Wikipedia

AGS-17

the Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher

The AGS-17 "Plamya" is a Soviet automatic grenade launcher that fires a 30x29mm VOG-17M grenade. It was designed in 1968 by Alexander Fedorovich Kornyakov and KB Tochmash. The AGS-17 also is produced in other nations such as Serbia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Finland, China, Bulgaria and Iraq. The AGS-17 was designed to operate from a tripod and support Infantry in either direct fire on indirect fire, it has been seen used as a Mortar in the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine by both sides.

AGS-17 Plamya
AGS-17 Produced by Zastava
AGS-17 Produced by Zastava
TypeSupport Weapon
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In serviceSee List
Used bySee List
WarsSee List
Production history
DesignerAlexander Fedorovich Kornyakov
Designed1968
ManufacturerMolot
Produced1971
VariantsSee List
Specifications
Mass31 kg (68 lb)
Length840 mm (33 in)

The Plamya has been used in multiple wars, it was first used in the Soviet-Afghan war. It has also been used in other wars such as South African Border war, which was the first time it was used outside Afghanistan. It has also been used in the Gulf War, El Salvador Civil War, Chechen wars, and others.

Design

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The AGS-17 has a removable barrel to reduce heat and barrel stress, while it also has a tripod that is able to go up to 75° Angle and down to a -5° Angle. It is able to fire up to 400 rounds a minute. It also has two sights, an iron sight and a mortar-styled sight, but it also has a rail to use a scope and a sight.[1] The Plamya also has a Snail drum that can carry up to 29 rounds of 30x29mm.

Ammunition

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Since the AGS fires a 30x29mm VOG-17M round,[2] it also can use other rounds such as the newer VOG-30, which is a newer version of the VOG-17M. The Plamya can also support rounds such as the: IO-30, IO-30TP (For training), VOG-30D, and the VUS-30 which is a smoke grenade. But since 2013, the VOG-17M and VOG-30 have been phased out in favor of the newer VOG-30D.[3]

The Bulgarian Company Arcus has also made a grenade named the AR-ROG, which is based on the VOG-17 to be used as a hand grenade.[4]

Purpose

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The purpose of the AGS-17 is to provide indirect and direct support.[5] It has been seen used as a mortar in Ukraine, it has been seen also creating deathzones that cut off the enemy from a certain area.[6] The AGS-17's design allows it to be used as a mortar due to it being able to go up to 75 degrees up.[1] It has also been used to fight against vehicles that have little to no armor.[7] The AGS-17 can be attached to other vehicles for better performance. The design of the AGS-17 also allows it to also be used to target fortifications, they are capable of destroying sand bags, and other types of fortifications.[8]

History

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Development

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In 1960, the United States Army made the Mk.19,[9] an Automatic Grenade Launcher that was used in the Vietnam War.[10] It fired the powerful 40mm HE Grenade. It was proven effective in the war. The Soviet Union needed something to one-up this new design,[3] so they made the AGS-17 with the help of Alexander Fedorovich Kornyakov and OKB-16 in 1968, but production would actually started in 1971. The Red Army tested the weapon in 1969, then started using it in 1971.[1]

Combat History

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Soviet-Afghan War

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See the main article: Soviet-Afghan War

The Soviet-Afghan War started in December, 1979.[11] But before the war started, the Afghan People's Republic was formed after the 1978 coup by Nur Mohammad Taraki, they started a series of radical reforms that modernized the nation. They supressed any opposition from local Afghan Muslims, they arrested and executed over 27,000 protesters.[12] It would later cause rebellions to occur April 1979. The Afghan Government called for support against the rebellion.[13]

The 40th Army under Leonid Brezhnev arrived to Kabul in December 27, 1979.[14][15] they caused a coup which they killed the president and made a new one under Babrak Karmal,[16][17] Soviet Troops later occupied large parts of Afghanistan, which caused the Mujahideen to fight a guerilla war against the Soviet Army.[18]

The AGS-17 saw service in the Soviet-Afghan War, it was used by both sides as Mujahideen captured some.[19] It was used on Vehicles and Helicopters, and BTR Series IFVs. With every Platoon having an AGS-17 Squad, it was proved effective.[20]

Chechen Wars

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See the main article: First Chechen War

When the Soviet Union was dissolved on December 26th, 1991; The Chechens were not officially independent, being a de-facto recognized state.[21] In 1993, the Chechen Republic declared independence.[22] On December 11th, 1994, the Russian Armed Forces launched an attack to capture Grozny.[23] The Battle of Dolinskoye was the first ever battle that had multiple Russian Casualties, then the Battle of Khankala which the Russians won and closed into Grozny,[24] the Chechen Insurgents set up defensive positions in Grozny and waited for the Russians.[24]

During both of the Chechen Wars, the AGS-17 saw action by both sides.[25] Chechen Mobile Friring Groups used the AGS-17 as a mortar and also as a support weapon thanks to it's design, the Chechens also found it useful in the battle of Grozny, and others battles in the wars. The Chechens also used the AGS-17 on Toyota Hiluxs.[25] But with the Russians, every battalion had an AGS-17 Platoon, the platoon consisted of an AGS-17 squad, an antitank squad, and also an RPO flamethrower squad. Every platoon also had one forward observer that allowed it to be used as a mortar.[25]

Syrian Civil War

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Main articles: Syrian Civil War, Free Syrian Army, and Syrian National Army

In 2011, the Bashaar Regime brutally cracked down on protests during the Arab Spring.[26] The People responded by rebelling and firing back, while some members in the Syrian Arab Armed Forces defected and formed the Free Syrian Army and later on the Syrian National Army.[27][28] The Free Syrian Army at first controlled most of the Nation,[29] but later on the Free Syrian Army lost most their lands and later became more of an insurgent group.[30] The Syrian Arab Armed Forces have been seen using the AGS-17. The Syrian Republican Guard has been seen using the AGS-17.[31]

Russo-Ukrainian War

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See the main article: Russo-Ukrainian War
 
LPR Seperatist using the AGS-17 as a mortar

In 2014, the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhank's People Republic declared independence,[32][33][34] which caused the Donbas conflict, the Russian Armed Forces fought and supported the separatists. And later on, the Russian Armed Forces invaded Crimea and later on annexed it. In February 24th, 2022; The Russian Federation invaded the Republic of Ukraine from Belarus, Crimea, and the Donbas.[35] [36]

The AGS-17 has been seen used as a mortar by both sides.[6] The Ukraininans use the RGSh-30,[37] a variant of the AGS-17. The AGS-30 and AGS-40 were also seen in the war. The AGS has been preferred by both sides due to its design and and it's purpose and how it executes it.[6]

Other Conflicts

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The first time the AGS-17 was ever used outside of Russia was in the South Africa Border war.[38] The 32 Battalion, one of South Africa's most elite units used the AGS-17 in Angola.[39] The South African Government bought some AGS-17s.[40] Other wars also Included the Gulf War, El Salvador Civil War, Iraq War, Yemeni Civil War,[41] Ivorian Civil War, Sudanese Civil Wars,[42] and the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.[43]

Variations

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AGS-17A and AGS-17D

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The AGS-17 has two major variants, the AGS-17A, a remote controlled AGS-17 that is used on Vehicles.[44] While the AGS-17D is also a remote controlled variant but it is used on helicopters.[45] The AGS-17D was more used in Afghanistan, while the AGS-17A has been used more in Chechnya due to the environment. Afghanistan is more mountainous while Chechnya is more urban.[45]

RGSh-30

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The RGSh-30 is the Ukrainian variant of the AGS-17,[37] it has been used in the Donbas War and the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine.[46] It is a hand held version of the AGS-17 and fires 25mm, 30mm and 40mm HE grenades,[47] the RGSh-30 also uses the VOG-17. The weapon was made between 2007 and 2008, it has been used in the Donbas War and the Invasion of Crimea. It has a picatinny rail, short barrel and a muzzle brake. It serves the same purpose as the AGS-17, as it is meant to disable vehicles and support infantry.[48]

QLZ-87

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The QLZ-87 is the Chinese variant of the AGS-17, it was first produced in the late 80s by Xiafeng Machinery and Nirinco. It is heavily inspired by the AGS-17, as it uses a somewhat similar round, the 35mm. Itz has it's own variant, the QLB-06, a lighter handheld version of the QLZ-87. The CCP purchased AGS-17s from the Mujahideen,[49] who had been fighting the Soviet Union.[50]

Users

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Current

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Former

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Read also

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "AGS-17 Plamya Russian 30mm Automatic Grenade Launcher". IDON TRADOC OE. US ARMY TRADOC. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  2. ↑ Vo, Van Bien; Balla, Jiri; Dao, Manh Hung; Truong, Tu Hieu; Nguyen, Van Dung; Tran, Van Tan (2021). Firing Stability of Automatic Grenade Launcher Mounted on Tripod. pp. 1–8. doi:10.1109/ICMT52455.2021.9502836. ISBN 978-1-6654-3724-0. S2CID 236919275. Retrieved 26 April 2023. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jenzen-Jones, N. R. Small Arms Survey (PDF) (AGL ed.). JSTOR. JSTOR resrep10597. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "CAT-UXO - Ar rog hand grenade". cat-uxo.com. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Campbell, David (2017). Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-4728-1765-5. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Armaments used in the Ukrainian conflict 2014–2015". Security and Defence Quarterly (2): 54–84. 2017.
  7. ↑ Petit, Pierre (2023). "Le MT-LB, cheval de trait soviétique". Dsi (Défense et Sécurité Internationale) (163): 102–105. JSTOR 48708035. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  8. ↑ Kozlova, Yu V.; Kosharnij, A. V.; Korzachenko, M. A.; Kytova, I. V. (2020). "Retrospective Analysis and Current State of Experimental Models of Blast-induced Trauma". Український журнал медицини, біології та спорту = Ukrainian Journal of Medicine, Biology and Sport. pp. 66–71. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  9. ↑ Hurst, Kyle; Klein, Nathan; Feliciano, Mario; Warner, Steven; Crino, Scott (December 2008). Feasibility study for replacing the MK19 automatic grenade launching system. pp. 1179–1185. doi:10.1109/WSC.2008.4736188. ISBN 978-1-4244-2707-9. S2CID 15203099. Retrieved 3 May 2023. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  10. ↑ Afify, Ahmed; Abd-ElHamid, Moamen; Abo El-Khair, Mohamed; Ramy, Osama (1 August 2021). "Operating Mechanisms & Function Cycle of MK 19 MOD 3 40 mm Grenade Launcher". The International Undergraduate Research Conference. 5 (5): 235–240. doi:10.21608/iugrc.2021.246221 (inactive 2024-11-02). Retrieved 3 May 2023.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  11. ↑ Fremont-Barnes, Gregory (2012). The Soviet–Afghan War 1979–89. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781849088541.
  12. ↑ Reuveny, Rafael; Prakash, Aseem (1999). "The Afghanistan war and the breakdown of the Soviet Union". Review of International Studies. 25 (4): 693–708. doi:10.1017/S0260210599006932. S2CID 18194424. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  13. ↑ Collins, Joseph J. (1984). The Soviet-Afghan War: The first four years (14 ed.). p. 49. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  14. ↑ Collins, Joseph J. (1984). The Soviet-Afghan War: The first four years (14 ed.). p. 50. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "Milestones: 1977–1980 - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  16. ↑ ""Burning with a Deadly Heat": NewsHour Coverage of the Hot Wars of the Cold War". americanarchive.org. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  17. ↑ Bezhan, Frud. "Operation Storm-333: The Secret Soviet Plot To Assassinate The Afghan President". Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  18. ↑ "Timeline: Soviet war in Afghanistan". BBC. 17 February 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  19. ↑ Grau, Lester W.; Gress, Michael A. (2002). The Soviet-Afghan War: How a Superpower Fought and Lost. the University of Michigan. ISBN 9780700611850. JSTOR 48606407.
  20. ↑ W. Grau, Lester (2014). Reconstruction the Tactical Russian Army for Unconventional Warfare. TRISA Foreign Military Studies Office. p. 5.
  21. ↑ F, Szászdi, Lajos (2008). Russian Civil-Military Relations and the Origins of the Second Chechen War. University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-7618-4178-4. Retrieved 27 April 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ Menon, Rajan; Fuller, Graham E. (2000). Russia's Ruinous Chechen War. p. 32. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  23. ↑ German, Tracey C. (2003). Russia's Chechen War. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-43250-9.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Tsatsos, Aristidis (2014). Second Chechen War: Causes, Dynamics and Termination - A Civil War between Risk and Opportunity?. Social Science Research Network. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2518687. S2CID 58924488. SSRN 2518687. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Grau, Lester W. (2004). Restructuring the Tactical Russian Army for Unconventional Warfare. TRISA Foreign Military Studies Office. p. 3.
  26. ↑ Carpenter, Ted Galen (15 March 2013). "Tangled Web: The Syrian Civil War and Its Implications". Mediterranean Quarterly. pp. 1–11. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  27. ↑ Sorenson, David S. (2016). Syria in Ruins: The Dynamics of the Syrian Civil War: The Dynamics of the Syrian Civil War. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-3837-8. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  28. ↑ "Free Syrian Army transforms into Syrian National Army". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  29. ↑ "The Syrian Civil War: A new stage, but is it the final one?" (PDF). Mei.edu. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  30. ↑ O'Bagy, Elizabeth (2013). "The Free Syrian Army" (PDF). www.jstor.org: 1–51. JSTOR resrep07938.1. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  31. ↑ "YouTube". www.youtube.com. 16 April 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  32. ↑ "Revisiting Ukraine's Nuclear Past Will Not Help Secure Its Future". Lawfare. 21 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  33. ↑ Frost, Catherine; Pullen, Rebekah K. (3 March 2022). "Putin's Ukraine invasion: Do declarations of war still exist?". The Conversation. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  34. ↑ Wiegrefe, Klaus (15 February 2022). "NATO's Eastward Expansion: Is Vladimir Putin Right?". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  35. ↑ "Disowned and forgotten: Russian soldiers in Ukraine | Crisis in Ukraine | DW.DE | 29.08.2014". 5 May 2015. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  36. ↑ "Historians on What Putin Gets Wrong About 'Denazification' in Ukraine". Time. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 "Ukraine presents light grenade launcher for special forces in Donbas". www.unian.info. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  38. ↑ Pisani, André Du (1988). Beyond the Barracks: Reflections on the Role of the SADF in the Region. South African Institute of International Affairs. ISBN 978-0-908371-60-0. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  39. ↑ Nortje, Piet (2010). 32 Battalion: The Inside Story of South Africa's Elite Fighting Unit. Penguin Random House South Africa. ISBN 978-1-77020-143-9. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  40. ↑ Wessels, André (2 January 2015). "Forged in Battle: The Birth and Growth of 32 Battalion from Former Enemies and Terrorists into Decorated Soldiers". African Historical Review. 47: 132–134. doi:10.1080/17532523.2015.1086191. S2CID 159644830. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  41. ↑ "Youtube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  42. ↑ "New war, old enemies: Conflict dynamics in South Kordofan" (PDF). Small Arms Survey. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  43. ↑ "Azerbaijan fires AGS-17 grenade launcher at Nagorno Karabakh line of contact". armenpress.am. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  44. ↑ "Deployable Versus Survivable" (PDF). CIAR. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Galeotti, Mark (2020). Combat Vehicles of Russia's Special Forces: Spetsnaz, airborne, Arctic and interior troops. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-4181-0. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  46. ↑ "Weapons: Semi-Automatic Grenade Launchers". www.strategypage.com. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  47. ↑ Young, Richard (18 October 2016). "Ukrainian Firm Develops Handheld Automatic Grenade Launcher". Richardcyoung.com. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  48. ↑ "Portable DESTRUCTION: Ukrainian Firm Develops Handheld Automatic Grenade Launcher -". The Firearm Blog. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  49. ↑ Yan, Timothy (2014). The Chinese QLZ87 Automatic Grenade Launcher. Armament Research Services Pty. ISBN 9780992462420.
  50. ↑ "China's first-generation automatic grenade launcher, creating a new era of sniper grenade". Inf.news. Retrieved 27 April 2023.[permanent dead link]
  51. ↑ 51.00 51.01 51.02 51.03 51.04 51.05 51.06 51.07 51.08 51.09 51.10 51.11 51.12 51.13 51.14 51.15 51.16 Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
  52. ↑ "Azerbaijan fires AGS-17 grenade launcher at Nagorno Karabakh line of contact". armenpress.am. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  53. ↑ "Azerbaijani forces fire AGS-17 grenade launcher at north-eastern direction of NK line of contact". armenpress.am. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  54. ↑ 30 mm ARSENAL Automatic Grenade Launcher AGL-30M Archived 2013-01-05 at the Wayback Machine
  55. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2016-11-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 "A new generation of AGLs: within only a few decades the Automatic Grenade Launcher (AGL) has leapt from the concept stage to becoming a widely accepted and valued infantry support weapon, providing the foot soldier with a highly effective area fire suppression system". Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  57. ↑ "Algunas armas utilizadas en la guerra del Cenepa (1995)". 3 October 2012.
  58. ↑ "Armament of the Georgian Army". Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  59. ↑ "Mourir pour le califat 116/" En vérité, ils seront noyés "-Wilayat al-Raqqa" (in French). 27 September 2017. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  60. ↑ de Tessières, Savannah (April 2012). Enquête nationale sur les armes légères et de petit calibre en Côte d'Ivoire: les défis du contrôle des armes et de la lutte contre la violence armée avant la crise post-électorale (PDF) (Report). Special Report No. 14 (in French). UNDP, Commission Nationale de Lutte contre la Prolifération et la Circulation Illicite des Armes Légères et de Petit Calibre and Small Arms Survey. p. 97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  61. ↑ "南海点兵 | 缅甸陆军位列"中南半岛三强"之一，曾令泰国恐慌 - 三河新闻网". Archived from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2018-08-04.
  62. ↑ US Department of Defense. "AGS-17 AUTOMATIC GRENADE LAUNCHER" (PDF). North Korea Country Handbook 1997, Appendix A: Equipment Recognition. p. A-89. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
  63. ↑ Small Arms Survey (2008). "Light Weapons: Products, Producers, and Proliferation". Small Arms Survey 2008: Risk and Resilience. Cambridge University Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-521-88040-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  64. ↑ "World Infantry Weapons: Sierra Leone". 2013. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016.
  65. ↑ Gramizzi, Claudio; Tubiana, Jérôme (March 2013). New war, old enemies: Conflict dynamics in South Kordofan (PDF). HSBA Working Paper 29. Small Arms Survey. p. 34. ISBN 978-2-9700856-2-1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  66. ↑ На границе Джобара и Замальки | At the border of Jobar and Zamalka. Archived 2017-04-06 at the Wayback Machine 16 January 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  67. ↑ "Vcvikov tde v Prpore vcviku Martin". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  68. ↑ "Turkey ags".
  69. ↑ "Việt Nam sản xuất súng bắn 400 phát/Phút, xa gần 2km - Vũ Khí - NetNews.vn". Archived from the original on 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  70. ↑ Vietnam made groove machine guns against the "wave people" (in Vietnamese) Archived October 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  71. ↑ "Khám phá vũ khí đặc trưng của quân đội Việt Nam".
  72. ↑ "Tempête rouge sur l'Europe" [Red Storm over Europe]. Batailles & Blindés (in French). No. 52. Caraktère. December 2012. pp. 38–59. ISSN 1765-0828.
  73. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-11-26. Retrieved 2010-08-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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