Engineering:AGS-17
AGS-17 Plamya | |
---|---|
![]() AGS-17 mounted on tripod. | |
Type | Automatic grenade launcher |
Place of origin | Soviet Union |
Service history | |
In service | 1970–present |
Used by | See Users |
Wars |
|
Production history | |
Designer | KB Tochmash |
Designed | 1967 |
Manufacturer | Molot Plant |
Produced | 1967 |
Variants | AG-17A helicopter-mounted version |
Specifications | |
Mass | 31 kg |
Length | 840 mm |
Cartridge | 30×29mm grenade (ru) |
Calibre | 30 mm |
Action | Blowback |
Rate of fire | 400 round/min |
Muzzle velocity | 185 m/s |
Effective firing range | 800 to 1,700 m |
Feed system | 29 grenades belt |
Sights | Adjustable iron sights, optional mount required for optical sights |
The AGS-17 Plamya[8] (Russian: Пламя; Flame) is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher in service worldwide.
Description
The AGS-17 is a heavy infantry support weapon designed to operate from a tripod or mounted on an installation or vehicle. The AGS-17 fires 30 mm grenades in either direct or indirect fire to provide suppressive and lethal fire support against soft-skinned or fortified targets.
The weapon uses a blowback mechanism to sustain operation. Rounds are fired through a removable (to reduce barrel stress) rifled barrel.
The standard metal ammunition drum contains 29 linked rounds.[9][10]
The tripod is equipped with fine levelling gear for indirect fire trajectories.
Development
Development of the AGS-17 (Avtomaticheskiy Granatomyot Stankovyi—Automatic Grenade launcher, Mounted) started in the USSR in 1965 by the OKB-16 design bureau (now known as the KB Tochmash), under the leadership of Alexander F. Kornyakov.[11]
This lightweight weapon was to provide infantry with close to medium range fire support against enemy personnel and unarmored targets, like trucks, half-tracks, jeeps and sandbag-protected machine-gun nests. The first prototypes of the new weapon entered trials in 1969, with mass production commencing in 1971.[11] The AGS-17 was widely operated and well-liked by Soviet troops in Afghanistan as a ground support weapon or as a vehicle weapon on improvised mounts installed on armoured personnel carriers and trucks.[1]
A special airborne version of the AGS-17, the AG-17A, was developed for installation on helicopters, including the Mi-24 Hind in gun pods and the Mil Mi-8 on door mounts. This weapon had a thick aluminium jacket on the barrel and used a special mount and an electric remotely controlled trigger.[11][12]
It is still in use with the Russian army as a direct fire support weapon for infantry troops; it is also installed in several vehicle mounts and turrets along with machine guns, guided rocket launchers and sighting equipment. It is being replaced by the AGS-30 launcher, which fires the same ammunition, but weighs only 16 kg unloaded on the tripod and has an upgraded blowback action.
Variants
- AG-17A - remotely controlled aircraft-mounted version with an electric trigger mechanism.
- AGS-17D - remotely controlled vehicle-mounted version with an electric trigger mechanism.
RGSh-30
Ukrainian company Precision Systems developed a miniaturized handheld version of AGS-17 called RGSh-30[13] "in order to create a grenade launcher that could respond to the needs of Ukrainian units and special forces operating in the Donbas". RGSh-30 is designed to disable armored vehicles.[14][15][16] that can be carried like an assault rifle. RGSh-30 uses magazines with five 30mm VOG-17 grenades.
Precision Systems plans to develop versions using 20mm, 25mm, and 40mm grenades.
Ammunition
The AGS-17 fires 30×29 mm (ru) belted cartridges with a steel cartridge case.[17] Two types of ammunition are commonly fired from the AGS-17. The VOG-17M is the version of the original 30 mm grenade ammunition, which is currently available and has a basic high explosive fragmentation warhead. The VOG-30 is similar, but contains a better explosive filling and an enhanced fragmentation design that greatly increases the effective blast radius. New improved VOG-30D grenade was taken into service in 2013 for use with AGS-17 and AGS-30 grenade launchers.[18][19] It was ordered by the Russian Defense Ministry in August 2023.[20] The same month, the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine begun to receive VOG-17 grenades, factory modified for use by commercial drones.[21]
The Bulgarian weapons manufacturer Arcus produces AR-ROG hand grenades based on VOG-17 cartridges and UZRGM (ru) (Russian: УЗРГМ), which is also a Soviet design of fuse.[22] Similar improvised grenades are known as "khattabkas".[23]
- VOG-17M (HE)
- IO-30 (HE)
- IO-30TP (Practice)
- VOG-30 (HE)
- VOG-30D (HE)
- VUS-30 (Smoke)
Users
Current
Afghanistan[24]
Angola[24][2]
Azerbaijan[25][26]
Bulgaria – a modernized version, the AGL-30M, produced locally by Arsenal AD[27]
Chad[24]
China – produced by Norinco based on captured examples from Mujahideen groups.[28][24][29]
Cuba[24]
Czech Republic
Ecuador: Used during Cenepa war 1995.[30]
Georgia[31]
Iraq – produced under license[24][29]
Islamic State[32]
Ivory Coast[33]
Montenegro – designated the M93[24]
Mozambique[24]
Myanmar[34]
Nicaragua[24]
North Korea[35]
Russia[24]
Serbia – designated the M93[24] Produced under license.[36]
Sierra Leone[37]
Slovakia[38]
Somalia[24]
Sudan: used by the Sudanese Armed Forces, some captured by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North[4]
Syria[39]
Turkey[40]
Vietnam – Made under license in Z125 Factory.[41][42] Known under the Vietnamese industrial name of SPL-17.[43]
Former
Czechoslovakia[44]
Finland – designated 30 KrKK AGS-17, replaced by the HK GMG in 2005[45]
Latvia – used in the 1990s, now replaced by the HK GMG[24]
Soviet Union – passed on to successor states
See also
- AGS-30, first successor
- AGS‑40 Balkan, second successor using caseless high-explosive 40mm 7P39 grenades.
- Daewoo Precision Industries K4, South Korean 40 mm grenade launcher
- GA-40 similar weapon (in Polish)
- HK GMG, similar weapon
- Howa Type 96, similar weapon
- Milkor MGL, another South African 40 mm grenade launcher
- Mk 19 grenade launcher, similar weapon
- SB LAG 40
- Type 87 grenade launcher, used by the People's Liberation Army
- Vektor Y3 AGL
- XM174 grenade launcher, similar weapon
References
- Koll, Christian (2009). Soviet Cannon: A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm. Austria: Koll. p. 239. ISBN 978-3-200-01445-9. http://www.russianammo.org.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "AGS-17 en Afghanistan" (in fr). Encyclopédie des armes : Les forces armées du monde. IX. Atlas. 1986. pp. 2017–2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 André Du Pisani (1988). Beyond the Barracks: Reflections on the Role of the SADF in the Region. The South African Institute of International Affairs. p. 12. ISBN 9780908371600. https://books.google.com/books?id=lnMxAAAAIAAJ&q=AGS-17. "Near Cuvelai and Cahama the SADF for the first time encountered the considerable firepower of the Soviet-made 30mm AGS-17 grenade launcher [during Operation Askari] - its first use outside the Afghanistan theatre."
- ↑ de Tessières 2012, p. 74.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gramizzi, Claudio; Tubiana, Jérôme (March 2013). New war, old enemies: Conflict dynamics in South Kordofan. HSBA Working Paper 29. Small Arms Survey. p. 34. ISBN 978-2-9700856-2-1. http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/fileadmin/docs/working-papers/HSBA-WP29-S.Kordofan.pdf. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
- ↑ "Syrie: comment al-Qaïda reprend pied en zone djihadiste" (in fr). 28 June 2018. http://www.francesoir.fr/en-coop-matteo-puxton/syrie-comment-al-qaida-reprend-pied-en-zone-djihadiste.
- ↑ "- YouTube". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYVaXi9QhUw.
- ↑ "- YouTube". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHH5Ith4g7g.
- ↑ "Grenade Launchers and their Ammunition: International Developments". http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=2944.
- ↑ "AGS-17 Automatic Grenade Launcher". Military Today. http://www.military-today.com/firearms/ags_17.htm.
- ↑ "AGS-17". Modern Firearms. 28 October 2010. http://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/russia-grenade-launchers/ags-17-eng/.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Andrey Garavsky (2012). "Из искры разгорелось "Пламя"". Red Star. http://archive.redstar.ru/index.php/newspaper/item/5048-iz-iskryi-razgorelos-plamya. (in Russian)
- ↑ "History". http://kbtochmash.com/About-eng/hist-eng/.
- ↑ "Weapons: Semi-Automatic Grenade Launchers". https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/20161108.aspx.
- ↑ "Portable DESTRUCTION: Ukrainian Firm Develops Handheld Automatic Grenade Launcher -". 18 October 2016. http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2016/10/18/im-sorry-ukrainian-firm-develops-handheld-automatic-grenade-launcher/.
- ↑ "Ukrainian Firm Develops Handheld Automatic Grenade Launcher". 18 October 2016. https://www.richardcyoung.com/essential-news/ukrainian-firm-develops-handheld-automatic-grenade-launcher/.
- ↑ "Ukraine presents light grenade launcher for special forces in Donbas". https://www.unian.info/society/1579616-ukraine-presents-light-grenade-launcher-for-special-forces-in-donbas.html.
- ↑ "From 25mm to 30mm - the Russian Ammunition Page". http://russianammo.org/Russian_Ammunition_Page_30mm.html.
- ↑ "Tłumacz Google". https://translate.google.pl/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=pl&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fria.ru%2Farms%2F20161110%2F1481078425.html&edit-text=&act=url.
- ↑ "AGL-17 Automatic Grenade Launcher | Armaco JSC. Bulgaria". http://www.armaco.bg/en/product/automatic-grenade-launchers-c12/agl-17-automatic-grenade-launcher-p508.
- ↑ "Russian Defense Ministry awards $4.15 BLN worth contracts to defense industry companies". https://tass.com/defense/1661363.
- ↑ "ЦАМТО / / Российские войска на передовой начали получать заводские боеприпасы для применения с коммерческих коптеров". https://armstrade.org/includes/periodics/news/2023/0823/090074870/detail.shtml.
- ↑ "Arcus AR-ROG defensive hand grenade (Bulgaria), Grenades - Hand". http://articles.janes.com/articles/Janes-Infantry-Weapons/Arcus-AR-ROG-defensive-hand-grenade-Bulgaria.html.
- ↑ Boris Pribylov; Evgeny Kravchenko (2008) (in ru). Ручные и ружейные гранаты. Arktika 4D. p. 672. ISBN 978-5-902835-04-2.
- ↑ 24.00 24.01 24.02 24.03 24.04 24.05 24.06 24.07 24.08 24.09 24.10 24.11 24.12 Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). ISBN:978-0-7106-2869-5.
- ↑ "Azerbaijan fires AGS-17 grenade launcher at Nagorno Karabakh line of contact" (in en). https://armenpress.am/eng/news/862916.html.
- ↑ "Azerbaijani forces fire AGS-17 grenade launcher at north-eastern direction of NK line of contact" (in en). https://armenpress.am/eng/news/874537/eng/.
- ↑ 30 mm ARSENAL Automatic Grenade Launcher AGL-30M
- ↑ "Archived copy". http://www.armamentresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Arms-and-Munitions-Brief-No.-1-QLZ-87-Automatic-Grenade-Launcher.pdf.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 "A new generation of AGLs: within only a few decades the Automatic Grenade Launcher (AGL) has leapt from the concept stage to becoming a widely accepted and valued infantry support weapon, providing the foot soldier with a highly effective area fire suppression system.". http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+new+generation+of+AGLs%3A+within+only+a+few+decades+the+Automatic...-a086195789.
- ↑ "Algunas armas utilizadas en la guerra del Cenepa (1995)". 3 October 2012. https://aquellasarmasdeguerra.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/algunas-armas-utilizadas-en-la-guerra-del-cenepa-1995/.
- ↑ "Armament of the Georgian Army". http://geo-army.ge/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=9&lang=en.
- ↑ "Mourir pour le califat 116/" En vérité, ils seront noyés "-Wilayat al-Raqqa" (in fr). 27 September 2017. https://historicoblog4.blogspot.com/2017/09/mourir-pour-le-califat-116-en-verite.html.
- ↑ de Tessières, Savannah (April 2012) (in fr). Enquête nationale sur les armes légères et de petit calibre en Côte d'Ivoire: les défis du contrôle des armes et de la lutte contre la violence armée avant la crise post-électorale (Report). Special Report No. 14. UNDP, Commission Nationale de Lutte contre la Prolifération et la Circulation Illicite des Armes Légères et de Petit Calibre and Small Arms Survey. p. 97. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/C-Special-reports/SAS-SR14-CoteIvoire.pdf. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
- ↑ "南海点兵 | 缅甸陆军位列"中南半岛三强"之一,曾令泰国恐慌 - 三河新闻网". http://www.sanhenews.com/227720987_115427.
- ↑ US Department of Defense. "AGS-17 AUTOMATIC GRENADE LAUNCHER". North Korea Country Handbook 1997, Appendix A: Equipment Recognition. p. A-89. https://fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/nkor.pdf. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
- ↑ Small Arms Survey (2008). "Light Weapons: Products, Producers, and Proliferation". Small Arms Survey 2008: Risk and Resilience. Cambridge University Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-521-88040-4. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2008/en/Small-Arms-Survey-2008-Chapter-01-EN.pdf. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
- ↑ "World Infantry Weapons: Sierra Leone". 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_af_sierraleone.
- ↑ "Vcvikov tde v Prpore vcviku Martin". http://www.mil.sk/28065/vycvikovy-tyzden-v-prapore-vycviku-martin.php?pg=1.
- ↑ На границе Джобара и Замальки | At the border of Jobar and Zamalka. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- ↑ "Turkey ags". https://twitter.com/isozygio/status/1332416045987065859.
- ↑ "Việt Nam sản xuất súng bắn 400 phát/Phút, xa gần 2km - Vũ Khí - NetNews.vn". http://netnews.vn/Viet-Nam-san-xuat-sung-ban-400-phatphut-xa-gan-2km-quan-su-150-159-1180540.html.
- ↑ Vietnam made groove machine guns against the "wave people" (in Vietnamese)
- ↑ "Khám phá vũ khí đặc trưng của quân đội Việt Nam". July 2015. https://www.tienphong.vn/hanh-trang-nguoi-linh/kham-pha-vu-khi-dac-trung-cua-quan-doi-viet-nam-878513.tpo.
- ↑ "Tempête rouge sur l'Europe" (in fr). Batailles & Blindés (Caraktère) (52): 38–59. December 2012. ISSN 1765-0828.
- ↑ "Archived copy". http://hem.passagen.se/finnisharmyequipment/index2.htm.
External links
![]() | Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGS-17.
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