Munitions

PG-7VM rocket-propelled grenade

Also known as
  • PG-7VM
  • PG-7M
  • PG-7M anti-tank grenade
  • PG-7GM anti-tank warhead
  • PG-7VM round
  • PG-7VM HEAT round
  • PG-7VM anti-tank ammunition

The PG-7VM is an RPG-7-compatible high-explosive anti-tank round built around the smaller PG-7M-class shaped-charge grenade. VMZ Sopot and STV Group publish closely aligned data for a roughly 1.97 kg round with a 300 m direct-fire range, 500 m sighting range, and about 300 mm armor penetration; conflict evidence documents the round in PKK, Islamic State, and Iraqi insurgent stocks, usually as seized or photographed ammunition rather than a named firing incident.

PG-7VM rocket-propelled grenade, RPG-7 HEAT rocket-propelled grenade round, Munitions
Image source: RPG-7 ammo.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union; produced internationally
Type
RPG-7 HEAT rocket-propelled grenade round
Service note
Late Cold War RPG-7 ammunition variant still encountered in 21st-century conflicts
Designer
Soviet RPG-7 ammunition design lineage
Designed
Improved PG-7M/PG-7VM family introduced after the original RPG-7 ammunition series
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

Specifications

Launcher compatibility
RPG-7V-type 40 mm rocket-propelled grenade launchers
Warhead type
Single shaped-charge high-explosive anti-tank warhead
Grenade caliber
40 mm
Round weight
About 1.97 kg
Grenade weight
About 1.60 kg to 1.62 kg depending on producer wording
Propellant charge weight
About 0.375 kg in VMZ Sopot data
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
Packaging
Six rounds per ammunition box or case in VMZ Sopot and STV Group data
Variants

PG-7-series nomenclature distinguishes the complete round from its grenade or warhead section; public producer pages identify this entry as the PG-7VM round, while launcher and ammunition catalogs place it among related RPG-7 HEAT rounds.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
PG-7VEarlier RPG-7 HEAT round

Rosoboronexport lists PG-7V and PG-7VM together in the RPG-7V1 HEAT-round set, making PG-7V the adjacent earlier single-charge anti-tank round in the same launcher family.

Sources: RPG-7V1

PG-7VM with PG-7GM warheadProducer designation wording

STV Group describes its PG-7VM ammunition as using a PG-7GM anti-tank warhead and gives 70.2 mm warhead caliber data for the round.

Sources: PG-7VM Anti-tank ammunition

PG-7VLLater single-charge HEAT round

Rosoboronexport lists PG-7VL alongside PG-7VM as an RPG-7V1-compatible HEAT round, while VMZ Sopot lists PG-7VL as another RPG-7V ammunition product.

Sources: RPG-7V1, PG-7VM round with PG-7M anti-tank grenade

PG-7VR tandem-charge RPG projectile, Tandem-charge RPG projectile, Infantry WeaponsPG-7VR tandem-charge RPG projectileTandem-charge HEAT family member

Rosoboronexport lists PG-7VR in the same RPG-7V1 HEAT ammunition family, but the linked catalog page covers the later tandem-charge projectile rather than the single-charge PG-7VM.

Sources: RPG-7V1

Firing Launcher

Producer and launcher catalog pages identify the PG-7VM as ammunition for RPG-7V-type 40 mm launchers.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
RPG-7, Reusable shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket launcher, Infantry WeaponsRPG-7Reusable anti-tank rocket launcher

VMZ Sopot and STV Group describe PG-7VM as ammunition for RPG-7V-type launchers, and Rosoboronexport lists PG-7VM among the HEAT rounds fired by the RPG-7V1.

Sources: PG-7VM round with PG-7M anti-tank grenade, PG-7VM Anti-tank ammunition, RPG-7V1

Carrier UAV
CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
DJI Matrice 600 weaponized quadcopter, Commercial hexacopter UAV adapted for munition drops, Aircraft & UAVsDJI Matrice 600 weaponized quadcopterCommercial hexacopter UAV

Militant Wire reports PKK's DJI Matrice M600 UAV carrying two PG-7VM projectiles.

Sources: Weapons Used and Captured by the PKK in 2021

Round Identity And Compatibility

The PG-7VM is best treated as a complete RPG-7-compatible round, not as a launcher or a standalone drone munition. Public producer pages give nearly identical performance data but use slightly different warhead wording, while conflict reporting usually shows the round as seized, photographed, or carried ammunition rather than a confirmed detonation against a target.

Round versus grenade

VMZ Sopot names the item as a PG-7VM round with a PG-7M anti-tank grenade; STV Group names PG-7VM ammunition with a PG-7GM anti-tank warhead.

Launcher family

RPG-7V-type 40 mm launchers are the documented firing weapons, with Rosoboronexport listing PG-7VM among the RPG-7V1 HEAT rounds.

Conflict evidence

The strongest exact-conflict evidence places PG-7VM or PG-7M/PG-7VM material with PKK, Islamic State, and Iraqi insurgent forces; individual rows distinguish capture, carriage, and photographed use from confirmed firing incidents.

Timeline

PG-7VM rocket-propelled grenade Key Events

  1. PG-7VM grenades photographed in Iraq insurgent cache

    A U.S. National Archives caption identifies PG-7VM HEAT grenades among weapons acquired from insurgents who attacked a police station in Al Kharma, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

    Sources: RPGs and launcher and other weapons acquired by USMC Marines from insurgents in Al Kharma

  2. PG-7M/PG-7VM rocket documented in Tal Afar

    Conflict Armament Research documented a Romanian PG-7M/PG-7VM 40 mm rocket in a Tal Afar workshop used by Islamic State forces until late August 2017.

    Sources: Weapons of The Islamic State

  3. PG-7VM projectiles seized from PKK cache

    Militant Wire documented two PG-7VM projectiles seized from PKK material in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq alongside an 81 mm mortar bomb.

    Sources: Weapons Used and Captured by the PKK in 2021

  4. PKK weapons review identifies Matrice 600 carriage

    The same weapons review showed a PKK DJI Matrice 600 Pro with two PG-7VM projectiles and one PG-7VL projectile, documenting improvised carriage rather than factory drone compatibility.

    Sources: Weapons Used and Captured by the PKK in 2021

  5. Militant Wire reviews Islamic State PG-7VM evidence in northeast Syria

    Militant Wire documented PG-7VM-pattern projectiles in Islamic State material from northeast Syria, including seized Gweiran raid-attempt weapons and an RPG-7 with a PG-7VM/S rocket in a Deir ez-Zor attack image.

    Sources: Weaponry of the Islamic State in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria

Media

PG-7VM rocket-propelled grenade Videos

PG-7VM rocket-propelled grenade Images

PG-7VM rocket-propelled grenade, RPG-7 HEAT rocket-propelled grenade round, Munitions - view 1
Source: Rpg-7 ammunition Russia russian 001.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
PG-7VL rocket-propelled grenade, RPG-7-compatible HEAT rocket-propelled grenade round, MunitionsMunitionsPG-7VL rocket-propelled grenadeRPG-7-compatible HEAT rocket-propelled grenade roundThe PG-7VL is a Soviet-origin RPG-7-compatible high-explosive anti-tank round, also associated with the Luch designation and PG-7L grenade. Russian and Bulgarian product sources describe a 93 mm warhead, roughly 2.6 kg round weight, 300 m sighting or effective range, and about 500 mm armor penetration; conflict documentation places PG-7VL projectiles in Islamic State and PKK weapons stocks rather than tying them to a named firing incident.
RPG-7, Reusable shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket launcher, Infantry WeaponsInfantry 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 documented Ukrainian service, Hamas use in Gaza, ISWAP use in the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, and insurgent use in Afghanistan.
Drone-dropped modified RPG or shaped-charge munition, Improvised drone-dropped RPG-derived shaped-charge munition, MunitionsMunitionsDrone-dropped modified RPG or shaped-charge munitionImprovised drone-dropped RPG-derived shaped-charge munitionDrone-dropped modified RPG or shaped-charge munitions are field-adapted explosive payloads that convert RPG-family projectiles or similar shaped-charge warheads into aerial drop weapons for commercial UAVs. Open-source conflict reporting documents PKK Matrice 600-family carriage of PG-7VM, PG-7VL, and OG-7-pattern projectiles in 2021 and Hamas-led use of modified RPG-derived munitions from commercial drones during the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.
OGi-7MA RPG round, 40 mm high-explosive fragmentation RPG round, MunitionsMunitionsOGi-7MA RPG round40 mm high-explosive fragmentation RPG roundThe OGi-7MA is a Bulgarian 40 mm high-explosive fragmentation round for RPG-7V-family launchers and Arsenal's ATGL-L recoilless guns. Arsenal describes it as an improved, pre-fragmented anti-personnel round with more than 1,250 fragments and AF76 or AF72 point-detonating fuzes, while conflict reporting places it with Boko Haram factions in the Lake Chad basin, Islamic State forces in north-east Syria, and Ukrainian forces around Bakhmut.

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: 2026-07-04PG-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: 2026-07-04Weapons Used and Captured by the PKK in 2021Publisher: Militant Wire | Note: Supports 1984 Kurdish-Turkish Conflict direct-use context: PG-7VM projectiles were carried by a PKK DJI Matrice M600 Pro and two PG-7VM projectiles were seized from PKK material in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on May 11, 2021. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Weaponry of the Islamic State in the Autonomous Administration of North and East SyriaPublisher: Militant Wire | Note: Supports 2014 War Against the Islamic State direct-use context: Islamic State cells in northeast Syria were documented with PG-7VM-pattern RPG ammunition, including seized Gweiran prison-raid attempt weapons and a March 2021 Deir ez-Zor attack image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Weapons of The Islamic StatePublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: Supports 2013 War in Iraq direct-use context: CAR documented a Romanian PG-7M/PG-7VM 40 mm rocket in an Islamic State-used Tal Afar workshop during a September 2017 field investigation. | Accessed: 2026-07-04RPGs and launcher and other weapons acquired by USMC Marines from insurgents in Al KharmaPublisher: The U.S. National Archives via GetArchive | Note: Supports 2003 Iraq War direct-use context: the archive caption identifies PG-7VM HEAT grenades among RPG weapons acquired by U.S. Marines from insurgents after an Al Kharma police-station attack during Operation Iraqi Freedom. | Accessed: 2026-07-04RPG-7V1Publisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Supports RPG-7V1 launcher compatibility with PG-7VM and adjacent PG-7-series HEAT, thermobaric, and fragmentation ammunition. | Accessed: 2026-07-04RPG-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: 2026-07-04Rpg-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: 2026-07-04