RGD-5

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RGD-5
File:Rgd 5 hand grenade.jpeg
RGD-5 hand grenade with UZRGM fuze fitted
TypeHand grenade
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1954–present
WarsVietnam War
Six-Day War
The Troubles
Yom Kippur War
Soviet–Afghan War
Iran–Iraq War
Invasion of Kuwait
Gulf War
First Chechen War
Kosovo War
Second Chechen War
Iraq War
Russo-Georgian War
First Libyan Civil War
Syrian Civil War
Russo-Ukrainian War
Specifications
Mass310 g (11 oz)
Length114 mm (4.5 in)
Diameter58 mm (2.3 in)
Effective firing range15–20 m (49–66 ft)
Maximum firing range30 m (98 ft)
FillingTrinitrotoluene
Filling weight110 g (3.9 oz)
Detonation
mechanism
3.2 to 4.2 seconds. pyrotechnic delay fuse
Blast yield~350 fragments

The RGD-5 (Russian: РГД-5, romanized: Ruchnaya Granata Distantsionnaya, lit. 'Hand grenade, distant') is a post–World War II Soviet anti-personnel fragmentation grenade, designed in the early 1950s.

Design

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File:Grenade RGD-5 Navy.jpg
RGD-5 measurements

The grenade is egg-shaped without ribbing, except for a lateral ridge where the two halves of the grenade join. It weighs 310 grams (11 oz), is 117 millimetres (4.6 in) in length, and 58 millimetres (2.3 in) in diameter. The surface has a few small dimples with green or olive drab paint.

File:Russian - MUV pull fuze.jpg
MUV zero-delay pull fuze, normally connected to a tripwire.

It contains a 110-gram (3.9 oz) charge of TNT with an internal fragmentation liner that produces around 350 fragments with a fatality radius of around 3 metres (9.8 ft)[1] and a wounding radius of 25 metres (82 ft).[2][3][4]

Typically, the RGD-5 uses the 3.2 to 4.2 second delay UZRG, UZRGM or UZRGM-2 fuze, a universal Russian type also used in the RG-41, RG-42, and F1 grenades or the more modern DVM-78 fuze. It is also possible to screw a MUV booby-trap firing device into the fuze well.[5]

The RGD-5 can be thrown about 35 to 45 metres (115 to 148 ft) by the average soldier and on throwing, the grenade makes a loud "crack" sound as its spoon falls out activating the fuze.

File:AK47Figure54.jpg
AK-47 with a Kalashnikov grenade launcher mounted to its muzzle

Variants

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URG-N

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File:Учебно-имитационные УРГ и УРГ-Н 676931.jpg
URG-N (right)

The URG-N is a reusable training model of the RGD-5 with a modified fuze containing a tiny explosive charge which simulates the detonation of the grenade. The body of this grenade is painted black with white markings.

Rifle grenade

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The AK-47 can mount a (rarely used) cup-type grenade-launcher that fires standard Soviet RGD-5 hand-grenades. The soup-can shaped launcher is screwed onto the AK-47's muzzle.[6]

It is prepared for firing by inserting a standard RGD-5 hand-grenade into the launcher, removing the safety pin, and inserting a special blank cartridge into the rifle's chamber. With the butt-stock of the rifle on the ground it can be fired.

The maximum effective range is approximately 150 metres (492 ft).[7]

RGD-5s are still manufactured in Russia with copies produced in Bulgaria, China (as the Type 59) and Georgia.

Foreign production

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China

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Type 59
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Chinese built variant.[8]

People's Republic of Bulgaria / Bulgaria

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RGO-78
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People's Republic of Bulgarian '70s variant with DVM-78 fuse.

Grenade weighed 450 g (16 oz) and contained 85 g (3.0 oz) charge of TNT.

RGN-86
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Another People's Republic of Bulgarian modification with DVM-78 fuze.

Weighed 265 g (9.3 oz) and contained 57 g (2.0 oz) charge of TNT.

Polish People's Republic / Poland

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RGO-88
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Main article: Granat RGO-88

Polish People's Republic modified variant[9][10] with А-IX-1 filling (95% RDX and 5% Phlegmatized explosive). 60 g (2.1 oz) of explosive mass.

Lithuania

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RPG-92
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Lithuanian copy manufactured by small arms factory "Vytis" between 1992–1996.

Not an exact copy, considering the RPG-92 uses a cylindrical shell instead of an egg shaped one.

Ukraine

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In late 2024, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine codified and approved the use of domestically produced RGD-5 analogs for its military.

This grenade is modified to meet modern standards and has a kill zone limited up to 25 m (82 ft), making it suited for offensive operations.[11]

Users

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Current

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Former

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Usage

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Service

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The RGD-5 was accepted into service with the Soviet Army in 1954.

The RGD-5 was widely exported, and is still in service with many armies in the Middle East and the former Soviet bloc.

Millions of RGD-5s and its clones have been manufactured over the years and although not as advanced as more modern grenades specifically designed to penetrate CRISAT standard body armour, the RGD-5 remains an effective and inexpensive weapon.

A single RGD-5 grenade costs around $5 US.

In assassination attempt of George W. Bush

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File:RGD-5 hand grenade (DOSAAF Museum in Minsk) 1.jpg
Grenade cutaway and training sample (DOSAAF Museum, Minsk)

On 10 May 2005, Vladimir Arutyunian, a Georgian citizen and ethnic Armenian, waited for the United States President George W. Bush and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to speak in Tbilisi's central Liberty Square.

When Bush began speaking, Arutyunian threw an RGD-5 hand grenade wrapped in a red plaid handkerchief toward the podium where Bush stood as he addressed the crowd.

The grenade landed 18.6 metres (61 ft) from the podium, near where Saakashvili, his wife Sandra Roelofs, Laura Bush, and other officials were seated.[28]

The grenade failed to detonate. Although original reports indicated that the grenade was not live, it was later revealed that it was.[29] After Arutyunian pulled the pin and threw the grenade, it hit a girl, cushioning its impact.

The red handkerchief remained wrapped around the grenade, and it prevented the striker lever from releasing. A Georgian security officer quickly removed the grenade, and Arutyunian disappeared, but was later arrested.[28][30]

See also

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Bibliography

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  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

References

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  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). |RGD-5 data (in Russian)
  3. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ File:AK47Figure54.jpg – Wikisource. En.wikisource.org. Retrieved on 2011-09-27.
  7. ^ Operator's Manual for AK-47 Assault Rifle. Department of the Army
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ Weeks 1980, p. 677.
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ^ Weeks 1980, p. 656.
  14. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  17. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  18. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  19. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  20. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  21. ^ Weeks 1980, p. 678.
  22. ^ «Под руководством офицеров и инструкторов из числа наиболее подготовленных военнослужащих по контракту обучаемые закрепляют навыки метания ручных наступательных гранат РГД-5.»
    Военнослужащие ВВО в Забайкалье совершенствуют навыки в метании наступательных гранат / официальный интернет-сайт министерства обороны РФ от 8 октября 2025
  23. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  24. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  25. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  26. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  27. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  28. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  29. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  30. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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