In the period following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the RPG-7 became a favorite weapon of the insurgent forces fighting U.S. troops. Since most of the readily available RPG-7 rounds cannot penetrate M1 Abrams tank armor from almost any angle, it is primarily effective against soft-skinned or lightly armored vehicles, and infantry. Even if the RPG hit does not completely disable the tank or kill the crew, it can still damage external equipment, lowering the tank's effectiveness or forcing the crew to abandon and destroy it. Newer RPG-7 rounds are more capable, and in August 2006, an RPG-29 round penetrated the frontal ERA of a Challenger 2 tank during an engagement in al-Amarah, Iraq, and wounded several crew members.
In the period following the 2003 invasion of Iraq the RPG-7 became a favorite weapon of the insurgent forces fighting US troops Since most of the readily available RPG-7 rounds cannot penetrate M1 Abrams tank armor from almost any angle it is primarily effective against soft-skinned or lightly armored vehicles and infantry Even if the RPG hit does not completely disable the tank or kill the crew it can still damage external equipment lowering the tank's effectiveness or forcing the crew to abandon and destroy it Newer RPG-7 rounds are more capable and in August 2006 an RPG-29 round penetrated the frontal ERA of a Challenger 2 tank during an engagement in al-Amarah Iraq and wounded several crew members