Czech Republic raised funds for RPG-75M grenade launchers for Ukraine
19 December, 2023 RPG-75M grenade launcher. Photo from open sources Czech volunteers have completed fundraising to purchase 1000 RPG-75M anti-tank grenade launchers for the 41st Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
They managed to raise EUR947,813 in almost two months within the 'Darek pro Putina' (A Gift for Putin) initiative. This fundraising was timed to the 55th anniversary of the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the USSR and Warsaw Pact troops. The RPG-75 portable, disposable, single-shot grenade launcher is designed to destroy enemy tanks and other armored vehicles.
It fires a 68-mm grenade. The weapon 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 Ukrainian servicemen are already using these grenade launchers to fight the Russian invaders. Grenade launchers have been supplied to the Ukrainian Defense Forces since 2022 as part of military aid from other countries.
RPG-75
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, along with stops and latches connecting the two parts of the launcher.
The RPG-75 grenade launcher's sighting devices consist of a sight and a reticle. In the field position, the sight is attached to the launcher and held in place by a rubber band.
RPG-75M grenade launcher. Photo from open sourcesThe 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.
Preparing the RPG-75 for a shotSpecifications 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.
The Czech initiative 'Darek pro Putina' (A Gift for Putin) is also raising funds for a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter for Ukraine.