RH-ALAN RT-20

History

The RT-20 is an anti-material sniper rifle that originated in Croatia, part of a region of the world known and respected by the gunsmiths who made it over time. The RT-20's large 20mm caliber makes it one of the most powerful anti-material rifles in the world. However, the system can only fire one 20mm shell at a time, and each shell must be individually loaded by the operator and further driven by bolt action.

The rifle was developed by the RH-Alan company sometime in the 1990s and subsequently entered service with the Croatian army in 1994. She has been on the field since then, but has not seen any sale outside Croatia.

Anti-Material Rifles have a special place in today's military, having proven extremely effective since World War II, aiming on demand and at long distances. The 20mm projectile of a weapon like the RT-20 makes it doubly effective than other contemporary Army-deployed .50 caliber systems, and similar in caliber to the cannons that military aircraft use for close range work.

Thus, the projectile could be used to attack someone hiding behind a wall, or equally could be used to penetrate a vehicle's engine block and disable the target vehicle.

However, this weapon is not without its shortcomings. They usually require several people to transport them to the location. Some large-caliber weapons can be broken down into smaller moving parts for easier portability, but they are still relatively bulky compared to their smaller automatic assault weapon brethren.

In addition, due to their enormous recoil, large-caliber anti-material weapons generate a lot of "recoil" - which can easily expose the firing group's position to the enemy. Essentially, the RT-20 functions like a small rocket launcher and is not recommended for launching in tight spaces.

However, when used in the proper tactical sense, the stopping power of this system is invaluable to any infantry squad that needs some kind of strength.

Externally, the RT-20 maintains a highly distinctive look. It's a far cry from the sleek and sexy designs of the West, but it's still a ready-to-use and deadly weapon. The receiver contains an integral pistol grip and trigger group, the latter housed in a fixed trigger ring.

The receiver contained the butt, which accounted for a significant portion of the weapon's length. The thick barrel protrudes from the front of the receiver and is closed by a three-baffle muzzle brake. A collapsible bipod assembly is attached to the very front end of the receiver. The scope is located on the left side of the gun body. The bolt handle is mounted on the left rear of the stock.

Since the gun was intended to be fired from a prone position, the overall design was well thought out, with the main controls located at the rear and center of the gun and the barrel in front of the receiver. Standard sights are located at the rear of the receiver.

The RT-20 is designed with a unique recoil compensation system consisting of a tube that spans the top of the barrel. The system recirculates the cartridge gas to the rear of the gun and works like a recoilless rifle. With the oscilloscope and bipod mounted, its operating weight is 42.33 lbs.

Its barrel length is 52.4 inches (1,330 mm), and the barrel alone accounts for 36.2 inches. The RT-20 has a cartridge caliber of 20x110 mm. It is a manually fed, individually loaded weapon system with a muzzle velocity of 2,789 feet per second and a maximum range of approximately 1,800 meters.

The official name of the rifle comes from the Croatian word "Rucni Top 20" which means "Handkanone 20" (20 mm).

Specification

ROLES

STRUCTURAL

PERFORMANCE

VARIANTS