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| Granat | |
|---|---|
| Name | Granat |
| Type | Grenade launcher / anti-armor munition |
| Origin | Soviet Union / Russia |
| Used by | Soviet Union, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria |
| Wars | Soviet–Afghan War, First Chechen War, Second Chechen War, Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Designer | Tula Arms Plant |
| Manufacturer | Tula Arms Plant, KBP Instrument Design Bureau |
| Production date | 1980s–present |
| Length | 600 mm |
| Caliber | 40 mm |
| Action | Single-shot, break-action |
| Feed | Breech-loaded, single round |
Granat
Granat is a Soviet-designed 40 mm grenade launcher developed during the late Cold War period and fielded by Soviet Union and successor states. It entered service amid competing systems from Hezbollah-era conflicts and post-Soviet rearmament programs, seeing deployment in multiple regional wars. The system influenced small-arms support doctrine in forces including the Russian Ground Forces and paramilitary formations across Eastern Europe.
The designation reflects Russian-language ordnance nomenclature originating in the late-20th-century Soviet Union defense establishment and naming conventions used by design bureaus such as KBP Instrument Design Bureau and factories like Tula Arms Plant. Comparable names appear across Soviet-era systems including project designations used by Izhevsk Mechanical Plant and archival listings in GRAU indexes.
Development began during the 1970s–1980s modernization efforts driven by experiences in the Vietnam War and lessons noted by Soviet–Afghan War operations. Design efforts were coordinated with institutions including Tula Arms Plant and KBP Instrument Design Bureau, aiming to supplement infantry squads and mechanized units similar to contemporaneous Western designs like the M79 and M203. Prototypes underwent trials at ranges managed by Russian Ministry of Defense test centers and were evaluated alongside systems in the inventories of East Germany and Warsaw Pact allies. Post-Soviet industrial consolidation at firms such as Izhmash affected production throughput and export versions supplied to states and non-state groups in the 1990s and 2000s.
Granat is a lightweight, breech-loaded launcher chambered for 40 mm low-velocity grenades compatible with Soviet-standard munitions produced at facilities like Ulyanovsk Ammunition Plant. The launcher uses a single-shot, break-action mechanism with iron sights calibrated for ranges tested at Moscow Range Complex facilities. Materials and manufacturing techniques draw on metallurgical practices from Tula Arms Plant and machining standards used by KBP Instrument Design Bureau. Ergonomic features mirror innovations seen in AK-74-derived accessory interfaces and folding stocks comparable to those from Vityaz small-arms lines. Ballistic performance aligns with requirements established in trials involving personnel from Soviet Army infantry units and motor rifle formations.
Several variants emerged to meet diverse operational roles: infantry-tailored models produced by Tula Arms Plant; vehicle-mounted adaptations integrated onto platforms from BTR and BMP series; and export-configured versions modified by firms such as Rosoboronexport to comply with purchaser specifications. Specialized munition types include fragmentation rounds developed by Ulyanovsk Ammunition Plant, thermobaric warheads influenced by research at All-Russian Scientific Research Institute laboratories, and training cartridges standardized with doctrine from Russian Ground Forces training centers. Civilian-market derivatives and demilitarized display units were handled through transactions involving Izhmash and state export channels.
Fielded units employed the launcher for close support, bunker suppression, and anti-personnel roles during engagements in theaters such as the Soviet–Afghan War, where tactics paralleled counterinsurgency patterns analyzed by United States Army observers. It appeared in urban combat during the First Chechen War and Second Chechen War, serving alongside systems like the RPG-7 and integrated into combined-arms operations coordinated by formations of the Russian Ground Forces. In the Russo-Ukrainian War the launcher has been reported in service with both state and irregular forces, used in ambushes and fortified-position assaults documented by international monitoring organizations and defense analysts at institutions such as International Crisis Group and think tanks in Europe.
The system has been depicted in war reportage by media outlets covering conflicts involving former Soviet states, and appears in technical summaries published by defense manufacturers like KBP Instrument Design Bureau and export catalogs managed by Rosoboronexport. Its silhouette and nomenclature have influenced portrayals in Eastern European cinema and literature addressing late-Soviet and post-Soviet armed conflict, alongside representations of other small arms such as the AK-47, PK machine gun, and RPG-7. Collectors and museums, including exhibits at institutions like the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow, catalogue examples alongside Cold War-era ordnance.
Category:Russian infantry weapons Category:40 mm grenade launchers