By Shane Speck
Speck, Shane. "How Rocket-Propelled Grenades Work." 11 March 2004. HowStuffWorks.com. 26 February 2010.
At its core, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) can be thought of as something like a rocket-mortar hybrid. It's an explosive, projectile weapon consisting of a grenade along with a launching device. In many cases, this launcher can be reloaded, which reduces the overall cost of the RPG, but at the expense of increased weight.
The launcher is essentially a tube that rests on an operator's shoulder. This tube is open at both ends, and a projectile with a small rocket engine is affixed to the front end. Firing usually involves a trigger mechanism used to activate the grenade's rocket engine. A brief, high-powered burst of ignited gases launches the grenade a short distance, between 500 to 1,000 feet, depending on the target and the skill of the operator. The projectile travels toward a target and usually explodes upon impact. Some modern grenades use an electronic fuze system that causes detonation after a particular time-span has elapsed.
Most RPGs follow this basic operational design, although different models feature various refinements and modifications. Some are designed to be most effective against troops; others work well against armored vehicles and tanks, launching high explosive anti-tank projectiles.
Although over forty years have passed since the 1961 introduction of the RPG, the rocket-propelled grenade remains one of the most common and effective infantry weapons currently in use. Rugged and simple, suitable for downing helicopters, disabling tanks or attacking buildings at close range, in the hands of a skilled operator, the RPG is a lethal and versatile weapon that will remain popular for some time.
Lighter weapons with greater range and destructive capability are always being developed, and there may even be the possibility of automatic or semi-automatic rocket-propelled grenade systems. Laser guidance systems, while expensive, would greatly increase accuracy. An encoded laser could be trained on a target, providing reference information to the rocket and allowing it to make in-flight trajectory corrections. Other systems may use GPS satellite technology.
