The RPG-22 Netto is a Soviet disposable anti-tank rocket launcher developed as a larger-caliber successor to the RPG-18, firing a 72.5 mm HEAT rocket from a telescoping aluminum-and-fiberglass tube. Open-source documentation places it in Soviet-Afghan War service, Islamic State inventories in Syria and Iraq, and both Ukrainian and Russian-linked hands during the Russia-Ukraine War.
U.S. Army training material describes Soviet troops using RPG-22 launchers against mujahideen strongholds in Afghanistan, while Forecast International says mujahideen forces also employed captured RPG-22s.
Conflict Armament Research documented Bulgarian and Russian RPG-22 launchers that Islamic State forces deployed in Kobane, plus another Russian RPG-22 captured from IS by YPG units near Qamishli in 2014.
Role detailsAmnesty International reported RPG-22 launchers among weapons deployed by Islamic State in Iraq, and Conflict Armament Research later counted one RPG-22-type launcher documented in Iraq within its IS field dataset.
DFRLab traced RPG-22s in Ukrainian forces and Russian-led separatist stocks by 2015, DVIDS documented Ukrainian army RPG-22 training at Yavoriv in 2017, and ARES documented an RPG-22 seized from alleged Russian saboteurs in Odessa on 27 February 2022.
Role detailsForecast International's 2023 market report is the clearest open-source snapshot of how many RPG-22s were made and what the launcher cost in reported market terms.
| Metric | Reported figure | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Russian production through 2022 | 547,743 | Forecast International estimate for Russian contractors. |
| Bulgarian licensed production | Over 82,600 | Forecast International reports Bulgarian licensed production. |
| Reported 2023 unit price | $801 | The report also lists a Bulgarian model at about $783. |
| Production outlook | Production line dormant | Forecast International says the RPG-22 line remained dormant while RPG-26 and RPG-27 production continued. |
The RPG-22 is part of the Soviet disposable-launcher line that moved from the lighter RPG-18 to later 72.5 mm and larger successors.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Predecessor disposable launcher | Forecast International describes the RPG-22 as an improved version of the RPG-18. Sources: RPG-18/RPG-22/RPG-26/RPG-27 |
 | Later disposable launcher | Forecast International describes the RPG-26 as an improved version of the RPG-22. Sources: RPG-18/RPG-22/RPG-26/RPG-27 |
Forecast International says the RPG-22 was developed as an improved version of the RPG-18, and Weaponsystems.net places the design work in the late 1970s.
Sources: RPG-22 Neto, RPG-18/RPG-22/RPG-26/RPG-27
Forecast International says the RPG-22 appeared in Afghanistan in 1986, about a year after its initial fielding with the Soviet Army; U.S. Army training material describes Soviet use of the RPG-22 in Afghanistan.
Sources: RPG-18/RPG-22/RPG-26/RPG-27, IN0546 Lesson 2 RPG-22
Conflict Armament Research documented Russian and Bulgarian RPG-22 launchers among Islamic State weapons in Kobane, Syria.
Sources: Islamic State Weapons in Kobane
DVIDS documented Ukrainian army soldiers from the 1st Airmobile Battalion, 79th Air Assault Brigade training with RPG-22 launchers at Yavoriv.
Sources: RPG qual at Yavoriv CTC BROLL
ARES documented an RPG-22 seized from alleged Russian saboteurs in Odessa during the opening days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Sources: Weapons & Equipment Seized from Alleged Russian Saboteurs in Ukraine (2022)
The RPG-22 is easier to understand as part of a short disposable-launcher lineage than as an isolated model.
| System | Relation | Source note |
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Forecast International says the RPG-22 is an improved version of the RPG-18. |
| Later family member | The same report says the RPG-26 is essentially an improved version of the RPG-22. |
| PG-22 grenade | Loaded round | VMZ describes the launcher as the RPG-22 rocket anti-tank grenade with PG-22 anti-tank grenade. |
