RPG-2

RPG-2 with PG-2 rocket - 40mm

The RPG-2 (Russian: РПГ-2, Ручной противотанковый гранатомёт, Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot; English: "manually operated antitank grenade launcher") is a Soviet shoulder-fired rocket launcher, the forerunner to the ubiquitous RPG-7. It is the successor to the earlier, unsuccessful RPG-1. Introduced in 1954, it, like the RPG-1, is based on Soviet studies of the German Panzerfaust and American Bazooka rocket launchers. While light and compact enough to be comfortably used by a single person, in practice, at least two people were needed to operate the weapon at maximum effectiveness.

Its low cost and simplicity lead to the RPG-2 being widely produced by the Soviet Union and exported, with other nations producing licensed copies of the launcher. Copies have been produced in China under the designation Type 56, (not to be confused with the Norinco Type 56 Carbine, Norinco Type 56 assault rifle, or the Norinco Type 56 light machine gun), Vietnam as the B40 and B50, Somalia, Yugoslavia as the M57, and Czechoslovakia as the P-27. The RPG-2 was extensively used against US forces during the Vietnam War and saw use throughout Cold War conflicts like the Nigerian Civil War, Rhodesian Bush War, Portuguese Colonial War, Salvadoran Civil War, Lebanese Civil War, and Somali Civil War. The launcher was produced until 1960, when concerns over short effective range and poor accuracy led to the introduction of the RPG-7 in 1961. Despite the RPG-7 being the launcher arguably most associated with modern warfare, the RPG-2 continues to see service, with recorded use as recently as the Syrian Civil War, Iraqi Civil War of 2014-2017, and Battle of Marawi.

Specifications

• Weight: 2.83 kg (6.24 lb) (unarmed)
• 4.67 kg (10.3 lb) (ready to fire)
• Length: 650 mm (25.6 in)
• Crew: 2 including:
• Grenadier: (carries the launcher with three grenades in special backpack)
• Assistant (armed with assault rifle and carries three more grenades)
• Shell: PG-2 HEAT round (with RCL-type launch)
• Caliber: 40 mm barrel
• 82mm warhead
• Rate of fire: 3 - 4 rounds per minute
• Effective range: 100 - 150 m
• Maximum range: 199.95 m
• Year: 1954

The RPG-2 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Raiders of the Lost Ark	Harrison Ford	Indiana Jones	modified as a German anti-tank weapon	1981
The Killing Fields		Khmer Rouge soldiers		1984
The Park is Mine	Peter Langley	Oscar Verdanken	With custom cloth strip camouflage and fake PG-7V rocket	1985
Platoon		NVA soldier		1986
Forrest Gump		NVA soldiers		1994
The Pest	Edoardo Ballerini	Himmel Shank	With fake PG-7V rocket	1997
We Were Soldiers		NVA soldier		2002
Battle Royale II: Requiem		Wild Seven member		2003
Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan		Vietcong soldier		2019

Television

Show Title / Episode	Actor	Character	Note	Air Date
The Professionals	.	Terrorists	.	1977-1981
Ultimate Weapons / Firepower			archive footage	2010

Video Games

Game Title	Referred as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Battlefield: Vietnam				2004
The Stalin Subway			Anachronistic.	2005
Shellshock 2: Blood Trails				2009
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker				2010
Karma Online				2011