PG-7VM rocket-propelled grenade

The PG-7VM is an improved RPG-7-compatible high-explosive anti-tank round built around a PG-7M shaped-charge grenade. Manufacturer data lists a roughly 2 kg round for use from RPG-7V-type launchers against armored vehicles, mechanized troops, shelters, and fortifications; in the Kurdish-Turkish Conflict, direct open-source evidence documents PG-7VM projectiles seized from PKK stocks in northern Iraq rather than a confirmed firing incident.

Kurdish-Turkish ConflictKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)

Conflict side: Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
Built by: Various manufacturers
Built in: Soviet UnionRussia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, and others

PG-7VM rocket-propelled grenade, RPG-7 HEAT rocket-propelled grenade round, Munitions

Image source: RPG-7 ammo.jpg

Profile

Type: RPG-7 HEAT rocket-propelled grenade round
Conflict side: Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
Origin: Soviet Union; produced internationally
Service note: Late Cold War RPG-7 ammunition variant still encountered in 21st-century conflicts

anti-tank portable unguided rpg

Service History

In service: Compatible with RPG-7V-type 40 mm launchers
Used by: Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
Wars: Kurdish-Turkish Conflict

Production History

Designer: Soviet RPG-7 ammunition design lineage
Designed: Improved PG-7M/PG-7VM family introduced after the original RPG-7 ammunition series
Built by: Various manufacturers
Built in: Soviet UnionRussia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, and others
Unit cost: Not publicly standardized across producers and surplus markets
Produced: Multiple production periods by Soviet, post-Soviet, and other licensed or compatible ammunition producers
Number built: Not publicly consolidated
Variants: PG-7VM round with PG-7M anti-tank grenade, PG-7VM ammunition with PG-7GM anti-tank warhead, Related PG-7-series HEAT rounds including PG-7V and PG-7VL

Specifications

Launcher compatibility: RPG-7V-type 40 mm rocket-propelled grenade launchers
Warhead type: Single shaped-charge high-explosive anti-tank warhead
Round weight: About 1.97 kg
Warhead caliber: About 70.2 mm to 72.5 mm depending on producer data
Muzzle velocity: About 135 m/s to 140 m/s
Direct fire range: 300 m
Sighting range: 500 m
Armor penetration: About 300 mm rolled homogeneous armor equivalent

Conflict Usage

Kurdish-Turkish Conflict: Side: Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)Role: Captured anti-armor RPG ammunitionanti-tank strike
A 2021 weapons review documented two PG-7VM projectiles seized from the PKK in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on May 11, 2021, placing the RPG-7 HEAT round in the conflict's cross-border PKK weapons context. The cited evidence supports possession and capture, not a specific firing incident.

PG-7VM rocket-propelled grenade Images

PG-7VM rocket-propelled grenade, RPG-7 HEAT rocket-propelled grenade round, Munitions - view 1 — Source: RPG-7 ammo.jpg

PG-7VM rocket-propelled grenade, RPG-7 HEAT rocket-propelled grenade round, Munitions - view 2 — Source: Rpg-7 ammunition Russia russian 001.jpg

Related Weapon Systems

RPG high-explosive rounds, Unguided rocket-propelled grenade ammunition, Munitions

MunitionsRPG high-explosive roundsUnguided rocket-propelled grenade ammunitionRPG high-explosive rounds are unguided explosive projectiles fired from reusable rocket-propelled grenade launchers such as the RPG-7 family. In the Battle of Marawi, Philippine clearing forces reported recovering high-explosive RPG rounds with launchers from the former main battle area, evidence of close-range explosive ammunition associated with IS-aligned Maute group materiel rather than a publicly identified round model.

RHEAT-7MA2 RPG round, 40/73 mm HEAT round for RPG-7-pattern launchers, Munitions

MunitionsRHEAT-7MA2 RPG round40/73 mm HEAT round for RPG-7-pattern launchersThe RHEAT-7MA2 is a Bulgarian 40/73 mm high-explosive anti-tank round for RPG-7-pattern launchers. In the Boko Haram Insurgency archive, it represents imported anti-armor ammunition documented in ISWAP media rather than a state-issued platform entry.

Improvised explosive device, Improvised explosive device, Munitions

MunitionsImprovised explosive deviceImprovised explosive deviceImprovised explosive devices are nonstandard bombs assembled from commercial, homemade, or military explosive components and triggers; this entry covers Houthi roadside and repurposed-ordnance IED use in Yemen, the Pulwama vehicle-borne suicide car bomb, Maute group booby traps in Marawi, and Boko Haram IED and mine-style attacks in the Lake Chad basin.

North Korean F-7 rocket-propelled-grenade projectile, RPG round, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsNorth Korean F-7 rocket-propelled-grenade projectileRPG roundThe North Korean F-7 is a 40 mm HE-fragmentation RPG round and sustainer-motor assembly based on the RPG-7 pattern. It has been documented in militant arsenals in the Boko Haram Insurgency and, in the Israel-Hamas War, linked to Hamas use on October 7 and to improvised anti-tank rockets built from its motor section.

RPG-30, Disposable anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsRPG-30Disposable anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcherThe RPG-30 Kryuk is a Russian disposable shoulder-fired anti-tank launcher built around a dual-tube concept: a small precursor projectile is fired ahead of the 105 mm tandem HEAT round to complicate active protection systems before the main warhead arrives. In Ukraine it has appeared primarily as a Russian infantry anti-armor weapon, with captured examples also documented in Ukrainian hands.

RPG-7, Reusable shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket launcher, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsRPG-7Reusable shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket launcherThe RPG-7 is a Soviet-origin reusable shoulder-fired rocket launcher built around a simple 40 mm launch tube and a wide family of over-caliber anti-armor, fragmentation, and thermobaric rounds. Its low cost, portability, and large global stock make it a common infantry anti-armor and assault weapon, including in Ukrainian service, Hamas use in Gaza, and ISWAP use in the Boko Haram Insurgency.

Sources

PG-7VM round with PG-7M anti-tank grenadePublisher: VMZ Sopot | Note: Manufacturer source for PG-7VM role, RPG-7V compatibility, caliber, weight, velocity, range, armor penetration, and Bulgarian production context. | Accessed: 2026-06-22 PG-7VM Anti-tank ammunitionPublisher: STV Group | Note: Manufacturer source for PG-7VM ammunition with PG-7GM anti-tank warhead, RPG-7V launcher compatibility, weight, warhead caliber, range, muzzle velocity, penetration, and Czech production context. | Accessed: 2026-06-22 Weapons Used and Captured by the PKK in 2021Publisher: Militant Wire | Note: Supports Kurdish-Turkish Conflict direct-use context: PG-7VM projectiles were fielded by the PKK and seized from the PKK in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on May 11, 2021. | Accessed: 2026-06-22 RPG-7 ammo.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for RPG-7 ammunition; file page lists Spike78 as author and free licenses including CC BY-SA. | Accessed: 2026-06-22 Rpg-7 ammunition Russia russian 001.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for RPG-7 HEAT and other ammunition examples; file page lists Bubu20121995 as author and CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing. | Accessed: 2026-06-22