Automatic grenade launcher AGS-17

After the postulate "one shot - one hit" died under a squall of machine-gun fire during the battles of the First World War, the strengthening of the firepower of infantry units became the main task of weapons designers. And then, when the machine gun fully met the requirements of the military, domestic gunsmiths tried to create a completely new type of weapon - an automatic grenade launcher.

In 1935, the design bureau led by Yakov Grigorievich Taubin created the first automatic grenade launcher. He was tested in the Finnish war and received excellent reviews, however, in the series he was not allowed to run. Preference was given to small-caliber mortars.

For twenty-five years in the USSR, they forgot about automatic grenade launchers, but the successful use of such weapons in the Vietnam War and the events on the Chinese border of the late 1960s revived interest in them with particular force. Fortunately, the reserve, laid by Taubin, was not lost, but the case was continued by his student - Alexander Emmanuilovich Nudelman. In 1972 OKB-16 created an automatic grenade launcher AGS-17 "Flame".

AGS-17 became an integral and integral part of the army's armament. In a large number of local conflicts, it has established itself as a highly reliable and very effective weapon. The grenade launcher significantly increased the firepower of the infantry unit at the distances of the actual fire of small arms. Due to the steep flight path of the grenade, the AGS-17 was able to hit the enemy, hiding behind the terrain or in open defensive structures, and with efficiency similar to using a mortar.

The grenade launcher (together with the machine and sight) weighs only 31 kg, which is almost half that of foreign analogues. According to this parameter AGS-17 is close to the group designated as hand grenade launchers, that is, its weight allows maneuvering even one soldier with the product. The regular calculation is three people.

Automation works by free-wheeling a heavy shutter. Inside the shutter is a recoil hydraulic brake, slowing the cycle of automatic recharging, which significantly improves the accuracy of shooting. Also, the hydrobracket reduces the recoil (and thus stabilizes the weapon during the fire). Moreover, by changing the rate of flow of fluid in the hydraulic cylinders on the grenade launcher, the rate of fire can vary from 50 to 400 rounds per minute.

The range of aimed hinged shooting ranges from 1000 to 1700 meters, and direct-fire shooting - up to 700 meters. AGS-17 fires 30-mm shells VOG-17A or VOG-17M, developed in Design Bureau. Both cartridges weigh about 350 grams and have a radius of continuous damage of seven meters, the area, on which the fragments retain lethal force, is 70 square meters.

In Afghanistan, Chechnya and in many other local conflicts, the AGS-17 Flame showed itself to be a very reliable and effective weapon for supporting infantry. The troops appreciated the grenade launcher for the high accuracy of fire, mobility, ease of maintenance and trouble-free operation in combat. In addition to the wearable version, the grenade launcher was used and used in aviation and armored vehicles. It is armed with a large number of countries.

In 2002, the armament of the Russian army received an even more advanced automatic grenade launcher AGS-30. With all the other excellent characteristics, this grenade launcher has a mass (with the machine) of only 16 kg, which is comparable to the weight of a hand grenade launcher or machine gun (the RPG-7 hand grenade launcher weighs 12.4 kg and the single Pecheneg - 12.7 kg) .