RPG attack in Punjab puts the spotlight on the one-shot disposable anti-tank rocket launcher

Punjab is on high alert after a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was fired at the Punjab Police’s Intelligence headquarters in Mohali on Monday evening, triggering a blast at the site.

Reports state that the explosion took place around 7.45 pm at the office located at Sector 77 in Mohali. The windowpanes on one of the floors of the building were shattered because of the explosion. However, no one was injured in the attack.

An early statement from the Mohali Police read: “A minor explosion was reported at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in sector 77, SAS Nagar around 7.45 pm. No damage has been reported. Senior officers are on the spot and an investigation is being done. Forensic teams have been called.”

According to an Indian Express report, officers on the site said the weapon was ‘made in China’ as per the lot number written on it.

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Mohali Police refused to rule out the terror angle, with Mohali SP (HQ) Ravinder Pal Singh saying, “It (terror angle) can't be ignored. We are investigating it.”

As the authorities probe the case with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann saying that ‘anybody who tries to spoil the atmosphere in Punjab will not be spared’, let’s take a closer look at what an RPG is and the damage it can cause.

What’s an RPG?

A rocket-propelled grenade, often abbreviated to RPG, is a shoulder-fired, anti-tank weapon system that fires rockets equipped with an explosive warhead.

According to military history, RPG is an initialism from the Russian language РПГ or ручной противотанковый гранатомёт (transliterated as “ruchnoy protivotankovy granatomyot”), meaning “hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher”.

Defence experts note that RPGs aren’t as effective as a rocket, but goes much farther and faster than a hand grenade.

The model used in the Punjab attack has been identified as the RPG-22, which is nicknamed ‘Netto’.

This variant of the weapon is a one-shot disposable Soviet anti-tank rocket launcher that propels a 72.5 mm fin-stabilised projectile that can be prepared to fire in around 10 seconds, and can penetrate 400 mm of armour, 1.2 metres of brick or one metre of reinforced concrete.

It has an outer glass fibre tube and a simple pop-up sight, with a manual calibration of the target range, making it relatively easy to use. It fires a fin-stabilised HEAT rocket of 72.5 calibre.

The RPG-22, developed in the late 1970s, is a successor to the RPG-18 and is a disposable weapon that can only be used once.

As per reports, the accuracy of this weapon is limited.

RPG-22 used in past attacks

Before the Mohali attack, the RPG-22 was famously used in an attack on the main building of MI6, the headquarters of the British Secret Intelligence Service, in September 2000.

Following the attack, it had been reported that this was the first time that this weapon had been used in either Northern Ireland or the British mainland.

At the time, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alan Fry, head of Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist branch was quoted by The Independent as saying that the RPG-22 was “a most undesirable piece of equipment in the hands of terrorist groups”.

Speaking about the ease and benefits of using this weapon, Fry had then said that the RPG-22 was easily concealable and also quick to operate.

Moreover, it takes around 30 minutes to acquire the skills to use this weapon and is also easily available across the world.

With inputs from agencies

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