RPG-18 Mukha
The RPG-18 Mukha is a Soviet short-range, disposable light anti-tank rocket launcher designed in 1972, based on the American M72 LAW. The RPG-18 has been in service in over 20 conflicts and used by over 20 armed forces across the world.
Also recorded as RPG18 · RPG-18 · Mukha
RPG-18 Mukha
From: http: Source ORDATA a US government ordnance database. · Public domain
- Name
- RPG-18
- Field
- rocket-propelled grenade
- Region
- Soviet Union
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q689051
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — RPG-18 • Origin — Soviet Union • Type — Rocket-propelled grenade • Is Ranged — yes • Is Explosive — yes • Is Artillery — yes • Service — 1972–present • Used By — See users • Wars — Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Laotian Civil War Sino-Vietnamese War Cambodian–Vietnamese War Third Indochina War Soviet–Afghan War Salvadoran Civil War Gulf War First Nagorno-Karabakh War Tajikistani Civil War First Chechen War Congo Civil War Second Chechen War War in Afghanistan Iraq War Russo-Georgian War Kivu conflict Syrian civil war Russo-Ukrainian War • Design Date — 1972 • Manufacturer — Bazalt (Soviet Union) VEB Mechanische Werkstätten (East Germany) • Production Date — 1972-1990 (Soviet Union) 1978-1989 (East Germany • Weight — 1.4 kg (projectile) 2.6 kg (loaded) • Length — 705 mm (unarmed) 1,050 mm (ready to fire) • Crew — 1 • Cartridge — PG-18 HEAT • Caliber — 64 mm • Rate — Single shot • Velocity — 115 m/s • Range — 100-150m • Max Range — 200m • Sights — Mechanical flip-up sight
History
History
• Illustration — RPG-18 (bottom) with comparable Soviet/Russian rocket launchers • Illustration — An RPG-18 attached to a drone The RPG-18 is very similar to the US M72-series LAW anti-tank rocket launcher, with captured examples during the Vietnam War likely being sent to the Soviet Union. The RPG-18 has been succeeded by the RPG-22, a very similar design with a larger warhead.
Users
Users
* * * * • Chad • Congo • Georgia * • Flag of al-Qassam Brigades.svg Hamas • Iraq Iraqi insurgents • Islamic State * * * • Transnistria • Panama * * • Flag of Syria (2025-).svg Free Syrian Army * * * *
Former users
Former users
• Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Chechen Republic of Ichkeria • Flagge FDLR.svg Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda • Donetsk People's Republic: Used by DPR forces during the War in Donbas and the Russian invasion of Ukraine before their annexation by Russia in November 2022. • Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) * •: Sandinista Popular Army •: Passed on to successor states. • Real Irish Republican Army
General
General
• Jones, Richard. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2005–06. Coulsdon: Jane's, 2005..
Places
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Places
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Soviet Union
Country
RPG-18 Mukha is associated with Soviet Union.
Country
Description
The RPG-18 fires a 64 mm PG-18 high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead mounted on a small rocket able to engage targets within 200 meters. The warhead self-destructs six seconds after launch, placing a limit on range even if a sight was used that was effective with targets beyond 200 meters. The RPG-18 can penetrate up to 300 mm of conventional vehicle armor (RHA); up to 500 mm of reinforced concrete; and up to 1,000 mm of brickwork. However, performance is significantly lessened when the RPG-18 is used against targets protected by HEAT-resistant explosive reactive armour (ERA) or composite armor. Unlike similar weapons, the RPG-18 requires only one operator as it is not reloadable.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article RPG-18, revision 1343329596 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Campbell, David. Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89. Osprey Publishing. 62. 30 Nov 2017. 9781472817648.
- 2.RPG-18 Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher MilitaryToday.com. www.militarytoday.com.
- 3.Rottman, Gordon L. The Rocket Propelled Grenade. Bloomsbury. 2011-03-15. 9781849081542.
- 4.RPG-18 Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher MilitaryToday.com. www.militarytoday.com.
- 5.RPG-18 (Mukha) Disposable Lightweight Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW). www.militaryfactory.com. March 29, 2022.
- 6.RPG-18 Mukha Russian Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher. odin.tradoc.army.mil.
- 7.RPG-18 Mukha. Weaponsystems.net.
- 8.Bhatia, Michael Vinai. Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society. Routledge. 66. May 2008. 978-0-415-45308-0.
- 9.Small Arms Survey. Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied. Oxford University Press. 267. 2003. 0199251754.
- 10.Small Arms Survey. Politics From The Barrel of a Gun. Cambridge University Press. 40. 1998.
- 11.Α-Τ RPG-18. army.gr.
- 12.Khalili, Moriah. Covert Attempts to Smuggle Weapons by Hamas. Jerusalem Institute of Justice. July 27, 2017.
- 13.Small Arms Survey. Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. 324. 2012. 978-0-521-19714-4.
- 14.Conflict Armament Research. Weapons of the Islamic State. 184. 2017.
- 15.List of equipment of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Wikipedia. 2024-11-17.
- 16.Маленькая и малобоеспособная Еженедельник «Военно-промышленный курьер». vpk-news.ru.
- 17.Montes, Julio A. Portable Anti-Tank Weapons in Mexico & the Northern Central American Triangle. Small Arms Defense Journal. 7. 1. 8 May 2015.
- 18.Research, Conflict Armament. WEAPONS OF THE ISLAMIC STATE. Conflict Armament Research. December 2017.
- 19.Special Operations Forces Soldiers hit enemy BMP-2 with RPG. Militarnyi. 7 June 2022.
- 20.The Armourer's Bench. Ukrainian Training Videos: RPG-18 (Now With Translation). 2022-03-30.
- 21.Babchenko, Arkady. One Soldier's War. Publishers Group West. 9, 101, 157. 2006. 978-0-8021-4403-4.
- 22.Small Arms Survey. Small Arms Survey 2015: weapons and the world. Cambridge University Press. 203. 2015.
- 23.Ferguson, Jonathan. Raising Red Flags: An Examination of Arms & Munitions in the Ongoing Conflict in Ukraine, 2014. Armament Research Services. 48. November 2014. 978-0-9924624-3-7.
- 24."Kampfschwimmerkommando (KSK-18): Bojoví plavci východního Německa" (in Czech). Army Web. 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- 25.Real IRA arms purchasing in Croatia indicates a change of tactics - Jane's Security News. 2006-06-24.
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Broader subject
1- rocket-propelled grenadeTerminology
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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