F-1
F-1 hand grenade
Typeanti-personnel hand grenade
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1939–present (Russia)
Used bySoviet Union, Brazil, Cuba, China
WarsWorld War II
Hukbalahap Rebellion
Korean War
Vietnam War
Rhodesian Bush War[1]
Six-Day War
Yom Kippur War
Angolan Civil War
Iran-Iraq War
Iraq War
2011 Libyan Civil War
Syrian Civil War
War in Donbass
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Specifications
Mass600 g (1.3 lb)
Length130 mm (5.1 in)
Diameter55 mm (2.2 in)

FillingTrinitrotoluene
Filling weight60 g (2.1 oz)
Detonation
mechanism
Time delay fuse 3.2 to 4.2 s
Grenade cutaway and training sample (DOSAAF Museum, Minsk)
Russian MUV booby trap firing device. A zero-delay pull fuze which is normally connected to a tripwire. The MUV fuze is fully compatible with F-1 and RGD-5 grenades. Fitting an MUV fuze makes it easier to conceal the grenade when setting a boobytrap e.g. partial burial. Note that the detonator is usually threaded, so it can be screwed into the F-1 grenade body

The Soviet F-1 hand grenade (Russian: Фугасный > Fugasnyy 1, "Explosive, Type #1"), is an anti-personnel fragmentation defensive grenade. It is based on the French F1 grenade and contains a 60 g (2.1 oz) explosive charge (TNT). The total weight of the grenade with the fuze is about 600 g (21 oz).

Due to its shape and its yellow-green color, it is nicknamed the limonka (fem. "little lemon"). It is also nicknamed Efka (Russian: Эфка) for the letter F.[2] It is similar to the American Mk 2 "pineapple grenade", which was also ultimately modeled on the French F-1.

Fuse

The Universal'nyi Zapal, Ruchnaya Granata, Modernizirovannyi]] (UZRGM) (Russian for "Universal Igniter, Hand Grenade, Improved") fuse is a universal Russian type also used in the RG-41, RG-42, RGO-78, RGN-86 and RGD-5 grenades. The standard time delay for this fuse is 3.5 to 4 seconds. However, UZRGM fuze variants are available which give delays between zero (i.e., instantaneous, specifically for use in booby-traps) and 13 seconds. It is possible to hear a loud "pop" as the fuse ignites and begins to burn.

History

The F-1 was introduced during World War II and subsequently redesigned post-war. It has a steel exterior that is notched to facilitate fragmentation upon detonation and to prevent hands from slipping. The distance the grenade can be thrown is estimated at 30–45 m (98–148 ft). The radius of the fragment dispersion is up to 200 m (660 ft) (effective radius is about 30 m (98 ft),[3]). Hence, the grenade has to be deployed from a defensive position to avoid self-harm. About 60 percent of the grenade body pulverizes during the explosion, only 30 percent of the body splits into 290 high-velocity, sharp-edged splinters each weighing around 1 gram with an initial speed of about 700 m/s (2,300 ft/s).

Foreign copies

The F-1 grenade has been supplied to various Soviet allies and Third World nations over the years, including Iraq and other Arab nations, and there are different production variations according to country of origin (in terms of finish, markings and spoon/lever design). Though obsolete and no longer in production, it can still be encountered in combat zones. A copy of this grenade, dubbed the RGG-91 has been manufactured between 1992-1996 in Lithuania, by small arms factory "Vytis".

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.