Place of origin Russia Used by See operators Designed between 2005 and 2012 | In service 2012–present Designer Bazalt | |
Type Rocket-propelled grenade | ||
The RPG-32 Nashshab (Arabic: ار بي جي نشاب) (Russian: РПГ-32) (called Nashshab in Jordan) is a Russian-Jordanian hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher. It was designed and developed by state-owned FGUP "Bazalt" weapons manufacturing company.
Contents
Description
The RPG-32 multipurpose grenade launcher consists of a short, reusable launcher tube with grips, firing controls and sight mount, detachable collimating sight and disposable ammunition containers, which are pre-loaded at the factory and attached to the rear end of the launcher before firing. It has inherited proven and successful solutions in design of the weapon and rockets from earlier Russian grenade launchers, and it can be used to engage and destroy battlefield targets from modern main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers to bunkers, military equipment and troops in defilade or in the open.
In February 2015, Jordanian company Jadara Equipment & Defence Systems revealed they had incorporated the RPG-32 into a quad-launcher remote weapon station (RWS). The "Nashshab" (Archer) system comes in two versions: the Quad-1 is tripod-mounted meant to defend fixed positions, with tubes arranged in a 2×2 configuration and controlled either remotely or through a wire up to 300 m away; the Quad-2 is vehicle mounted for use against infantry, vehicles, and pillboxes in urban terrain, with tubes arranged in a 4×1 configuration and operated from a control unit inside the vehicle. The stations have day/night sights with rangefinding and automatic targets acquisition capabilities.
Usage
It was developed between 2005 and 2012 by Russian state-owned FGUP 'Bazalt' organization on request and under contract from Jordan.
First RPG-32 'Nashshab' grenade launchers were to be delivered to Jordan from Russia in 2008, and it was planned that the RPG-32 and its ammunition would be mass-produced in Jordan under license at the JADARA factory.
On 30 May, 2013, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov and King Abdullah II opened a production facility for the Russian RPG-32 in Jordan.
In March 2016, video was released of Ansar al-Sharia using the RPG-32 against Houthi forces during the Yemeni Civil War. It is unknown how the terrorist group could have acquired such a modern and advanced weapon system, but it is likely they were initially supplied to Yemeni loyalist forces by the user nations of Jordan or the UAE, part of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, then captured by militants. The RPG-32 has also been seen in use by Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq.