In response, the German rushed to create an upgraded version of these early anti-armor rifles, the Tankgewehr M1918, the first anti-tank rifle. Mark IV tanks, however, had slightly thicker armor.

The very first tanks, the British Mark I, could be penetrated by these weapons under the right conditions. This led to some isolated experiments with higher caliber rifles, similar to elephant guns, using armor-piercing ammunition.

The static nature of trench warfare in World War I encouraged the use of shielded defenses, even including personal armor, that were impenetrable by standard rifle ammunition. The term 'rocket-propelled grenade' is a backronym it stems from the Russian language РПГ which stands for ручной противотанковый гранатомёт ( transliterated as 'r uchnoy p rotivotankovy g ranatomyot', which has the initials 'RPG'), meaning 'handheld anti-tank grenade launcher', the name given to early Russian designs. Various warheads are also capable of causing secondary damage to vulnerable systems (especially sights, tracks, rear and roof of turrets) and other unarmored targets. However, modern, heavily-armored vehicles, such as upgraded APCs and heavy aka main battle tanks, are generally too well-protected (with thick composite or reactive armor) to be penetrated by an RPG, unless less armored sections of the vehicle are exploited. RPGs with high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warheads are very effective against lightly armored vehicles such as armored personnel carriers (APCs) and armored cars. RPGs are generally loaded from the front. Some types of RPG are reloadable with new rocket-propelled grenades, while others are single-use. These warheads are affixed to a rocket motor which propels the RPG towards the target and they are stabilized in flight with fins. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. From top to bottom: RPO-A Shmel, RPG-22, RPG-26, RPG-18.Ī rocket-propelled grenade (often abbreviated RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead.

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