Kurdish YPG forces with Iranian tandem HEAT RPG-7 projectile

Michael Smallwood

The above image is a still taken from the following video of Kurdish YPG forces fighting the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq uploaded on 29 December 2014. It shows a Kurdish fighter with an RPG-7 type rocket-assisted recoilless weapon, and what appears to be an Iranian tandem-charge RPG-7 projectile.

Previously documented in Syria, these projectiles feature a tandem high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead, designed to defeat the explosive reactive armour (ERA) of modern armoured fighting vehicles. According to Iranian sources, the projectile contains a 30 mm precursor charge inside the elongated nose probe, and an 80 mm main charge. Weighing 2.5 kg, it is believed to have an effective range of approximately 300 metres and can penetrate up to 350 mm of rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) after detonating ERA. Its designation is unknown.

 

Special thanks to N.R. Jenzen-Jones.