Since the war in Ukraine began on 24 February the Ukrainian armed forces have been hastily putting together and sharing training films for various weapon systems. One of the most interesting weapons to be transferred to Ukraine is the Polish RPG-76 Komar (‘Mosquito’).
The RPG-76 is essentially a smaller, lighter single-shot RPG-7, it has a folding stock and its round is adapted so its rocket nozzles are angled at 45-degrees to protect the user when firing. The RPG-76 was developed in the mid-1970s and entered production at Niewiadów in the mid-1980s. It was eventually withdrawn from general issue in 2003 but remained in Polish Army stores and saw some use with Polish troops during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While the RPG-76 can reportedly penetrate up to 260mm of Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) it lacks a tandem charge round which could engage targets, such as tanks, with explosive reactive armour. Despite this it should be more than capable of taking on most Russian light armoured vehicles and soft-skin vehicles like trucks.
The small number of examples seen in the field so far appear to date to the late 1980s. Poland announced they would be transferring military aid to Ukraine in early February and has since transferred ammunition, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, mortars and provided medical supplies.
Another example of an RPG-76 in the field:
The video first surfaced around the 11th March, posted on Facebook by Vadim Kodachigov (the director of Kort, a military industrial company), though he may not be the original creator. Kodachigov appears to be part of a Territorial Defence Force unit, who may also feature in the video.
RPG-76 Specifications:
| Warhead: | 40mm HEAT |
| Weight (round and launcher): | 4.6lbs (2.1kg) |
| Length | 32in (805mm) – folded 43in (1190mm) – extended |
| Effective Range | 273yd (250m) |
| Penetration | 10.2in (260mm) against RHA |
Watch the training video for the Stinger MANPADS here
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Bibliography:
Earliest source found: Vadim Kodachigov via facebook (source)
RPG-76 Komar – Polish miniature grenade launcher: how to shoot with this weapon, Defense Express, (source)
Ukrainian Forces Takes Delivery of Polish RPG-76 Komar Rocket-propelled Grenade, MilitaryLeaks, (source)
Poland pledges to send weapons to Ukraine, Independent, (source)
Translation of video adapted from @mdmitri91’s translation
The Armourers Bench 