# SPG-9
The **SPG-9** (Russian: СПГ-9, from Stankovyj Protivotankovyj Granatomet 9, "mounted anti-tank grenade launcher model 9"), nicknamed **Kopye** ("Spear"), is a Soviet 73 mm smoothbore recoilless gun fired from a tripod. It was developed between 1959 and 1961 by the GSKB-47 design organization (today's Basalt) to replace the 82 mm B-10 recoilless rifle, and was adopted by the Soviet army in 1962.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/) [Large numbers](https://www.edgepedia.org/large-numbers) remain in service worldwide, mostly as a fire support weapon rather than an anti-tank weapon.[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Tripod-mounted, breech-loaded, smoothbore recoilless gun, 73 mm caliber; GRAU index 6G6[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9) |
| Origin | Developed by GSKB-47 (USSR) 1959–1961; adopted 1962 as a replacement for the 82 mm B-10[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/) |
| Weight and length | Gun 47.5 kg, tripod 12 kg, length 2.11 m; Small Arms Survey lists 50 kg without tripod and 62 kg with tripod[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9) • [3](https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/SAS_weapons-recoilless-guns-SPG9.pdf) |
| Ammunition | PG-9V HEAT (rocket-assisted, fin-stabilized) and OG-9V HE-Frag (no booster, fixed fins)[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/) |
| Velocity | 430 m/s at launch, 700 m/s after the rocket motor burns out (HEAT round)[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/) |
| Ranges | 800 m effective direct fire; up to 1,300 m direct with HEAT and 4,500 m indirect with HE-Frag[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9) |
| Penetration | About 300 mm RHA with standard HEAT-FS projectiles, 400 mm with improved ones[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9) |
| Rate of fire | 5 to 6 rounds per minute for a skilled crew[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9) |
## Design and operation
The SPG-9 is a breech-loaded recoilless weapon with a side-opening breech fitted with a Venturi nozzle; propellant gases vent rearward, canceling recoil. It is normally mounted on a lightweight adjustable tripod with optional removable wheels, and can also be pedestal-mounted on vehicles and ships. Aiming uses the PGO-9 optical sight, which provides 4x magnification and supports both direct and indirect fire, with an optional PGN-9 passive night sight.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/) • [2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9) The tripod allows 30 degrees of total traverse and elevation from -3 to +7 degrees.[4](https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/11436671/worldwide-equipment-guide/46)
The weapon cannot be shoulder-fired. A crew of two can operate it, although a crew of four is recommended; East German practice assigned a gun leader, a gunner, a loader and ammunition handler, and a driver.[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9) • [5](https://www.rwd-mb3.de/pages/spg9.htm) Firing creates a dangerous back-blast with a safety zone 10 to 30 meters long behind the gun, which rules out firing from enclosed spaces.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/)
## Ammunition and ballistics
The base round is the PG-9V with a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead. Its "switch-blade" tail fins unfold in flight, and a rocket booster motor ignites about 10 to 20 meters from the muzzle, accelerating the projectile from 430 to 700 meters per second and giving an effective direct-fire range of up to 1,300 meters. The OG-9V high-explosive fragmentation round has no rocket booster and fixed tail fins; fired indirectly it reaches 4,500 meters.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/) The launch charge also imparts spin to the projectile through a series of offset holes before the fins take over stabilization.[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc9-MkCxq5c)
The ammunition is essentially the same as that fired by the 73 mm 2A28 Grom low-pressure gun of the BMP-1 and [BMD-1](https://www.edgepedia.org/bmd-1) vehicles, differing only in the propelling charge; the 2A28 Grom was itself developed from the SPG-9M.[7](https://www.pmulcahy.com/rocket_launchers/russian_rocket_launchers.htm) • [8](https://clever-geek.imtqy.com/articles/1213181/) Against armor, the 73 mm HEAT warhead is limited compared with larger modern designs, and the weapon is now more useful against light armor, unarmored vehicles, buildings, and infantry.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/)
## Variants
- **SPG-9**: original production model.[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9)
- **SPG-9M** (GRAU index 6G13): improved launcher introduced in 1971, adding the ability to fire the OG-9 HE-Frag series; the new mount and sight allowed indirect fire out to 4,500 m.[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9)
- **SPG-9D** (GRAU index 6G7): airborne version with detachable wheels.[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9)
- **SPG-9MN1**: East German modification with a mount for the PGN-9M night sight and a shutter protecting the sight from the muzzle flash.[5](https://www.rwd-mb3.de/pages/spg9.htm)
- Licensed and copied versions: Arsenal JSC in Bulgaria produces the 73 mm ATGL-H heavy anti-tank grenade launcher, Romania produces the AG-9, and Iran has produced the AMIG SPG-9.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/) • [3](https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/SAS_weapons-recoilless-guns-SPG9.pdf)
## Service and proliferation
The SPG-9 entered Soviet service in 1962 and equipped anti-tank platoons of motorized rifle battalions, two guns per platoon, paired with AT-3 anti-tank missiles. It was phased out of front-line Soviet service in the mid- to late 1970s as anti-tank guided missiles took over, but large numbers were exported to client states.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/) • [9](https://k.sina.cn/article_1853873203_6e7fdc3300100m1ik.html?from=mil) The Small Arms Survey 2004 described it as the leading competitor to the US 106 mm M-40 among recoilless guns still likely to be encountered, produced by KBP in Russia and license-produced in Bulgaria and Romania.[10](https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/Small-Arms-Survey-2004-Chapter-01-EN.pdf)
The weapon remains active in contemporary conflicts. A UN panel reported that Al-Shabaab used an SPG-9, a 73 mm tripod-mounted recoilless gun, to target Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport in 2016.[11](https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n20/229/24/pdf/n2022924.pdf?OpenElement=) It has seen extensive use in Iraq and Syria, where its light weight, long range, and accuracy make it a useful light support weapon, and Arsenal offers thermobaric ammunition effective against light bunkers and buildings.[1](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/) A 2025 US Army solicitation for 73 mm rocket-propelled grenades compatible with the SPG-9, covering HE-Frag, HEAT, smoke, illumination, and practice variants, indicates continued procurement interest.[12](https://govtribe.com/file/government-file/attachment-0006-general-spec-for-pdl-saws-rocket-spin-stabilized-grenades-dot-pdf)
## Identification
For weapons recording and field identification, the SPG-9's most distinctive features are its bulbous breech and conical rear vent. It superficially resembles the Russian B-10 but differs in having Bakelite heat shielding that completely encases the rear of the barrel and the forward part of the breech; markings above the breech, near the locking handle, are the best way to discriminate among types.[3](https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/SAS_weapons-recoilless-guns-SPG9.pdf)
## References
1. [SPG-9 anti-tank grenade launcher / recoilless gun (USSR), Modern Firearms](https://modernfirearms.net/en/grenade-launchers/spg-9-2/)
2. [73mm SPG-9, Weaponsystems.net](https://weaponsystems.net/system/646-73mm%2BSPG-9)
3. [Weapons Identification Sheet: SPG-9 (& close derivatives), Small Arms Survey](https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/SAS_weapons-recoilless-guns-SPG9.pdf)
4. [Worldwide Equipment Guide: Russian 73-mm Recoilless Gun SPG-9](https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/11436671/worldwide-equipment-guide/46)
5. [73-mm-Schwere Panzerbüchse SPG-9M (6G13), Raketen- und Waffentechnischer Dienst](https://www.rwd-mb3.de/pages/spg9.htm)
6. [SPG-9 Kopye 73mm Recoilless Gun (video description)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc9-MkCxq5c)
7. [Russian Rocket Launchers, pmulcahy.com](https://www.pmulcahy.com/rocket_launchers/russian_rocket_launchers.htm)
8. [SPG-9 (service history and development)](https://clever-geek.imtqy.com/articles/1213181/)
9. [俄罗斯SPG-9无后坐力炮，被广泛用于叙利亚局部冲突中, Sina Military](https://k.sina.cn/article_1853873203_6e7fdc3300100m1ik.html?from=mil)
10. [Small Arms Survey 2004, Chapter 1](https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/Small-Arms-Survey-2004-Chapter-01-EN.pdf)
11. [Report of the UN Panel of Experts on Somalia (S/2020/949)](https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n20/229/24/pdf/n2022924.pdf?OpenElement=)
12. [General Spec for PdL-SAWS Rocket Spin Stabilized Grenades, US Army solicitation W519TC-26-R-001](https://govtribe.com/file/government-file/attachment-0006-general-spec-for-pdl-saws-rocket-spin-stabilized-grenades-dot-pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Artillery*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license