Russian UPG-8 Anti Tank Grenade MINT Inert

Russian UPG-8 Anti Tank Grenade MINT Inert

UPG-8
Uchebnaya Protivotankovaya Granata
("Training Antitank Grenade")

This grenade was developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War and continues to be copied and produced by numerous countries.

It is a drogue stabilized, impact fuzed, hollow charge device, with a penetration performance of 125-165mm and a secondary fragmentation radius of about 20m.

The RKG-3 family of grenades vary in size ranging from 65-78mm in diameter, 350-388mm in length and holding 384-560g of explosive.

The UPG-8 training counterpart, painted the characteristic black with a white stripe and lettering

The training version is designed to be re-usable, and the mechanism inside the handle is quite different. Specialized tools were supplied that enabled the stablilizer to be reloaded in the field, but spare complete drouge units were issued as well for quicker reloading. The body is made of heavy sheet metal with gas escape holes to vent the practice charge.

In principal it is similar to others of its type. A detonator is inserted just before use, the grenade is grasped firmly, safety pin pulled and the grenade is throw high over the target. When released, the safety lever is free and releases a spring loaded stabilizing parachute, which keeps the nose pointed at the target. On impact a base fuze detonates the grenade. The complex nature of the design is due to safety features incorporated into the grenade fuze to avoid premature detonation. Definitly one of the most complex grenade types made.