SPG-9 Kopye (Spear)

History of SPG-9 Kopye (spear)

As tanks proved themselves a viable war platform during World War I (1914-1918), engineers needed to devise new ways to stop these steely beasts. As these methods developed, so did the tanks themselves, culminating in the mass production of World War II and the ensuing Cold War years.

By then, a new line had been drawn on European soil, with the West on the side against the Soviet power in the East. In 1962, the Soviet Union introduced an entirely new recoilless weapon - the SPG-9 "Kopye" ("Javelin") - designed to provide a more modern, powerful and portable solution for anti-tank forces.

Recoilless weapons predate the widespread use of anti-tank missiles (ATGMs) seen today. The SPG-9 system replaced the B-10 series in the 1950s on the battlefield, and despite its Cold War heritage, the SPG-9 continues to serve in modern conflicts.

The total weight of the system is 105 lbs, which increases to 130 lbs with a standard tripod attached. Overall length is 6' 11", bore is 73mm through smoothbore. Loading was done manually by two crew members, and the breech was accessible by an interrupted screw design. Aiming is carried out by means of a mounted optical system consisting of 4x PGO-9 basic sights or more specialized PGN-9 IR/passive sighting units. An optional tripod provides +7 to -3 degrees of elevation and 30 degrees of movement.

Trained crew members can fire up to six rounds per minute, and the projectiles have a muzzle velocity of 1,425 feet per second. According to reports, the effective range is about 800 meters, and the total attack range can reach 1,200 meters.

A typical operator consists of two people, and due to the unwieldy length and weight of the system, transportation is usually done using a mobile truck - although it is classified as a portable truck.

The SPG-9 was eventually released to fire different types of projectiles. The PG-9 proved to be a standard HEAT-FS (High Explosive, Anti-Tank, Fin-Stabilized) round, penetrating up to 300mm of armor thickness. The OG-9V became a FRAG-HE (fragmented, high-explosive) projectile with a TNT filler.

A large number of other HEAT-FS and FRAG-HE rounds followed, expanding the tactical value of the SPG-9.

A "recoilless weapon" (sometimes more generally called a "recoilless rifle", although using a smoothbore or rifled barrel) is so named because it emits some of the observed propellant gas. This action allows the weapon system to delay some of the violent recoil effects, and the resulting gases escape through specially placed ports usually located at the rear of the weapon.

One of the first recoilless guns appeared before the First World War. As part of the SPG-9, the projectile received a rocket motor, which came into play once the ammunition reached the launcher about 20 meters away.

Since its introduction in the 1960s, the SPG-9 series has found a home in many countries allied, controlled or supported by the Soviet Union, including Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Poland, Sudan, Syria, Vietnam (among others matters). The weapon has proven itself in battles across Afghanistan since the US-led Taliban invasion in 2001. The SPG-9 stands for the original base unit, while the SPG-D becomes the light airborne supplement.

The SPG-9DNM was the Bulgarian Army model, the SZPG-9 was the Hungarian Army model, and the AG-9 became the Romanian Army model.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

VARIANTS