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RG-42
Soviet hand grenade / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Soviet RG-42 (Ручная Граната образца 42 года > Ruchnaya Granata obraztsa 42 goda, "Hand Grenade pattern of [19]42 year") was a fragmentation grenade designed by S. G. Korshunov.[1]
RG-42 grenade | |
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Type | Hand grenade |
Place of origin | Soviet Union |
Service history | |
Used by | Soviet Union People's Republic of China North Korea |
Wars | World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War |
Production history | |
Designer | S. G. Korshunov[1] |
Designed | c. 1942 |
Produced | 1942–1954 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 420 grams (15 oz)[1] |
Height | 121 millimetres (4.8 in) |
Diameter | 54 millimetres (2.1 in) |
Filling | TNT |
Filling weight | 110–120 grams (3.9–4.2 oz) |
Detonation mechanism | Time-fuze, 3.2–4.0 (3.2-4.2) seconds[1] |
It was originally introduced during World War II from 1942 onwards as an emergency measure to replace the complex RGD-33 grenade. It continued in use with the USSR and its Warsaw Pact allies in the post-war period until replaced in 1954 by the RGD-5 grenade. Stockpiles were held for emergency or reserve issue, military aid, or foreign sales. They were eventually destroyed in the 1980s due to the TNT filling degrading and becoming unsafe.
Unlike the RGD-33, the RG-42's components were simple to produce and assemble. Only the fuze required specialized manufacture and the parts could be easily assembled by hand by cottage labor. Partisans often made copies of the simple design when out of contact.
It contained approximately 110–120 g (3.9–4.2 oz) of the high explosive (TNT) in a cylindrical stamped-metal can.
It was introduced with the 3.2 to 4.0 second UZRG fuze, though the later 3.2 to 4.2 second UZRGM and UZRGM-2 modernised fuzes would also be used. The UZRG fuze family would also used in the RGD-5 and F1 grenades.
The grenade could be thrown about 30–40 m (98–131 ft) and has an effective fragmentation radius of approximately 25 m (82 ft).
The total weight of the grenade with the fuze was 420 g (15 oz).[1]