a new, powerful recoilless grenade launcher

[Frank Patterdough]

Apologize if you already discussed this. I haven't found it in the search facilities. Seems like the frame-rules of an invasion of Syria may be a tag different in the future for small tanks.

Wonder if CMx2 will take account of this.

Here the image: new rpg

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The big surprise was a new, powerful recoilless grenade launcher, RPG - the first product to roll out of the new Russian-Jordanian JRESCO firm based in the northern town of Zarqa. DEBKAfile’s military sources describe RPG-32 Hashim as weighing 10 kg (including a 7 kg grenade), with an effective range up to 700 m and equipped with an optical sight and two kinds of grenades – whose tandem cumulative can pierce 650mm of armor, which makes every tank in the world today, including Israel’s Chariot, vulnerable.

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[flamingknives]

Hmm, I spy weasel-words. 650mm penetration defeats modern MBTs if, and only if, it strikes from a side or rear aspect.

Heck, every tank in the world today is vulnerable to an RPG7, provided that you're standing directly above them.

Anyway, Jordan and Syria are different places with different allegiances. Amongst other things, Jordan possess Challenger 1s and the capacity to develop their own turrets.

This new RPG is pretty comparable to the British LAW 80 or the Swedish AT4 (in US use as the M136), albeit with a tandam warhead, which would make it a danger to AFV relying on Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) for protection.

Trouble is, it's only an issue if there is a future pack involving the Jordanians.

[MikeyD]

I looked up the Russian throw-away RPG-18 LAW and that could only pierce 375mm armor. The latest enhanced PG-7VR warhead for the RPG-7 can pierce 600mm. So 650mm is pretty decent by way of armor penetration. One assumes RPG-32's main benefit would be a dud rate somewhat below RPG-7's crappy 50%.

I wonder about the new warhead diameter, and the round fusing. Slate cages were designed pretty much with the base-fused 85mm diameter RPG-7 warhead in mind.

[hellfish]

This is from Debka, which is always a dubious source.

[Frank Patterdough]

Flamingknives: Anyway, Jordan and Syria are different places with different allegiances

Flamingknives: it's only an issue if there is a future pack involving the Jordanians

I doubt both assertions.

Jordan and Syria have a common border, duh.

Allegiances play a role only as far as you can check or enforce them, which is seldom the case.

Possibilities for a easy supply of such RPGs from Jordan to Siria in case of an invasion of the latter by the States are too obvious to list.

fytinghellfish: This is from Debka, which is always a dubious source.

True. It's tends to exagerate all threats to Israel, for reasons easy to figure.

Still those RPGs (it seems) are (and will) be available indeed. You don't even need to check searching the web (that you could anyway do): it is simply a "logical" development after the Iraq blunder we are all witnessing.

So my original comments are (at least in my eyes) still valid. Will CMx2 take account of this development? (and prolly many other -similar and perfectly logical- 'recent' data?)

[John_d]

You're not seriously suggesting that Jordan and Syria might effectively be the same place because they share a border are you? That is tantamount to saying that United States and Mexico should be the same, or France and Germany.

[flamingknives]

Given that Jordan has strong links to the west, and allegiances do not need to be enforced, unless smuggling of high tech (or at the very least, new) military goods can be conducted in suitable quantities without the miliatry/government being aware of it or unable to control it.

While much of the political specifics depend on the back-story BFC cook up, the idea that Jordan would support Syria by such easily traceable methods as such weapons is somewhat unlikely. Especially as it would mean an instant halt of support from western countries. Any support would be in the form of older weaponry.

[SgtMuhammed]

I guess we should be affraid of Syria getting Merkava III's. They do share a border with Israel.

[Peter Cairns]

To be honest from the discription and the poor photo i'd say this might well just be a licenced version of the Russian RPG-26, some of which have been apparently turning up in Iraq.

Jordan is pro west and no friend of Iraq's, but if it is a Jordanain Russian joint venture, then they could turn up anywhere. Last time i looked most Jordainas weren't exactly pro bush or Isreal, the economy was rocky and unemployment was about 25%, ideal conditions for things to go missing on route.

Peter.