americans in Vietnam. Exactly on Vietnam War came the combat debut of the 40-mm automatic grenade launcher Mk.19 mod.0. At the same time, the West, without much enthusiasm, perceived the information that the Soviet motorized rifle units in the 1970s began to massively receive automatic grenade launchers AGS-17. The full-fledged combat debut of this Soviet weapon novelty fell on the Afghan war.

AGS-17 in Afghanistan

Despite the fact that the novelty from the Tula gunsmiths satisfied the needs of the military, the automatic grenade launcher had its obvious drawbacks. The main one was its weight, which limited the mobility of the calculation and the mobility of grenade launchers in combat conditions. It was the tasks of weight loss that were considered as priorities in the modernization of generally successful weapons. The work that began in the second half of the 1980s logically ended in 1995, when the new AGS-30 automatic heavy grenade launcher was adopted by the Russian army, which, according to the assurances of KBP representatives, stands out among competitors with a record low mass along with the machine.

Indeed, the second-generation AGS-30 automatic grenade launcher, together with the machine, weighs only 16.5 kg (without a sight and a box with shots), which makes it more mobile and more efficient in real combat conditions. By reducing the body weight of the grenade launcher and the machine, it became possible to transport it with just one calculation number. small dimensions, light weight, a specially designed tripod machine design is what provides the grenade launcher not only high level mobility and the ability to quickly change the calculation of the firing position, but also the secrecy of placing a grenade launcher on the ground.

If necessary, the shooter can easily independently move the grenade launcher in a combat position to a new position and immediately open fire, this is especially important when conducting maneuverable street battles to provide constant fire support for advanced units.

As the developers note, the reduction in the mass of the complex did not entail any deterioration in performance, the grenade launcher only became more convenient and easier to operate. The light tripod machine developed for it makes it possible to achieve good stability of the weapon when firing from any ground, which makes it possible to effectively use the grenade launcher when firing at the enemy, even from unprepared positions.

On the tripod machine itself, the designers placed the mechanisms responsible for the vertical and horizontal guidance of the weapon. Fire control from the AGS-30 is carried out using two horizontal handles and a trigger. The cocking of the grenade launcher is carried out using a lever mechanism and is provided at all elevation angles of the weapon without changing the position of the shooter.

The key to the success of Russian weapons is often the simplicity of design. This statement is also true for the AGS-30 grenade launcher. The operation of its automation is based on the principle of using the recoil energy of a free shutter. The automatic grenade launcher is powered by a belt, 30x29 mm rounds are loaded into a cartridge belt, which is placed in a cartridge box, the latter is attached to the body of the grenade launcher on the right side of the receiver.

With intensive firing, the shooter can fire up to 180 shots without any consequences, after which rifled barrel the grenade launcher needs to be cooled, or it is being replaced with a spare barrel. Cooling of the barrel - air, if necessary, it is possible to cool the barrel by dousing it with water.

Standard sights AGS-30 optical and mechanical, it is the PAG-17 optical sight with a magnification of 2.7 that is most often used for firing. The field of view of the sight is 12 degrees, to improve work at night, the sight scale is illuminated. An optical sight, which is suitable for firing at long distances, is mounted on the receiver of the grenade launcher on its left side. In addition, for conducting aimed fire from weapons in the absence of optical visibility, as well as for monitoring the situation and the battlefield with the AGS-30, a radar sight can be used.

For firing from the AGS-30 grenade launcher, the crew can use both ammunition from the previous grenade launcher - VOG-17 and VOG-17M, as well as new VOG-30 and GPD-30 grenades specially designed for it, which are distinguished by increased combat effectiveness. New shots are certainly an important feature of this grenade launcher system.

The second generation VOG-30 grenade was created by the specialists of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise FSPC "Pribor". The production technology of the body of the new ammunition, which uses the method of deformation in the cold state, allows you to form a grid of semi-finished striking elements of a rectangular shape on inner surface grenades. According to the assurances of the developers, the use of a new design of the grenade body makes it possible to press explosives directly into the body of the ammunition, increasing the filling factor by 1.1 times. At the same time, in aggregate, the effective fragmentation area was increased by more than 1.5 times compared to first-generation ammunition, including the standard NATO fragmentation ammunition M384 caliber 40x53 mm. With a shot mass of 350 grams, VOG-30 provides an effective area of ​​destruction of 110 square meters.

Automatic mounted grenade launcher of the second generation AGS-30

Especially for the AGS-30 automatic grenade launcher, a high-explosive fragmentation round GPD-30 of increased efficiency was created, this grenade has a slightly lower mass - 340 grams, but at the same time, the area of ​​​​fragmentation of targets was brought to 130.5 square meters.

The designers successfully solved the problem of increasing the area of ​​fragmentation damage to enemy infantry, including in bulletproof vests, modern helmets and other personal protective equipment, in a comprehensive manner due to the optimization of the average mass of fragments formed during the explosion, increasing the angles and speed of their expansion, using explosives in ammunition in a larger volume and with a more pronounced high-explosive effect. At the same time, the drag coefficient of the grenade and its ballistic coefficient were significantly improved (reduced by 1.8 times). This made it possible to bring the maximum firing range to the required 2200 meters (for VOG-17 and VOG-30 shots - no more than 1700 meters). At the same time, it was also possible to achieve an increase in the accuracy of fire at once by 1.4 times both in range and in lateral deviation.

Both types of shots are equipped with reliable instantaneous head fuses. The fuses are responsible for the guaranteed operation of ammunition when they encounter any obstacles, including those on the water surface and on snow. For the safety of the shooter, all VOG grenades are cocked at a distance of 10-60 meters from the muzzle of the AGS-30.

Compared to the grenade launcher previous generation AGS-17, the new AGS-30 automatic grenade launcher has really been significantly built. AGS-17, together with the machine, weighed almost twice as much - 30 kg. In this regard, the Russian easel automatic grenade launcher is really unique. But here we should not forget that all modern automatic grenade launchers in service with NATO countries are designed for more powerful ammunition - 40x53 mm.

This standardized grenade is produced today in at least 12 countries around the world. At the same time, the most advanced American-made automatic weighs 41 kg with a machine tool and an aiming system, it is at least twice as heavy as an AGS-30 with a machine tool, but at the same time it has great power (compared to VOG-17 and VOG-17M ammunition) and large a variety of shots, which additionally includes not only armor-piercing grenades, which allow hitting lightly armored targets, but also modern programmable ammunition with remote detonation in the air.

Advantages of the GPD-30 shot over the VOG-30

At the same time, the 40-mm automatic grenade launcher itself could have appeared in the USSR even before the start of World War II. Prototypes magazine-fed automatic grenade launcher (for 5 shots) designed by Yakov Grigoryevich Taubin was tested in the second half of the 1930s. For firing, grenades of 40.8 mm caliber were used, created on the basis of a regular rifle grenade of the Dyakonov system.

Of the positive aspects during the tests, the military singled out the fact that at a distance of 1100-1200 meters such a grenade provided coverage with fragments of two recumbent and six standing targets at once. At the same time, 2-3 lethal fragments hit each of the targets. On this, the positive moments from acquaintance with the miracle weapon ended. The automatic grenade launcher was crude, not reliable enough, gave very frequent misfires, which caused rejection by the leadership of the Red Army.

In fairness, it is worth noting that the level of Soviet industry of the late 1930s would hardly have allowed such weapons to be brought to mind and put into series. It is no coincidence that in the United States the first automatic grenade launchers appeared only 30 years later, while humanity was already flying into space and the level of development of industrial production was at a completely different level.

At the same time, Russia has its own 40-mm automatic grenade launcher, which was developed by the specialists of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise GNPP "Pribor". The weapon has gone through a difficult and painful development path, work has been underway since the early 1990s. The model is produced in small batches, but was never officially adopted.

The use of new 40-mm caseless ammunition allowed the designers to achieve a maximum firing range of up to 2500 meters, while, according to the developers, the efficiency of hitting targets using the new grenade launcher system is twice as high as the existing AGS-17 "Flame" and AGS-30 systems.

If we talk about the weight of the new automatic grenade launcher, then it is comparable to foreign counterparts: the body of the grenade launcher with a sight and a tripod is 32 kg, a box for 20 shots is 14 kg. It remains only to hope that soon the line of Russian automatic grenade launchers in service will be replenished with the AGS-40 model. In the meantime, the military, apparently, is fully satisfied with the existing grenade launcher systems.

Automatic mounted grenade launcher of the second generation AGS-30

Tactical and technical characteristics of AGS-30:
Caliber - 30 mm.
Grenade - 30x29 mm.
Overall dimensions (with tripod machine) - 1165x735x490 mm.
Weight without cartridge box and sight - 16.5 kg.
The rate of fire is up to 400 rds / min.
The initial speed of the grenade is 185 m / s.
Cartridge capacity - 30 shots.
Sighting range - up to 1700 m (shots VOG-17, VOG-17M and VOG-30), up to 2200 m (shots GPD-30).
Calculation - 2 people.

Aerogamma shooting aerial Dictionaries: S. Fadeev. Dictionary of abbreviations of the modern Russian language. S. Pb.: Polytechnic, 1997. 527 p., New dictionary abbreviations of the Russian language, M .: ETS, 1995. AGS aviation sonar station aviation Dictionaries: S. Fadeev ... Dictionary of abbreviations and abbreviations

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