Is the AGS 17 grenade launcher a firearm? Special forces weapons. Development and creation

Recently, news footage showed for the first time the use of the AGS-17 automatic anti-personnel grenade launcher by Syrian army soldiers. This 46-year-old domestic veteran has proven himself to be a quite effective weapon in modern warfare, which the Syrian infantry was primarily pleased with.
The prototype of automatic grenade launchers was created in the USSR on the eve of World War II. The grenade launcher was developed at OKB-16 according to the idea and under the leadership of Ya.G. Taubina. However, the views of the army command on infantry tactics of that time, as well as the high complexity and, accordingly, cost of the grenade launcher, led to the fact that the role of artillery weapons in direct infantry support was then taken over by light mortars. The automatic grenade launcher remained an experimental weapon and was not adopted for service.
The Vietnam War gave a new impetus to the creation of this type of weapon.
The idea of ​​combining the rate of fire of a machine gun and the damaging effect of fragmentation grenades to perform specific tasks in counterinsurgency warfare led to the creation by several US companies of a number of different automatic grenade launchers.

Such weapons, along with heavy machine guns, patrol boats of river flotillas and helicopters were armed. However, the American infantry was very skeptical about the new type of weapon.
In the USSR, the idea of ​​automatic grenade launchers was returned to in the mid-1960s, but based on the experience of using American automatic grenade launchers in Vietnam. Soviet intelligence it became known about the start in 1966 of work on the creation of a custom Marine Corps USA new automatic grenade launcher Mk.19.

In 1967, on the personal instructions of D.F. Ustinov, OKB-16 began creating an automatic grenade launcher. Soon the employees of this OKB A.F. Kornyakov V.Ya. Nemenov created a firing prototype of an automatic grenade launcher. We gradually decided on the requirements for the grenade launcher system. After a number of modifications and testing in 1971, it was put into service and received the name “30-mm automatic grenade launcher on a machine (AGS-17).”
The development work in which the grenade launcher system was developed had the code “Flame”. It is worth noting here that during the development of new weapons, they are often referred to by the OCD code. Often this name, as a proper name, is used unofficially even after the model has been adopted for service. So “Flame” unofficially became the proper name for the AGS-17 grenade launcher.

The grenade launcher shot for the AGS-17 was created at GSKB-47 (today JSC State Research and Production Enterprise Basalt). It received the name VOG-17 (fragmentation grenade launcher round for AGS-17). The West was quite surprised to discover that in the mid-1970s, grenade launcher platoons armed with AGS-17 appeared in motorized rifle battalions of the Soviet Army.
In the United States at this time, by order of the Marine Corps, they were still continuing to improve the Mk.19 grenade launcher. However, the US Army (in our terminology, the ground forces) had not yet decided whether it needed an automatic anti-personnel grenade launcher? Moreover, the experimental 40-mm automatic grenade launchers Mk.19 mod.1 (1971) and Mk.19 mod.2 (1976) were still very far from perfect and rightly caused serious criticism from the military. A workable automatic grenade launcher was created in the United States only in the early 1980s. In 1981, the Mk.19 mod.3 was adopted.

To be fair, it is worth noting that in our army the AGS-17 grenade launcher initially raised many questions, especially in Ground forces. That is why, to promote the grenade launcher, it was initially even used as a weapon for river armored boats of the Amur flotilla. However, gradually the troops mastered the new weapon and began to use it with success.
AGS-17 is designed to destroy manpower and unarmored fire weapons located openly and behind various covers. In addition to the infantry version of the machine-mounted grenade launcher, versions of the grenade launcher were developed for installation on helicopters, armored boats, and in remote-controlled installations for creating fire installations in fortified areas and on armored vehicles.

Firing from a grenade launcher can be carried out both along flat and mounted trajectories. The maximum firing range is 1730 m. Firing with a flat trajectory ensures the shortest time for a grenade to fly to the target, and with a mounted trajectory - steeper angles of impact of the grenade and Better conditions for fragmentation damage, especially in open trenches and behind various obstacles.
The optical sight of the PAG-17 grenade launcher provides direct and semi-direct fire or shooting from closed firing positions, as in artillery. However, it is worth noting here that firing from closed firing positions requires special training for commanders and is currently used very rarely.
Based on operating experience, the grenade launcher was improved - the barrel design was changed, and a mechanical sight was developed. However, grenade launcher rounds were subject to the main modernization during service. As already mentioned in 1971, simultaneously with the AGS-17 grenade launcher, it was adopted for service fragmentation shot VOG-17, but the first operational experience showed the need to improve its fuse. Soon, instead of the VOG-17, a modernized VOG-17M round was adopted for service, which uses a VMG-M instant impact fuse. The fuse ensures that the grenade detonates when it encounters almost any surface.

Fragments during a grenade explosion are formed due to the natural crushing of a thin-walled body, inside of which a fragmentation jacket is placed in the form of a twisted steel spring of square section with a notch. When a grenade explodes, a significant number of fragments are formed, ensuring complete destruction of unprotected manpower and unarmored vehicles within a radius of 7 meters.
Subsequently, more advanced rounds VOG-30, VOG-30D and GPD-30 were created. New design solutions, production technologies for grenade bodies and their equipment have made it possible to increase the firing range and the density of fragmentation.
In the USSR, the production of a grenade launcher was mastered at a machine-building plant in the city of Vyatskie Polyany. Licenses for the production of grenade launchers were transferred to China and Yugoslavia, and shots for it to Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. The grenade launcher was or is in service in about 20 countries around the world.

The AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher has proven to be an effective weapon for direct fire support of infantry in various wars and armed conflicts. The desert and mountainous desert terrain of Syria with large areas of open space favors its effective use to destroy manpower and unarmored vehicles at maximum firing ranges. It is precisely these goals that are the main ones for the Syrian troops today.
Single targets such as a machine gun or ATGM are hit by firing one grenade launcher in one or two bursts. Everything takes no more than a minute. The decisive factors here are the accurate measurement of the distance to the target and taking into account crosswinds, as well as knowledge and application of shooting rules.

If it is necessary to hit a group target, simultaneous firing of several automatic grenade launchers is necessary - a squad, and sometimes a platoon. The almost simultaneous explosion of several dozen fragmentation grenades in a limited area provides an effective solution to the fire problem.
Firing from a grenade launcher at semi-direct fire requires certain skills and abilities from fire crew commanders and gunners. At the same time, direct fire using the optical sight scale is extremely simple, and aiming the grenade launcher is intuitive.
The experience of past wars has shown the feasibility of using automatic grenade launchers in conjunction with machine guns. Mutually complementing each other, they provide fire cover for large areas of the terrain and continuous fire impact on the enemy. It is this type of weaponry that is sometimes used on some domestic Tiger armored vehicles.
Today, the AGS-17 continues to be the main automatic grenade launcher of the Russian army.

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AGS 17 “Flame” ... Wikipedia

AGS 17 “Flame” in the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps, Saint Petersburg AGS 17 “Flame” (GRAU Index 6G11, grenade launcher index with machine gun 6G10) 30 mm automatic mounted grenade launcher. Designed for weapons... ... Wikipedia

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• Soviet BTR-70 (Afghanistan 1979 - 1989) (3557) , . This modification of the well-known armored personnel carrier was typical exclusively for the Limited contingent of Soviet troops in the Republic of Afghanistan. The partisan nature of the fighting revealed the vulnerability of armored personnel carriers from fire...

AGS-17 “Flame” is a Soviet mounted automatic grenade launcher of 30 mm caliber, the main task of which is to defeat enemy personnel, located both openly and hidden behind folds of terrain or in simple field fortifications. It was developed by OKB-16 and put into service back in 1970. Operation of the grenade launcher began in 1971.

The AGS-17 mounted grenade launcher is a powerful and effective anti-personnel weapon with excellent tactical and technical characteristics. The AGS-17 is still in service with the Russian army, as well as the armed forces of the former Soviet republics, China, Iran, India, Finland, North Korea and other countries. Despite the emergence of more modern images of these weapons (AGS-30 "Balkan", AGS-40), currently the AGS-17 is the main automatic grenade launcher of the Russian armed forces.

Over its long life, the AGS-17 managed to “smell gunpowder.” The baptism of fire for this weapon was the war in Afghanistan. The grenade launcher showed high combat effectiveness in difficult mountain conditions and very rough terrain. The AGS-17 “enjoyed success” not only among Soviet soldiers, it was also “respected” by the Mujahideen, who gladly used captured samples of this weapon. Soviet soldiers often independently welded AGS-17 onto the armor of combat vehicles, which significantly increased their firepower. Often this grenade launcher was the only means of “getting” the enemy when other types of standard weapons turned out to be ineffective.

After Afghanistan, the AGS-17 “Flame” participated in two Chechen campaigns and in other conflicts in the vast expanses of the former USSR.

Currently, the AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher is widely used by all parties to the civil conflict in Syria. To increase mobility, AGS-17 is often installed on different kinds military equipment. And not only on infantry fighting vehicles, BRDMs or MT-LBs, but also on ordinary pickups, jeeps or homemade armored vehicles.

The undoubted advantages of the AGS-17 are its reliability, simplicity and high versatility - fire can be fired not only from the machine, but also a grenade launcher can be mounted on military equipment, helicopters, shoot both along a mounted and flat trajectory.

Serial production of the AGS-17 “Flame” was established at the Vyatsko-Polyansky machine plant “Molot”. Since its adoption, several modifications of the grenade launcher have been developed. In addition to the USSR, licensed production of AGS-17 was established in China and the former Yugoslavia.

History of the creation of the AGS-17 grenade launcher

Without exaggeration, the Soviet Union can be called the birthplace of easel automatic grenade launchers. For the first time, the idea of ​​combining the powerful destructive effect of fragmentation ammunition with the rate of fire of automatic weapons came to the mind of the talented Soviet gunsmith Taubin back in the early 30s. The military liked this idea - their own design bureau was created for the designer (in the future OKB-16). The Taubin grenade launcher (AG-TS) had a caliber of 40 mm and worked according to a free-barrel recoil scheme. Prototypes of weapons were made and tested. The grenade launcher even managed to take part in Soviet-Finnish war, and in the future they planned to install it on armored vehicles, combat aircraft, armored boats...

However, the new type of weapon had very influential opponents, the main one of whom was the head of the Red Army Art Directorate, Kulik, who “killed” the project. True, it should be noted that this was not too difficult to do, since the Taubin grenade launcher had a lot of shortcomings. As a result, instead of the AG-TS, a 50-mm mortar was adopted by the Red Army, and work on an automatic grenade launcher was stopped. Taubin himself was arrested and shot...

For a long time, the Soviet Union did not develop such weapons at all. The situation changed only in the late 60s, after the Mk.19 automatic grenade launcher was adopted by the US Army. This weapon performed well during the Vietnam War, so it is not surprising that the Soviet military wanted its analogue. By personal order of Ustinov, we also began to create similar weapons.

The development of new weapons was entrusted to the same Taubin OKB-16, which was led by the gunsmith’s student and follower, Alexander Nudelman. In fact, work on the project began in 1968, and a year later a firing model of the grenade launcher was ready, and in 1970 it was put into service under the designation AGS-17. In 1971, these weapons began to arrive in units of the Soviet army. It should also be added that back in 1969, development of an aviation version of the grenade launcher began. They planned to equip combat helicopters with it.

The development of the shot for the grenade launcher was carried out by specialists from GSKB-47 (today it is the famous “Basalt”). It received the designation VOG-17. After the AGS-17 was adopted for service, a new VOG-17M grenade with an instant impact fuse was developed. It ensured the detonation of ammunition upon contact with almost any surface. Later, even more advanced VOG-30, VOG-30D, GPD-30 appeared.

The first grenade launchers had a barrel with an aluminum radiator, then its fins began to perform cooling functions.

Western intelligence services were very surprised to discover in the late 70s in the Soviet army entire grenade launcher platoons as part of motorized rifle battalions, armed with AGS-17. By the way, in the USA the attitude of the military towards automatic grenade launchers for a long time was very ambiguous. Until the beginning of the 80s, the Americans continued to improve the same Mk. 19. Only in 1981 was the Mk. adopted by the US Army. 19 mod.3, the work of which was not satisfactory.

For the first time in real combat conditions, the AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher was used during the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. However, the real test for him, of course, was Afghanistan. It can be said without exaggeration that the grenade launcher passed it brilliantly.

A little about the classification of an easel grenade launcher

Despite its name, the AGS-17 grenade launcher, according to the Soviet classification, belonged to small-caliber automatic weapons. Accordingly, his shot is an ordinary artillery cartridge with a cartridge case and a high-explosive fragmentation projectile. The designation of the weapon is rather related to the functions that mounted grenade launchers perform on the battlefield. The main tactical task of this class of weapon is to support infantry units on the battlefield.

In essence, the AGS-17 is a small gun, which is served by a crew consisting of two people. One of them fires, and the second fighter brings ammunition and helps when changing the firing position.

Description of the design of AGS-17 “Flame”

The weapon's automatic operation is powered by the recoil energy of the free shutter. The pressure of the powder gases on the bottom of the cartridge case moves the bolt to the rear position, extracts the spent cartridge case, fires a new shot and compresses the return springs. The grenade is chambered when the bolt rolls back.

The design of the grenade launcher includes the following elements:

• box with barrel;
• trigger mechanism;
• receiver;
• gate;
• reloading mechanism;
• return springs.

The box serves to accommodate the main parts and components of the grenade launcher. A rifled barrel is inserted into its front part, and a butt plate is attached to the rear part. The release trigger is located on its outer side.

On the inside of the box, on the left and right, there are two guides along which a massive shutter moves. It is equipped with a vertical rammer and a special comb that removes the used cartridge case. Inside the bolt there is a hydraulic recoil brake, which increases the operating cycle of the weapon’s automation, which increases the accuracy and accuracy of the AGS-17’s fire. There are also two return springs located in the shutter channel.

In the lid of the box there is a reloading mechanism, which consists of a clip and a cable with a T-shaped handle. It is located above the trigger and remains motionless during shooting.

USM AGS-17 is a trigger type, it is located on the left side of the box and is connected to the trigger using a rod. The grenade launcher is capable of both automatic and single fire. There is a flag-type fuse that locks the trigger sear.

To control and hold the grenade launcher during firing, two folding handles are located in its rear part, between which there is a trigger.

Disassembling and assembling the grenade launcher is not very difficult and can be done even in the field.

Firing from the AGS-17 is carried out from the SAG-17 machine, which consists of two parts - the upper and lower machine. The grenade launcher is attached to the machine using a bracket and two flanges.

The ammunition supply of the grenade launcher is belt, metal, link with an open link. The capacity of the tape is 30 shots, and since it does not have a shank, its first link is left empty. The loaded tape is placed in a special box round shape. The tape feeding mechanism consists of a lever with a roller and a spring-loaded feeder. You can load the tape with shots either manually or using a special device.

The box for tapes has a carrying handle, a flap with hooks and a lid, as well as a special curtain that covers the neck.

The AGS-17 grenade launcher is equipped with optical and mechanical sighting devices. They allow shooting both along a flat and mounted trajectory. The PAG-17 optical sight is mounted on a special bracket, which is located on the left side of the receiver. It is equipped with two light filters that simplify aiming in bright sunny and cloudy weather.

The mechanical sight of a grenade launcher consists of a rear sight and a front sight. It is usually used for direct fire at distances up to 700 meters. The optical sight is universal; it can also be used when firing from closed positions.

AGS-17 ammunition and its features

In 1971, along with a grenade launcher, the VOG-17 fragmentation round was adopted. However, almost immediately it became clear that its fuse required improvement. This is how the VOG-17M shot with an instant striker appeared. Each shot consists of a grenade with a fuse, as well as a cartridge case with a primer and a powder propellant charge.

The thin-walled body of the grenade and a special jacket in the form of a steel spring with a notch during the explosion give a large number of fragments, guaranteed to disable enemy personnel within a radius of seven meters.

Later, additional rounds were developed for the AGS-17: VOG-30 and GPD-30. To prepare grenade launcher crews, a special training round VUS-17 was developed. The impact location of this munition can be easily determined by the orange smoke it emits.

Existing modifications of the AGS-17 grenade launcher

Since the start serial production AGS-17 a number of modifications of the grenade launcher were developed:

• AGS-17 "Flame". The basic version of the grenade launcher, fired from the SAG-17 tripod;
• AG-17D. A modification of the grenade launcher, specially designed for the Terminator infantry support combat vehicles;
• AP-30 "Flame-A". An aviation version of the grenade launcher, adopted for service in 1980. It differs from the basic one in the shot counter, smaller pitch of rifling in the barrel and, most importantly, the presence of an electric trigger. The rate of fire of the aircraft version is higher, so the AP-30 barrel received a massive cooling radiator. This grenade launcher is usually placed in a special container;
• AG-17M. A modification for combat boats, it was also planned to be used on the BMP-3;
• KBA-117. Ukrainian modification of the grenade launcher, created by specialists from the company " Artillery weapons" It is an element of combat modules of armored vehicles.

Main tactical and technical characteristics of the grenade launcher

Below are the main performance characteristics of the AGS-17:

• caliber, mm: 30;
• weight without belt and machine, kg: 18;
• weight of a box with grenades, kg: 14.5;
• rate of fire: 50-100 or 350-400;
• sighting range, m: 1700;
• calculation, people: 2;

Automatic grenade launchers are designed to destroy concentrations of infantry both in open space and behind cover. Well-trained crews are capable of not only resisting a serious offensive, but also suppressing enemy strongholds.

Such a formidable weapon has been in service with a grenade launcher platoon in a motorized rifle battalion under the name AGS-17 “Flame” for more than forty years.

History of the creation of AGS-17

The idea of ​​​​creating a grenade launcher appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. The first who decided to bring it to life were the British. In Russia they “swinged” only in 1916. Staff Captain M. G. Dyakonov offered his mortar for firing a rifle grenade.

The grenade was also created by this extraordinary man. The mortar had a caliber of 40.5 mm and was mounted on. Adopted into service, it did not have time to begin mass production before the revolution. Only in 1928, after the mortars and grenades were refined, they were adopted into service in the Red Army under the name “Dyakonov rifle grenade launcher.”

The mortar barrel received 3 rifling. Equipped with a quadrant protractor for aiming and a bipod for convenience, the grenade launcher fired at a range of 150 – 850 meters. The range depended on the grenade used. It was used by the Red Army until the 40s, and by the end of the war it reappeared in the army with the VKG-40 cumulative grenade. But for a number of reasons it was almost never used.

In 1938, Y.G. Taubin, decades ahead of his time, presented the first domestic automatic grenade launcher AG-TB, developed jointly with his deputy M.N. Baburin at OKB-16.

The caliber of the grenade launcher was 40.8 mm, fired at a rate of 60 rounds/min with magazine loading and 460 rounds/min with belt loading.

From the initial 73 kg, it was possible to reduce the weight to 38 kg, without reducing performance. Initially, it was planned to install the AG-TB on a tripod, but then it was installed on a wheeled machine, similar to the machine from the Maxim machine gun.

The grenade launcher could be easily disassembled for carrying and fired at 1200 meters. The tests revealed small, easily removable shortcomings. But unfortunately, the Red Army never received this wonderful weapon. In the “undercover” fight with the 50-mm mortar development group, the mortar men won.

Only a few samples were able to fight in the Finnish company on the Karelian front and received only positive reviews.

Later, Ya. G. Taubin worked on the aircraft cannon. The design was based on developments in an automatic grenade launcher. This greatly accelerated its creation.

For many years in the USSR no one was working on automatic grenade launchers.

Put an end to stagnation Vietnam War 1964 – 1975 During the fighting, the M-79 single-shot 40 mm grenade launcher performed very well.

He could shoot at 350 - 400 meters. However, for a number of reasons, it did not completely suit the military, and in 1964 the Honeywell corporation patented the design of the Mk18 (Mark 18) grenade launcher.

Remembering about , the company used the idea of ​​a split shutter. Shooting was done by rotating the handle located on the right. The pace depended on the strength of the shooter and did not exceed 250 rounds/min. The 40×46 caliber grenade launcher weighed 8.6 kg without ammunition and could effectively fire at 375 m.

The advantage of the Mk18 was the use of grenades, as in the M-79, as well as its low cost and simplicity. They produced approximately 1200 pieces. This grenade launcher became the predecessor of the fully automatic Mk. 19.

In the Soviet Union, the military took into account the experience of the Americans and in 1967 at OKB-16, where A.E. Nudelman became the head instead of Ya. G. Taubin, they instructed Alexander Fedorovich Kornyakov to develop a new automatic grenade launcher. The designer completed it within a year.

Author's certificate No. 44547 was issued to A.F. Kornyakov and V.Ya. Nemenov. Three years were spent on preparatory work and organizing production at the Molot enterprise in Vyatskie Polyany. Since 1971, the 6G11 product, the same GRAU index as the AGS-17 “Flame”, entered service with the troops.

Modifications of AGS-17 "Flame"

The automatic grenade launcher has modifications:

• AGS-17 “Flame” – On a tripod, the SAG-17 is supplied to motorized rifle units;
• AP-30 "Plamya-A" - aviation, the second name is AG-17A, developed in 1968 for the Mi-24 helicopter. Equipped with an electric trigger, a shot counter, with a rifling pitch reduced to 600 mm and a rate of fire increased to 500 rounds per minute;
• AG-17D, designed for installation in embrasures of armored vehicles, first used on BMD and BTR-D;
• AG-17M - for installation in turrets and turrets of small ships and boats, also installed in BMP-3;
• KBA-117 - created by the Ukrainian design bureau "Artillery Armament" for boats and armored personnel carriers.

Ammunition

The development of shots for the AGS-17 in the late 60s of the last century was carried out by the Pribor Design Bureau in Sverdlovsk (now LLC Design and Production Enterprise KB Pribor in Yekaterinburg).

The VOG-17 (VOG-17A) shot with the 7P36 fragmentation grenade was very quickly modernized. The new ammunition was named VOG-17M with a VMG-M fuse.

The fuse differs from the original version in its instantaneous action and the possibility of self-destruction.

The VOG-17M round has increased damage from fragments of a certain shape and mass, caused by corrugation on the inside of the body.

The tightness of the charge packaging allows the shot to withstand any climatic conditions.

For training, special shots were made with the marking VUS-17 and a red stripe on the body (in the picture on the right). The location where a shrapnel-free grenade fell can be determined by the orange smoke. There are two types of such grenades: with two holes and without them.

In the mid-80s, SNPP Pribor developed a special ammunition for the AP-30 of 30 mm caliber - VOG-30. The method of volumetric cold deformation of the body made it possible to make the fragmentation damage more powerful and to abandon the fragmentation jacket. The affected area of ​​such a shot is 110 m².

The latest generation GPD-30 30 mm shot, created at the beginning of the century at Design and Production Enterprise KB Pribor LLC, deserves special attention.

The increase in firing range to 2100 meters was helped by a reduction in drag. The affected area of ​​the new grenade is 130.5 m².

Design

Grenades are served with a metal strip folded into a box. Three pieces of tape of ten grenades are connected using a shot, but the first link is left free. It is necessary for charging.

When cocking, there is an advancement by one link and the shot comes from the second. You can stuff the tape either manually or with a special machine, which is attached to the packaging box.

For shooting, the box is inserted on the right. The grenade launcher itself is mounted on a SAG-17 machine (an automatic grenade launcher machine). When moving, the machine transfers the second number in folded form.

For aiming there is a rear sight and a front sight. It is possible to use the PAG-17 optical sight.

Without an optical sight, it is possible to fire up to 700 meters.

The AGS-17 is controlled using two handles and a trigger between them. The handles can be folded. The trigger mechanism is designed for firing at high (up to 400 in/m) and low (50-100 in/m) rates. A single light is also provided. Tempo selector on the left side of the body.

In the original version, an aluminum radiator was used to cool the barrel. In the early 90s, they began to produce a barrel without it, but with ribs in thickened walls.

TTX AGS-17

Combat use

1979 was the year of the first test of a grenade launcher in real combat. During the clash on the Vietnamese-Chinese border, he proved himself to be the most the best side. Vietnamese soldiers fired at large concentrations of manpower and across areas, thereby causing enormous damage to the attackers.

The war in Afghanistan showed everything strengths grenade launcher. It was then that real shooting at real targets determined the most optimal burst length - 3-5 shots.

By welding the AGS-17 machine to the armor of an armored personnel carrier or infantry fighting vehicle, the crew dramatically increased the effectiveness of fire.

Also, the feasibility of combining a grenade launcher with a machine gun was revealed by soldiers and officers in that war. This principle is applied to some.

In the fifth decade of its existence, the grenade launcher has not lost its relevance, as evidenced by its active use by the Syrian government forces against ISIS.

In the Russian Armed Forces, the AGS-17 “Plamya” continues to be the main automatic grenade launcher in grenade launcher platoons of motorized rifle battalions.

Comparison of AGS-17 and Mark-19 (Mk-19)

Unlike the American Mark-19 (aka Mk-19), our grenade launcher has a 10 mm smaller caliber, an initial speed inferior to the American one (185 m/s and 240 m/s), a smaller number of different ammunition (M430 fragmentation-armor-piercing, fragmentation M383 and M384, practical M385 and M385E4 against only fragmentation ones with us).

However, all this is compensated by the relatively low weight (31 kg with the machine for us - 55.3 kg for them). This greatly increases mobility.

The rate of fire of our grenade launcher is also higher (350-400 rounds/min for us, 325-375 for them), in addition, our AGS-17 can change the rate of fire. Another undoubted advantage of “Flame” is its simplicity and unpretentiousness.

Continued development

Work on the creation of new automatic grenade launchers has not stopped. Having refused to modernize existing ones, they immediately began to create a completely new design.

Since 1980, V. N. Telesh has been developing the idea of ​​a new automatic grenade launcher. By the beginning of the 90s, the design of the TKB-0134 grenade launcher system with the funny name “Kozlik” was ready. It was not put into production, but began to be used as the basic design of the next model. The result was shown at the IDEX-2013 exhibition in the United Arab Emirates.

The creative work of V. N. Telesh, Yu. P. Galkin and Yu. V. Lebedev was named under the index GRAU 6G27. Caliber "Balkan" 40 mm. Weight with the machine – 32 kg, rate of fire – 400 rounds/min. The initial speed of the grenade is 225 m/s.

The 7P39 caseless grenade can fly 2500 meters.

Such a grenade with a two-chamber ballistic engine is equipped with a large amount of explosive and, accordingly, is twice as effective.

A small batch of new Balkans sent to the troops is undergoing comprehensive testing. But it is already clear that this complex surpasses all foreign models in all respects.

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AGS-17 “Plamya” is a Soviet easel automatic grenade launcher, which was developed at OKB-16 (now the Nudelman Design Bureau), and put into service in 1970. It is intended to destroy enemy infantry located both openly and behind natural folds of the terrain (on the reverse slopes of heights, in ravines, hollows), as well as in open field fortifications (trenches, rifle cells). The caliber of the AGS-17 grenade launcher is 30 mm.

The AGS-17 “Plamya” mounted grenade launcher is a powerful anti-personnel weapon with excellent tactical and technical characteristics. It can hit the enemy with both overhead and flat fire. The grenade launcher is still in service with the Russian army, in addition, the AGS-17 is used in the armed forces of another two dozen countries around the world (former Soviet republics, China, Iran, India, Finland, North Korea and others).

The strengths of the AGS-17 are its simplicity, reliability and versatility - the grenade launcher can be used not only from the machine, but also installed on various types of military equipment, including helicopters.

AGS-17 “Flame” is a formidable and effective weapon, proven in dozens of conflicts. Afghanistan became his baptism of fire. This grenade launcher has proven itself well during combat operations in the mountains. The AGS-17 was “respected” not only by Soviet soldiers, the Mujahideen also used captured examples of this weapon with great pleasure. AGS-17 went through the first and second Chechen campaigns and other local conflicts that broke out in the territory of the former Soviet Union, the grenade launcher is currently actively used in Syria.

Serial production of the AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher was launched at the Molot machine-building plant; currently there are several modifications of this weapon. In addition, the AGS-17 was produced in China and the former Yugoslavia.

History of creation

The first automatic grenade launcher AG-TB was developed in the USSR by the talented gunsmith designer Taubin in the early 30s of the last century. The idea of ​​combining the rate of fire of automatic weapons with lethal effect fragmentation ammunition seemed very successful. The new type of weapon interested the military, prototypes were made and tests were carried out.

The AG-TB grenade launcher even managed to take part in the Winter War. There were plans to install new weapons on combat boats, aircraft, and armored vehicles. But, in the end, the 50-mm Shavyrin mortar was adopted, and work on automatic grenade launchers was stopped.

True, thanks to the AG-TB project, OKB-16 appeared, headed by Yakov Taubin.

For a long time in the USSR, automatic grenade launchers were not given due attention. Only after the Americans successfully began using the Mk 19 automatic mounted grenade launcher in Vietnam did the Soviet military think about creating an analogue.

The development of the grenade launcher was entrusted to the same OKB-16, however, at that time it was no longer led by Taubin, but by his student and follower Nudelman. The project was headed by Alexander Fedorovich Kornyakov.

In 1967, a firing model of the weapon was ready, it was called AGS-17. After some modifications and testing, in 1971 Soviet army adopted the new kind small arms.

It should be noted that, structurally and according to the classification established in the Soviet Union, the AGS-17 “Flame” is a small-caliber automatic weapon. Accordingly, his shot is a small-caliber artillery cartridge with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile. The name of the weapon (“automatic grenade launcher”) is more related to the tactical tasks it performs on the battlefield and is not determined by its design. Together with under-barrel launchers, automatic grenade launchers formed a new class of weapons - “support weapons.”

In combat conditions, the AGS-17 was used for the first time during the Vietnamese-Chinese conflict in 1979. The real test for this weapon was the war in Afghanistan, and it must be said that the AGS-17 passed it brilliantly. There were often cases when they independently welded “Plamya” grenade launchers to the body of armored vehicles, significantly increasing its combat power.

The first modifications of the weapon had a barrel with an aluminum radiator for cooling; later, fins on the outer surface of the barrel began to perform its functions.

Description of design

The AGS-17 automatic system works by rolling back the free shutter. The use of such a scheme allows the short barrel length, weak propellant charge of the grenade and low muzzle energy of the ammunition. The design of a grenade launcher consists of the following elements: trigger mechanism, receiver, box with barrel, bolt, reloading mechanism, return springs.

AGS-17 has a rifled barrel that can be quickly replaced; it is attached to the receiver using a pin and a lock. The rectangular bolt of the grenade launcher is equipped with a rammer, which moves vertically, and a comb that removes the spent cartridge case. Inside the bolt there is a hydraulic recoil brake, which increases the automatic cycle, thereby increasing the accuracy and accuracy of fire. The brake consists of a cylinder with kerosene, a rod with a piston and a flange that prevents fluid from leaking out. When recoiling, the hydraulic brake rests against the butt plate of the weapon, and when moving forward, against special protrusions of the receiver.

There are two return springs in the shutter channel.

The AGS-17 receiver cover contains a reloading mechanism, consisting of a clip and a cable with a T-shaped handle. When the cable is pulled, the bolt is pulled back. When firing from the AGS-17, the reloading mechanism remains motionless.

The impact mechanism of the easel grenade launcher is of the trigger type. During the descent, the trigger hits the firing pin lever located in the bolt. The trigger mechanism is located on the left side of the receiver.

AGS-17 is equipped with a flag-type fuse that locks the trigger sear. The grenade launcher has a mechanism for adjusting the rate of fire. It works by changing the duration of the weapon's automatic operation cycle.

The flag, with which you can change the rate of fire, has two fixed positions: top – 350-400 rounds/min. and lower - 50-100 shots/min.
To control the AGS-17 grenade launcher, two horizontal folding handles are used, with a trigger lever located between them.

The AGS-17 has a belt feed; the grenade launcher's belt is a link, metal, with an open link. It fits into a round-shaped box, which is attached to the right side of the receiver. The tape feeding mechanism consists of a spring-loaded feeder and a feed lever with a roller. The used cartridge case is extracted from the receiver using a special reflector downwards.

The shot tape is loaded either manually or using a special machine. The box holds a standard 29-shot belt. The tape capacity is 30 shots, but it does not have a shank, so its role is played by the outermost link, which is inserted into the receiver.

The tape box has a carrying handle, a lid and a flap with latches, as well as a special curtain that closes the neck during transportation.

To aim the weapon, the PAG-17 optical sight is used, which is installed using a bracket on the left side of the receiver. Sights allow direct fire at a distance of 700 meters, they can also be used when firing from closed positions. In addition to the optical one, the grenade launcher is also equipped with a mechanical sight, which consists of a front sight and rear sight.

To install AGS-17, the SAG-17 machine is used. In the stowed position, the SAG-17 folds and is usually moved by the second crew number. All machine supports are adjustable, which makes the use of the grenade launcher convenient in any situation.

For firing, the AGS-17 can use several types of shots, the most commonly used are VOG-17 and VOG-17M. Each of these shots consists of a cartridge case, a powder charge, a grenade and a flash fuze. The grenade has a thin-walled body with a notched wire of rectangular cross-section laid inside. After the primer is pierced, the powder charge in the cartridge case ignites and a shot occurs. The fuse is armed only after 50-100 meters of flight, which ensures the safety of the crew.

VOG-17M is a modernized grenade equipped with a self-destruct mechanism. In addition to combat shots, the grenade launcher's ammunition can also include practical shots. For example, VUS-17, which instead of an explosive contains a pyrotechnic composition that produces orange smoke at the impact site. Training ammunition has also been created for the AGS-17.

Shots for the AGS-17 grenade launcher were developed at NPO Basalt. Several more types of ammunition were created by foreign companies.

Modifications

Currently, there are several modifications of the AGS-17:

• AGS-17 "Flame". This is a basic modification of the weapon, which is installed on the SAG-17 tripod machine.
• AP-30 "Flame-A". An aviation modification of the grenade launcher, developed in 1980. This option differs from the basic one in the presence of an electric trigger, a shot counter, a slightly reduced rifling pitch in the barrel and a higher rate of fire. Accordingly, the AP-30 had to be equipped with a more massive barrel cooling radiator. This version of the grenade launcher was usually placed in a special hanging container.
• AG-17D. Modification installed on combat vehicle infantry support "Terminator"
• AG-17M. Marine version The grenade launcher, which is designed for installation on boats, is also used on the BMP-3.
• KBA-117. A modification of the grenade launcher developed by Ukrainian designers from the Artillery Armament Design Bureau. It is part of the combat modules of armored vehicles and armored boats.

Exploitation

The AGS-17 crew consists of two people; the crew may also include an ammunition carrier. As a rule, shooting is carried out in automatic mode, although single fire can also be fired. The most effective is firing in short bursts (3-5 grenades).

In combat, the grenade launcher is moved together with the machine; for this, you can use special belts. It should be noted that this weapon weighs a lot - 18 kg, and together with the machine - 52 kg. And this is not counting the ammunition of the grenade launcher. This fact can be called the main disadvantage of the grenade launcher. In general, we can say that the AGS-17 is a reliable and effective weapon that is quite easy to operate. Its disassembly does not require additional tools and can be carried out in the field. All of the above qualities have been repeatedly tested during many wars and conflicts of recent decades. In most of its characteristics, the AGS-17 confidently surpasses its foreign analogues.

Characteristics

Below are the performance characteristics of the AGS-17.

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