The rocket grenade, designated "PG-2 HEAT" ("High-Explosive, Anti-Tank"), was a fin-stabilized munition in which the fins, being spring-loaded, sprung into action upon leaving the launch tube. This stabilization effect allowed for some accuracy to be had over range as the projectile made its way towards the target. The projectiles caliber was 82mm.
A trained crew could fire off between three and four rocket grenades a minute out to a range of 150 meters. Because of back-blast, operators would have to make sure no one stood behind the launch tube during the process and firing from cover, such as buildings, was restricted some. Absolute range of the RPG-2 was listed at 200 meters which gave the weapon a useful reach across the battlefield.
The RPG-2 series entered service with the Soviet Army service in 1954. Specialized optics support was added as soon as 1957 to allow for night-fighting (through the "RPG-2N" variant).
In practice, the weapon proved so successful that it permeated the many global battlefields of the Cold War period (1947-1991), seeing action in the bloody Vietnam War (and its related regional conflicts), the Nigerian Civil War, the Rhodesian Bush War, the Salvadorian Civil War, the Somali Civil War, and the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s to name a few. The weapon was used extensively in the Vietnam War by North Vietnam forces against American and South Vietnamese targets for the duration of the conflict as it was easy to come by, easy to operate and maintain, and packed a punch against unarmored and armored targets as well as fortifications.
The weapon's reach has been such that is has appeared in more recent conflicts of the new millennium, noted in the Cambodian-Thai Stand-Off of 2008, the 2010-2012 Burma Border Clashes, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Libyan Civil War, the Iraqi Civil War, and the ongoing Syrian Civil War.
Just a few nations actively use the RPG-2 series in a frontline capacity today and this includes North Korea (where has been locally-produced), Somalia, Syria, and Thailand. The Taliban is a known active user of the type as well. The list of former users includes (but is not limited to) Cambodia, China, East Germany, Egypt, Hungary, Libya, Mongolia, Myanmar, Poland, Romania, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe.
In Chinese military service, the RPG-2 was designated the "Type 56" and these were eventually succeeded by the Type 69 series. The former Yugoslavia produced the Soviet RPG-2 as the "M57" while the weapon was designated by Vietnam as the "B-40". The "B-50" counterpart was given a greater caliber (50mm) and increased overall dimensions.
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