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Caption | AGS-17 Plamya - In use with Russian soldiers. |
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Name | AGS-17 Plamya |
Type | Automatic Grenade Launcher |
Origin | |
Designer | KBP Instrument Design Bureau |
Manufacturer | KBP Instrument Design Bureau |
Cartridge | 30mm grenade |
Design date | 1967 |
Prod date | 1967 |
Service | 1970s-present |
Used by | See Users |
Wars | Soviet War in AfghanistanFirst Chechen War |
Spec type | Blowback |
Calibre | 30 mm grenade |
Ammo | 30 mm |
Feed | 29 rounds |
Action | Blowback |
Rate | 400 round/min |
Velocity | 185 m/s |
Range | 1700 m |
Weight | 31 kg |
Sights | Adjustable iron sights, optional mount required for optical sights |
The AGS-17 Plamya (Russian: Пламя; Flame) is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher currently in production in the Russian Federation and in service worldwide.
The weapon operates using a blowback mechanism to sustain operation. Rounds are fired through a rifled barrel which is removable quickly to reduce barrel stress.
Ammunition is held in a metal box feed, and is linked. Standard boxes contain 30 rounds of linked ammunition.
The tripod is equipped with fine leveling gear for indirect fire trajectories.
It was thought that the automatic grenade launcher would be one of the most effective infantry support weapons against typical Chinese "human wave" attacks. This lightweight weapon was to provide infantry with close to medium range fire support against enemy personnel and unarmored targets like trucks and other such equipment. First prototypes of new weapon entered trials in 1969, and mass production commenced in 1971.
At the same timeframe, the special heliborne version AG-17 was developed for installation on Mi-24 Hind gunship helicopters. Never used against Chinese, AGS-17 was widely used and well liked by Soviet troops in Afghanistan as a ground support weapon or as a vehicle weapon on improvised mounts installed on armored personnel carriers and trucks.
It is still in use with Russian army as a direct fire support weapon for infantry troops; it is also installed in several vehicle mounts and turrets along with machine guns, guided rocket launchers and sighting equipment. A special airborne version AG-17A was installed in door mounts of several Mil Mi-8 Hip combat transport helicopters, and on gun pods used on late model Mi-24 Hind gunships; this weapon had a thick aluminium jacket on the barrel and used a special mount and an electric remotely controlled trigger. It's being replaced with AGS-30 launcher (using the same ammunition, it weights only 16 kg unloaded on the tripod and has upgraded blowback action).
Category:Grenade launchers Category:Cold War weapons of the Soviet Union Category:Weapons of Russia
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