Czech volunteers raising funds for 1000 RPG-75M grenade launchers for Ukraine

23 October, 2023 RPG-75M grenade launcher. Photo from open sources Volunteers from the Czech Republic have launched a fundraiser to purchase 1,000 RPG-75M disposable anti-tank grenade launchers for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

The fundraiser was launched as part of the "Gift for Putin" project. It was timed to coincide with the 55th anniversary of the invasion to Czechoslovakia by the USSR and Warsaw Pact troops. Grenade launchers are to be purchased for the 41st Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

To do this, the Czech initiative plans to raise CZK 12 million (over £500,000).

RPG-75M grenade launcher. Photo from open sources

The RPG-75 portable, disposable grenade launcher was developed in the 1970s in Czechoslovakia. It is now manufactured by the Czech company ZEVETA Bojkovice a.s.

RPG-75M grenade launcher.

Photo from open sources

The grenade launcher is designed to destroy enemy tanks and other armored vehicles. It fires a 68 mm grenade. The Ukrainian troops are already using this weapon to fight the Russian invaders.

Since 2022, the grenade launchers have been supplied to the Defense Forces as part of military aid from other countries. The launcher of the RPG-75 grenade launcher is a telescopic, two-part launch tube. It is equipped with sighting devices, triggers, firing and safety mechanisms, as well as stops and latches connecting the two parts of the launcher.

The RPG-75 grenade launcher's sighting devices consist of a scope and a sight. In the field position, the sight is attached to the launcher and held in place by a rubber band.

Preparing the RPG-75 for a shot

The rotating reticle has the appearance of a plate with a reticle for aiming and a slot, which makes it easier to determine the distance to the target. The reticle consists of one vertical line and four horizontal lines, the positions of which correspond to shooting distances of 100, 200, 250, and 300 meters.

One of the lines has two marks for correcting the lateral movement of the target.

RPG-75M grenade launcher.

Photo from open sources

Specifications of RPG-75:

  • Bore diameter: 68 mm;
  • Weight: 3.2 kg;
  • Length (folded for transport): 633 mm, length (combat ready): 890 mm;
  • Maximum firing range: 300 m;
  • Maximum range: 1000 m;
  • Penetration: 330 mm of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA);
  • Time of flight to autodestruction: 3 - 6 seconds.

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