AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher
AGS-17Plamya is a 30mm automatic grenade launcher designed, produced and equipped during the former Soviet Union. The launcher was developed by the Soviet OKB in 1967 Developed by the -16 Design Bureau (now the KBP Instrument Design Bureau in Tula).
It is said that the inspiration for its development came from the Sino-Soviet border conflict in the 1960s. In addition, it was the U.S. military’s extensive use of automatic grenade launchers in the Vietnam War. The Soviet advisers at the time knew these weapons from the North Vietnamese troops. As terrifying as it is, automatic grenade launchers have also been found to be quite effective when infantry units defend against typical human wave tactics.
The first prototype of this new weapon was provided to the troops for testing and evaluation in 1969, mass production began in 1971, and it was officially equipped with the Soviet army around 1975. AGS is the English letter corresponding to the abbreviation "AГC" of "mounted automatic grenade launcher".
Like the American automatic grenade launcher, the AGS-17 is also a heavy infantry weapon used by squads, so it can only be used on a tripod or mounted on a vehicle. It is mainly used to attack enemy fire support personnel and unprotected targets such as trucks and other equipment at medium and close ranges.
Although the AGS-17 was developed for China, it was never used in China after it was equipped with troops. Instead, it was widely used by the Soviet army in Afghanistan and exerted great power. Soviet soldiers not only placed it on the ground for use, but also installed it on vehicles. Since the original AGS-17 did not have a dedicated vehicle-mounted version, some Soviet soldiers directly welded its tripod to the body of an armored personnel carrier or truck. Top.
In addition to the standard infantry type AGS-17, there is also an airborne type AGS-17A, which is mainly installed on the door gun mount of the Mi-8 helicopter, or on the machine gun of the late Mi-24 On the pod, the airborne version has an aluminum sheath outside the barrel and uses an electric remote-controlled firing mechanism. To this day, the AGS-17 is still a fire support weapon officially equipped by the Russian army. Some light armored vehicles are also equipped with turret weapon systems integrating AGS-17, machine guns, missiles and observation equipment.
AGS-17 is produced by Russia's Molot Machinery Plant Joint Stock Company. It is copied in countries such as Serbia (former Yugoslavia), and China also has copied AGS-17 for export.
AGS-17 adopts the recoil working principle of the bolt. It is chambered for firing, the hammer is fired, and the ammunition is fed by a belt. During the recoil and re-entry process of the automatic machine, its curved guide rail drives the elastic slide to move, completing the ammunition feeding action, and the empty cartridge case is thrown out from the bottom.
In order to reduce the rate of fire and reduce bounce during firing, the AGS-17 bolt is equipped with a hydraulic recoil buffer. The ammunition chain is made of non-dispersible steel links and is carried in a special drum-shaped ammunition box. When in use, the drum hook is hung on the right side of the receiver. The magazine capacity of the drum is 30 rounds (some information says it is 29 rounds), and it weighs about 14 kilograms when loaded with live ammunition.
When used by infantry, the shooter is controlled by two horizontal grips at the rear of the receiver, and the thumb-controlled trigger button is between the grips. The T-shaped charging handle is located at the rear of the receiver and is connected to the bolt through a steel cable and frame. The shooter can choose to fire single or continuous shots according to needs.
The standard sight is a PAG-17 optical sight with 2.7X magnification. The sight can be removed and placed in a special carrying bag. There is also a backup mechanical sight. There is a ballistic table on the top cover of the receiver, which includes ballistic data for direct fire and indirect fire.
The standard stand is a SAG-17 tripod, which is composed of a foot pole, an upper frame and a cradle, and is height-adjustable. When transporting and carrying, the tripod can be folded up and carried on the body via the strap. The AGS-17 launcher itself may also be designed to be carried as a backpack, allowing the entire weapon to be transported on foot by just two people. After entering the battlefield, the weapon can be quickly assembled and used, and can be fired horizontally or curvedly. It is a powerful point-and-area anti-personnel weapon for the infantry unit.
At present, the AGS-17 is mainly equipped with two fragmentation grenades, VOG-17 and improved VOG-30.
The main competitor of the AGS-17 is the American Mk19mod3 grenade launcher. In comparison, the grenades launched by the AGS-17 are lighter and smaller, with a killing radius of about 7 to 9 meters and a muzzle velocity of 185m. /s, range 1700m.
In comparison, the Mk19mod3 has a muzzle velocity of 240m/s, a range of 2200m, and a killing radius of approximately 15 meters. However, the weight of the AGS-17 is half that of the Mk19mod3, so the number of operators can be reduced. It also has the advantages of flexibility and portability, and it is also easier to transfer the shooting position during combat. In addition, the VOG-30 grenade weighs 60% of the M384 grenade, and its effective lethal zone is slightly more than 50% of the M384 grenade. Therefore, the AGS-17 and Mk19mod3 have their own strengths.