AGS-17 - WikiHQ

thumb|305px|AGS-17 in Afghanistan. 1986

The AGS-17 Plamya () is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher in service worldwide.

Description

The AGS-17 is a heavy infantry support weapon designed to operate from a tripod or mounted on an installation or vehicle. The AGS-17 fires 30 mm grenades in either direct or indirect fire to provide suppressive and lethal fire support against soft-skinned or fortified targets.

The weapon uses a blowback mechanism to sustain operation. Rounds are fired through a removable (to reduce barrel stress) rifled barrel.

The standard metal ammunition drum contains 29 linked rounds.

The tripod is equipped with fine levelling gear for indirect fire trajectories.

Development

Development of the AGS-17 (Avtomaticheskiy Granatomyot Stankovyi—Automatic Grenade launcher, Mounted) started in the USSR in 1965 by the OKB-16 design bureau (now known as the KB Tochmash), under the leadership of Alexander F. Kornyakov.

It is still in use with the Russian army as a direct fire support weapon for infantry troops; it is also installed in several vehicle mounts and turrets along with machine guns, guided rocket launchers and sighting equipment. It is being replaced by the AGS-30 launcher, which fires the same ammunition, but weighs only 16 kg unloaded on the tripod and has an upgraded blowback action.

Variants

AG-17A - remotely controlled aircraft-mounted version with an electric trigger mechanism.
AGS-17D - remotely controlled vehicle-mounted version with an electric trigger mechanism.

Ammunition

The AGS-17 fires belted cartridges with a steel cartridge case. Two types of ammunition are commonly fired from the AGS-17. The VOG-17M is the version of the original 30 mm grenade ammunition, which is currently available and has a basic high explosive fragmentation warhead. The VOG-30 is similar, but contains a better explosive filling and an enhanced fragmentation design that greatly increases the effective blast radius. New improved VOG-30D grenade was taken into service in 2013 for use with AGS-17 and AGS-30 grenade launchers. It was ordered by the Russian Defense Ministry in August 2023. The same month, the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine begun to receive VOG-17 grenades, factory modified for use by commercial drones.

The Bulgarian weapons manufacturer Arcus produces AR-ROG hand grenades based on VOG-17 cartridges and (Russian: УЗРГМ), which is also a Soviet design of fuse. Similar improvised grenades are known as "khattabkas".

VOG-17M (HE)
IO-30 (HE)
IO-30TP (Practice)
VOG-30 (HE)
VOG-30D (HE)
VUS-30 (Smoke)

Users

thumb|Map with AGS-17 Plamya users in blue and former users in red

Current

: A modernized version, the AGL-30M, produced locally by Arsenal AD with documentation from DSO Metalhim .
: Produced under license.
: Designated the M93.
: Designated the M93
: Made under license in Z125 Factory. Known under the Vietnamese industrial name of SPL-17.

Former

: designated 30 KrKK AGS-17, replaced by the HK GMG in 2005.
: Used in the 1990s, now replaced by the HK GMG.