The RPG-29 "Vampir" (Russian for "vampire") is a Soviet reusable rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher. Adopted by the Soviet Army in 1989, it was the last RPG to be adopted by the Soviet military before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The RPG-29 has since been supplemented by other rocket-propelled systems, such as the RPG-30 and RPG-32. The RPG-29 has been used in combat with British Challenger 2 tanks in Iraq, and against Israeli Merkava tanks in Lebanon, which breached the tanks' armor and in some cases injured or killed crew members. Description The RPG-29 is a shoulder-fired, unguided, tube-style, breech-loading anti-tank rocket system with a range of 500 meters. The light weapon is designed to be carried and used by one soldier. Atop the launch tube is a 2.7× 1P38 optical sight. When launched, the missile deploys eight fins as the rocket leaves the launcher, stabilizing the rocket during flight, up to a range of 500 meters. Three warheads are available for the weapon: The TBG-29V thermobaric anti-personnel round. The OG-29 high-explosive/fragmentation (HE/FRAG) round for anti-personnel purposes. The PG-29V anti-tank/bunker round has a tandem-charge high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead to defeat explosive reactive armor (ERA). This warhead is standardized with that of the PG-7VR round fired by the RPG-7V rocket launcher. With a tandem-charge, an initial small charge detonates any reactive armor. If explosive reactive armor (ERA) or cage armor is absent, this charge strikes the main armor. Behind the primary charge, a much larger secondary shaped charge bursts at the rear of the initial warhead and projects a thin, high-speed-jet of metal into the armour compromised by the first charge. PG-29V can kill hard targets, including tanks with ERA. The RPG-29 is unusual among Russian anti-tank rocket launchers in that it lacks an initial propellant charge to place the projectile at a safe distance from the operator before the rocket ignites. Instead, the rocket engine starts as soon as a trigger is pulled, and burns out before the projectile leaves the barrel. On the bottom of the tube is a shoulder brace for proper positioning along with a pistol grip trigger mechanism. A side rail on its left side accepts a 1PN51-2 night sight. History The RPG-29 was developed during the late 1980s, following the development of the RPG-26, and entered service with the Soviet Army in 1989. It has recently seen intermittent use by irregular forces in