| F-1 | |
|---|---|
 F-1 hand grenade | |
| Type | Anti-personnel hand grenade |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1939–present |
| Wars | World War II Hukbalahap Rebellion Korean War Vietnam War Rhodesian Bush War[1] Six-Day War Yom Kippur War Angolan Civil War Iran-Iraq War Iraq War First Libyan Civil War Syrian Civil War War in Donbas Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 600 g (1.3 lb) |
| Length | 130 mm (5.1 in) |
| Diameter | 55 mm (2.2 in) |
| Filling | Trinitrotoluene |
| Filling weight | 60 g (2.1 oz) |
Detonation mechanism | Time delay fuse 3.2 to 4.2 s |
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The Soviet F-1 hand grenade (Russian: Фугасный 1, romanized: Fugasnyy 1, lit. 'Explosive, Type No. 1') is an anti-personnel fragmentation defensive grenade.
History
[edit]The F-1 was introduced during World War II and subsequently redesigned post-war.
While the F-1 is no longer regarded as a front-line weapon with the former Warsaw Pact countries, it still remains in widespread use, especially with insurgent groups.[2]
Design
[edit]The F-1 grenade’s body based on the French F1 grenade cast iron body and contains a 60 g (2.1 oz) explosive charge (TNT). The total weight of the grenade with the fuze is about 600 g (21 oz).[3]
Due to its shape and its yellow-green color, it is nicknamed the limonka (fem. 'little lemon'). It is also nicknamed Efka (Russian: Эфка) for the letter F.[4]
The F-1 also is similar to the American Mk 2 "pineapple grenade", which was ultimately modeled on the French F-1.
The F-1 has a steel exterior that is notched to facilitate fragmentation upon detonation and to prevent hands from slipping. The distance the grenade can be thrown is estimated at 30–45 m (98–148 ft).
The radius of the fragment dispersion is up to 200 m (660 ft) (effective radius is about 30 m (98 ft),[5]). Hence, the grenade has to be deployed from a defensive position to avoid self-harm.
About 60 percent of the grenade body pulverizes during the explosion, only 30 percent of the body splits into 290 high-velocity, sharp-edged splinters each weighing around 1 gram with an initial speed of about 700 m/s (2,300 ft/s).
Fuze
[edit]The F1 uses the UZRG-M fuze (Russian: УЗРГ-М, romanized: Universal'nyi Zapal, Ruchnaya Granata, Modernizirovannyi, lit. 'Universal igniter, hand grenade, modernized').
The UZRGM is a universal Russian type fuse also used in the RG-42 and RGD-5 grenades. The standard time delay for this fuze is 3.5 to 4 seconds.
Myth
[edit]There was a myth originating from an article written by Peter Kokalis [citation needed] for the Soldier of Fortune (magazine) that implied UZRGM fuze variants are available in versions with delays from zero (i.e., instantaneous, specifically for use in booby-traps) to 13 seconds. However the UZRGM fuze never had such variants, and all UZRGM fuzes have delay of 3.2 to 4.2 seconds if working correctly.
The myth originated from the author reading the numbers stamped on the fuze body, which are concealed when the fuze is inserted into the grenade. This number indicates the factory production line, not the fuze delay.
Having fuzes without clear external marking indicating that it is "short fuze" with 0 or 1–2 seconds delay would be dangerous for soldier operating them.[6] It is possible to hear a loud "pop" as the fuze ignites and begins to burn.
Variants
[edit]Training variant
[edit]URG
[edit]The URG (Russian: учебная ручная граната, romanized: Uchebnaya ruchnaya granata, lit. 'Training hand grenade') is the F-1's simulation-training variant.
Foreign copies
[edit]Several countries produced copies of the F-1 grenade, including China (as the Type 1), Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Georgia, Poland, and Romania.[7] There are different production variations according to country of origin, including fuze and explosive filling.
China
[edit]Produced locally as the Type 1 grenade[2][8] and the Type 54-2.
Poland
[edit]F1/N60
[edit]Rifle grenade variant with an impact fuze instead of a time delay fuze.[7]
Ukraine
[edit]In 2024, Ukraine started production of an improved F-1 grenade which was approved for military use in September 9, 2024.[9]
Criminal usage
[edit]Several insurgent groups have produced their own grenades based on the F-1.[2]
Operators
[edit]
Bulgaria[2]
China
Czechoslovakia[10]- Czech Republic[2]
Georgia[11]
Iraq[12]
North Korea[13]
Poland
- Remained in frontline service as late as 2010[7]
Romania[11]
Russia[11]
Soviet Union
South Yemen
- 50,000 delivered between 1982 and 1987 by Czechoslovakia[10]
Syria[14]
Ukraine
- Domestically produced copies[9]
Vietnam[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c d e Jones & Ness 2010, p. 751.
- ^ Owen, J.I.H (1975). Brassey's Infantry Weapons of the World. New York, N.Y.: Bonanza. pp. 223–224. ISBN 0-517-242346.
- ^ Yu. Veremeev, "Происхождение "лимонки".
- ^ ""Советская ручная граната Ф-1"". Archived from the original on 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
- ^ Gordon L. Rottman (2015). The Hand Grenade. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 32. ISBN 9781472807359.
- ^ a b c Jones & Ness 2010, pp. 751−752.
- ^ a b Rottman 2020, p. 21.
- ^ a b "Ukraine produces analogs of Soviet F-1 and RGD-5 grenades". Militarnyi. 9 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ a b Smisek 2023, p. 149, 158.
- ^ a b c Jones & Ness 2010, p. 752.
- ^ Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (1998). Iraq Country Handbook (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. A-18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2005. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (1997). North Korea Country Handbook (PDF). Quantico, VA: Federation of American Scientists. p. A-93. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Campbell 2016, pp. 18, 75.
Bibliography
[edit]- Campbell, David (2016). Israeli Soldier vs Syrian Soldier: Golan Heights 1967–73. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-1331-2.
- Jones, Richard D; Ness, Leland S, eds. (2010). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2010-2011 (36th ed.). Surrey: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-2908-1.
- Rottman, Gordon L. (2020). Vietnam War Booby Traps. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-4246-6.
- Smisek, Martin (2023). Czechoslovak Arms Exports to the Middle East: Volume 4 - Iran, Iraq, Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen 1948-1989. Helion and Company. ISBN 978-1-80451-524-2.