Zachary Fryer-Biggs, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Industry
27 January 2015




AirTronic USA and Chemring Ordnance have signed an agreement to jointly work on development of RPG-7 rockets, the two company's announced on 27 January.

The rockets will be produced in the United States, with research and development work to begin immediately. Production would be planned for early 2016.

In December 2014 AirTronic received approval from the US army to test its 40 mm shoulder-firedanti-tank RPG launcher at the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments, running from January to March 2015. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed

http://www.janes.com/article/48416/airtronic-chemring-teaming-on-rpgs


















AirTronic RPG7 USA







Btw... selain RPG7 airtronic jg membuat mk777, yg lbh murah n ringan dg berat setengah rpg7, tp tdk seawet rpg7. Tp jaraknya maksimumnya sdh lumayan jg, 1000m....

GS-777 Lightweight Shoulder-Fired Recoilless Launcher








The 50-years old Soviet/Russian RPG-7 rocket grenade launcher is one of the most versatile, most popular and most successful weapons in its class. It can be carried, loaded and fired with good accuracy and effectiveness by one man. Thanks to a wide variety of rocket propelled grenades developed in several countries over last 5 decades RPG-7 can effectively engage a wide variety of battlefield targets – light armor, main battle tanks, bunkers, infantry in the open and behind various barriers and walls etc. Popularity and wide availability of RPG-7 rounds caused the US-based defense contractor company Airtronic to create its own version of this venerable weapon, which can use all types ofRPG-7 compatible rounds. Original Airtronic RPG-7 grenade launcher features solid construction with ordnance steel barrel and some useful extras, such as Picatinny rails that can host variety of sights (iron, red dot, telescopic, IR / Night) and adjustable shoulder stock. The more recent Airtronic Mk.777 antitank grenade launcher is especially interesting as it combines all combat capabilities of the basic RPG-7 weapon with extremely light weight, which is achieved by using steel-lined polymer barrel.

The Airtronic RPG-7 is a shoulder fired, single-shot, smoothbore recoilless launcher. Grenades are loaded from the front, and the rear of the barrel is fitted with venturi nozzle. Because of the recoilless design, there is a dangerous backblast zone, more than 20 meters/60ft long. The antitank grenades are of combination type, using a charge of smokeless powder for RCL-type launch. Once grenade reaches safe distance from the shooter (about 10-20 meters), the built-in rocket booster engine ignites and further accelerates the grenade, greatly enhancing the effective range (up to 500+ meters for single warhead grenades, up to200+ meters for much heavier tandem or FAE grenades). Airtronic USA RPG-7 launcher is fitted with backup iron sights and has several Picatinny rails for easy installation of various optical or IR / Night sights. RPG-7 uses mechanical ignition system with manually cocked external hammer, and a single-action trigger. Because of this, grenade must be properly aligned with the firing mechanism upon loading.

Thirty-two other countries manufacture RPG-7 rocket launchers, but only the AirTronic RPG-7 has a machined tube, every one of which is either magnetic particle inspected or dye penetrant inspected for voids. At the request of ARDEC AirTronic USA, Inc. recently developed a new version of the RPG-7 rocket launcher whose tube is machined not built from a casting and meets the USG standard of “safe, suitable, and effective.” This is a ubiquitous weapon in conflict zones from the Pacific to Africa, and TACOM named AirTronic sole source for this weapon AirTronic has a patent pending on improvements made to the design of the RPG-7 (Patent Application: 61607751,Patent Office Confirmation: 5264). Redesigned and Completely USA Manufactured Version of the World’s Most Widely Used Anti-Tank Weapon, the RPG-7.  RPG-7 USA Offers Machined, Not Cast, Tubing Made from 4140/4150 Ordnance Grade Steel. System Offers Ergonomic Upgrades that users of the M-16/M-4 Rifles are familiar with.

Military users are always looking for lighter weight weapons, and AirTronic together with ATK teamed to reduce the weight of the RPG-7 rocket launcher. A launcher made from 4140/4150 steel weighs approximately 14  lbs. By overwrapping a steel liner with a carbon composite wrap the weight of the weapon has been reduced by approximately ten pounds to 7.77 lbs. The teaming agreement with ATK has been terminated, but AirTronic has continued working on the initiative and expects to have weapons ready for shoulder-firing by the first quarter of 2015 with assistance from scientists at Benet Labs and Battelle. The GS-777 shares the same trigger group as the RPG-7, fires all standard RPG-7 rockets, and is guaranteed for 250 shots.

In 2012, AirTronic announced they were ready to take orders for their RPG-7. At the 2013 Great Military Parade of Peru, Peruvian Army Special Forces were seen with an AirTronic RPG-7 with an EOTech Holographic sight.[9] In January 2014, the Philippine Army ordered 400 AirTronic RPG-7s to replace their obsolete M18 and M67 recoilless rifles, with deliveries to be completed by the end of the year. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has acquired 400 US-made RPG-7 (USA) 40 mm recoilless rifles that will be delivered to the Philippine Army by the end of 2014.

Speaking to IHS Jane's on 13 January, army spokesperson Captain Anthony Bacus said the new launchers, manufactured by US firm Airtronic USA, will enhance the mobility of the army's elite and mechanised infantry troops, as the RPG-7 (USA) is up to 60% lighter than the recoilless rifles that are currently in service. He declined to comment on the delivery schedule.

The new acquisition will replace the obsolete M18 57 mm and M67 90 mm recoilless rifles, which are currently in service. With the PA's aim to increase the firepower of its standard infantry squad, it is necessary to provide them with a lightweight system that is also easy to use and maintain, and can be used several times instead of throwing away after a single shot.

Initial AFP reports indicate that there are actually 2 batches of rocket launcher acquisitions: a first batch of 355 units with 4,800 rounds of ammunition and a budget of around Php 95 million, and another batch of 744 units plus ammunition on a later date with a budget of around Php 407 million. Both batches are to be purchased under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, thus would be sourced from the Americans. With the budget allocated, it appears that each rocket launcher system will cost around Php 500,000, or around $11,500 which is actually small when viewed from a weapon cost's perspective.

Due to this budget, there could only be a few American-sourced re-useable systems that can be considered. MaxDefense initially thought it to possibly be the Shoulder-launced, Multipurpose Assault Weapon, aka SMAW, which was based on the Israeli B-300 system. But it appears that each of these launchers may cost as much as 10 times as the budget allocated by the PA. MaxDefense sees only 1 such weapon that may fit the budget: the RPG-7.

The advantages of the RPG-7 anti-tank weapon system are:
■First, the size of the RPG-7’s warhead/projectile is not limited to the size of the launcher tube, so you can use variable-size warheads that carry more payload and greater penetrative capability than an M72 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon a.k.a. Light Anti-Armor Weapon) 66mm HEAT warhead.
■Second, the RPG-7’s reloadable/reusable aspect allows the user to carry a quiver of different types of RPG rounds (i.e. standard HEAT warhead, dual-HEAT warhead, and thermobaric rocket-propelled grenades) on his back and quickly choose the best one for the job, load it, fire it at the target, and then reach back and grab the next one in the quiver (or have his buddy grab it for him), load it, and fire it again, which may offer some tactical advantages over carrying multiple disposable rocket launchers on his back.
■third, both the the RPG-7 and enhanced-armor-penetration-capable RPG-29 Vampir (Vampire) recoilless rifles’ respective launcher tubes, ammunition (grenade rounds), and training requirements are significantly less expensive than the U.S. military’s closest equivalents, the M3 Carl-Gustaf 84mm Recoilless Rifle / Multi-Role Man-Portable Anti-Tank Weapon a.k.a. M3 Carl-Gustav Recoilless Anti-Tank Rifle made by Saab AB a.k.a. Saab Bofors Dynamics and theShoulder-launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) MK153 Mod 0, which is an 83mm multi-purpose recoilless rifle.

Airtronic RPG-7 Specifications:
Caliber:  40mm
Weight:  14 Pounds without furniture
Length:   37.4 inches
Trigger Group:  Single Action
Launch Tube:  4140/4150 ordnance grade barrel steel (NO CASTINGS)
Sight:  Flip-up BUIS on Picatinny Rail
Maximum Range:  1,000 Meters
Effective Range:  250-500 Meters (depends on round)
Safety Distance:  Back 15-20 Meters
Muzzle Velocity:  110-140 Meters per second (depending on the round)
Life Expectancy:  1,000 Rounds
Ammunition:   Backwards compatible with all existing rockets
Warranty:  Two year limited for defects in material and workmanship


Summur:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airtronic_USA
http://www.defensereview.com/airtronic-usa-rpg-7-amerikansky-rocket-propelled-grenade-launcher/
http://www.janes.com/article/32297/philippines-acquires-rpg-7-usa-for-anti-armour-operations
http://maxdefense.blogspot.com/2014/01/rpg-7usa-for-philippine-army.html
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2013/07/31/usa-exporter-rpg-7/#sthash.wa13Akfj.dpuf
http://www.airtronic-usa.com/products/gs-777-lightweight-shoulder-fired-recoilless-launcher/
http://www.airtronic-usa.com/products/airtronic-rpg-7-usa/
http://world.guns.ru/grenade/usa/airtronic-usa-rpg-7-e.html

*ada bbrp perbedaan info antar link, misalnya world.guns.ru menyebut max range rpg7 n mk777 500m, sedangkan situs pabriknya www.airtronic-usa.com menyebut max range rpg7 n mk777 1000m. Dll....




Barang KW tapi malah lbh Premium, setrong, dan jaguh, dr yg asli.....
Walau mungkin jg lbh mahal ....


Ternyata bukan cuma RRC sj yg suka ngopi, krn US jg sering membuat kopian produk negara lain di US, spt RPG7, Ak47, dll. Hanya mungkin bedanya yg barang kw buatan US mungkin sj ternyata malah bisa lbh jaguh n lebih baik kualitasnya dr produk yg asli, apalagi kw dr negara lain, krn jg ada berbagai improvement yg dilakukan, tdk hanya kopas.


Btw.... Filipina walaupun mau memakai alutsista rancangan rusia/sovyet tp kok nampaknya harus yg buatan USA ya??? Spt rpg7 ini....
Jangan2 Ak47 pun Filipina jg akan lbh milih ngimpor dr USA drpd yg buatan lokal atau asli rusia...


Apakah Indonesia tertarik jg dg RPG7 made in USA ini....????
Siapa tahu bisa ToT...... maksudnya RPG7 nya lisensi/beli desain dr Rusia/RRC/Pakistan, dll, tp jg beli ToT technologynya RPG7 nya airtronic....


Atau Indonesia lisensi n beli desain Panzerfaust 3 atau 44 yg jg jadul jg gpp deh