AGS-17

Infobox Weapon|is_ranged=yes


caption=AGS-17 Plamya - In use with Russian soldiers.
name=AGS-17 Plamya
type=Automatic Grenade Launcher
origin=flagcountry|Soviet Union
designer=KBP Instrument Design Bureau
manufacturer=KBP Instrument Design Bureau
cartridge=30mm grenade
design_date=1967
prod_date=1967
service=1967-Present
operators=Russian Federation
wars=Soviet War in Afghanistan
Chechen War
spec_type=Blowback
calibre=30 mm grenade
part_length=
ammo=30 mm
feed=30 rounds
action=Blowback
rate=400 round/min
velocity=185 m/s
range=1700 m
weight=31 kg
length=
sights=Adjustable iron sights, optional mount required for optical sights
variants=
number=

The AGS-17 "Plamya" (Russian: Пламя) is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher currently in production in the Russian Federation and in service worldwide.

Description

The AGS-17 is a heavy infantry support weapon designed to operate from a tripod or mounted on an installation or vehicle. The AGS-17 fires a steady rate of 30 mm grenades in either direct or indirect fire modes to provide suppressive and lethal fire support against soft skinned targets or fortifications targets.

The weapon operates using a blowback mechanism to sustain operation. Rounds are fired through a rifled barrel which is removable quickly to reduce barrel stress.

Ammunition is held in a metal box feed, and is linked. Standard boxes contain 29 rounds of linked ammunition.

The tripod is equipped with fine leveling gear for indirect fire trajectories.

Development

Development of the AGS-17 (Avtomatischeskyi Granatmyot Stankovyi - Automatic Grenade launcher, Mounted) had been started in the USSR in 1967 by the OKB-16 design bureau (now known as the famous KBP Instrument Design Bureau, located in the city of Tula). Most probably, its development was inspired by the Sino-Soviet border conflict of the late 1960s, as well as initial experience with several US automatic grenade launchers, learned from North Vietnamese troops who often were on the receiving end of these formidable weapons.

It was thought that the automatic grenade launcher is one of the most effective infantry support weapons against typical Chinese "human wave" attacks. This lightweight weapon was to provide infantry with close to medium range fire support against enemy personnel and unarmored targets like trucks and other such equipment. First prototypes of new weapon entered trials in 1969, and mass production commenced in 1971.

At the same timeframe, the special heliborne version AG-17 was developed for installation on Mi-24 Hind gunship helicopters. Never used against Chinese, AGS-17 was widely used and well liked by Soviet troops in Afghanistan as a ground support weapon or as a vehicle weapon on improvised mounts installed on armored personnel carriers and trucks.

It is still in use with Russian army as a direct fire support weapon for infantry troops; it is also installed in several vehicle mounts and turrets along with machine guns, guided rocket launchers and sighting equipment. A special airborne version AG-17A was installed in door mounts of several Mil Mi-8 Hip combat transport helicopters, and on gun pods used on late model Mi-24 Hind gunships; this weapon had a thick aluminium jacket on the barrel and used a special mount and an electric remotely controlled trigger. It's being replaced with AGS-30 launcher (using the same ammunition, it weights only 16 kg unloaded on the tripod and has upgraded blowback action).

Ammunition

Two types of ammunition are currently commonly fired from the AGS-17. The VOG-17M is the currently available version of the original 30 mm grenade ammunition, and has a basic high explosive fragmentation warhead. The VOG-30 is similar but contains better explosive filler and an enhanced fragmentation design that greatly increases the effective blast radius.

ee also

*Vektor Y3 AGL
*SB LAG 40
*HK GMG, similar weapon
*XM174 grenade launcher, similar weapon
*Milkor MGL, another South African 40 mm grenade launcher
*Mk 19 grenade launcher, similar weapon