Bazooka – M1 Rocket Launcher

Bazooka vs. RPG

Bazookas and RPGs, or Rocket-Propelled Grenades, are also known as tank buster weapons; both of them can effectively put a tank out of commission. The two terms are commonly used in the military and feared by tank veterans because of their destructive power.

Children and teenagers get to know bazookas and RPG through television shows and computer games which exemplify them as explosive weapons that can be used to eliminate the bad guys. When one watches the news, no military outfit is complete without soldiers lugging a bazooka or an RPG, which serves as their fighting chance against armored vehicles. What most people don’t know, however, is that bazookas and RPGs are different from one another for two reasons. The first reason has to do with which came first; the bazooka is the first-ever tank buster weapon, developed during World War II by the Armed Forces of the United States. It was a standard tank buster weapon of the Allied forces, and used a HEAT or High-Explosive Anti-Tank shell as ammunition.

After World War II, the bazooka was also used in the Korean War and other conflicts involving the United States. The first bazooka was formally known as the M1 Rocket Launcher. It was continuously improved and renamed through the years, spawning nine other versions. Examples of these versions are the M20 A1B1 Super Bazooka, M25 Three Shot Bazooka, and the RL-83 Blindicide. The RPG, on the other hand, was first developed by the Russians.

RPG-7

The second difference between the bazooka and RPG is in the way they deliver their payload. The payload, or rocket ammunition, of the bazooka is stored in the rear end of the inner chamber. The RPG, on the other hand, has its payload at the front end, outside of the inner chamber. The most popular RPG is called the RPG-7, and it was developed at the end of World War II. The RPG-7’s structural design was a combination of the United States-manufactured bazooka and the German-made tank buster called the Panzer Faust. The RPG consists of only two parts: the launcher part and the rocket itself. Like the bazooka, the RPG relies on HEAT rockets. The rockets are propelled at high velocity – the RPG launcher part, comprised of a tight tube, is designed to trap pressure exerted by rocket exhaust.

Unlike the bazooka, which has an exhaust port at the rear end, the RPG traps and later dissipates exhaust into the tube launcher. Due to the popularity of both bazookas and RPGs, war manufacturers developed several countermeasures against these two weapons. Sturdy cage armor was fitted to armored vehicles in order to protect them against the explosive projectiles of tank busters; this anti tank buster outfit is still popular nowadays. There are also active countermeasures against rockets, called APS (Active Protection System) – it destroys the rocket before it comes into close contact with the armored vehicle.

Summary

1. The bazooka and the RPG are both tank busters. They specialize in piercing through armored plating, and carry a lot of explosive firepower.
2. The bazooka was developed before the RPG. The bazooka was first manufactured by the United States and used during World War II.
3. The RPG, on the other hand, was conceptualized by the Russians and inspired by the designs of the bazooka and the German Panzer Faust.
4. The bazooka stores its payload in an inner chamber by the rear end of the tube; the RPG’s payload is at the front. The inner chamber of the RPG is used to trap exhaust pressure and propel the payload at great speed.

Sharing is caring!