SPG-9

The SPG-9 Kopyo (Russian: СПГ-9 Копьё, transliterated Russian: Stankovyi Protivotankovyi Granatomet "Kopyo" - Easel Antitank Grenade Launcher "Spear") is a tripod-mounted man-portable, 73 millimetre calibre recoilless gun developed by the Soviet Union. It fires fin-stabilised, rocket-assisted high explosive (HE) and high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shaped charge projectiles similar to those fired by the 73 mm 2A28 Grom low pressure gun of the BMP-1 armored vehicle. It was accepted into service in 1962, replacing the B-10 recoilless rifle.

Description
The projectile is launched from the gun by a small charge, which gives it an initial velocity of between 250 –. The launch charge also imparts spin to the projectile by a series of offset holes. Once the projectile has traveled approximately 20 m from the launcher, a rocket motor in its base ignites. For the PG-9 projectile, this takes it to a velocity of 700 m/s before the motor burns out.

The SPG-9 is heavy, ~60 kg, and normally transported by vehicle, and carried into position by its two person crew. It can be deployed in about a minute. The weapon is in service with a large number of armed forces, and a variety of ammunition is produced; however, they are mostly copies of the original Soviet PG-9 HEAT and OG-9 fragmentation (Frag) high explosive (Frag-HE) rounds.

The SPG-9 is widely available to terrorists and maritime pirates such as in the Horn of Africa region, and in other regions to a lesser degree. It is not as popular as the RPG-7 because it must be mounted on a vehicle or boat and cannot be easily carried and shoulder fired. The SPG-9 requires much more skill to fire accurately than the RPG-7. There have been reports of these mounted in skiffs and larger "mother ships". The SPG-9 can typically be found mounted on a wide variety of vehicles known as "technicals" in Somalia.

A variant for use with airborne troops including detachable wheels was built as the SPG-9D.

Combat use
The SPG-9 was used by both sides during the Transnistria War.

In addition to using the SPG-9 as light indirect fire artillery, members of Wagner PMC modified SPG-9 ammunition to be fired from more portable RPG-7 launchers during the Battle of Bakhmut.

In mid October 2023 Israeli forces, during the 2023 Israel-Hamas War, captured a flyer produced by Hamas about destroying Merkava tanks. The flyer recommended the SPG-9 as an effective way of defeating the Israeli Trophy System designed to intercept incoming RPG or Anti-tank Guided Missiles. The SPG-9 was recommended due "simply by virtue of its projectile’s high speed".

Users





 * 🇦🇫 Afghanistan
 * 🇧🇬 : manufactured locally as Arsenal ATGL
 * Democratic Republic of the Congo
 * Georgia
 * 🇮🇷 Iran: AMIG SPG-9
 * 🇮🇶 Iraq
 * 🇱🇾 Libya
 * 🇲🇱 Mali
 * 🇲🇩 Moldova
 * 🇵🇱 Poland
 * 🇷🇴 Romania: RomArm AG-9
 * 🇷🇺 Russia
 * 🇷🇼 Rwanda
 * 🇸🇩 Sudan
 * 🇸🇸 South Sudan
 * Syria
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine, also used by separatist forces
 * Vietnam SPG-9T2
 * 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan
 * Vietnam SPG-9T2
 * 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

Non-state actors

 * Artsakh
 * Iraqi Kurdistan
 * Islamic State
 * Lord's Resistance Army
 * Kurdistan Workers' Party
 * 🇸🇸 Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition
 * Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North
 * Free Syrian Army
 * Transnistria
 * Hamas