F1 grenade (Russia)

For other uses, see F1 grenade (disambiguation).
F1 anti-personnel hand grenade

F1 hand grenade
Type Hand grenade
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In service 1941–present (Russia)
Used by Soviet Union, Brazil, China
Wars World War II
Hukbalahap Rebellion
Korean War
Vietnam War
Rhodesian Bush War[1]
Six-Day War
Yom Kippur War
Iraq War
2011 Libyan Civil War
Syrian Civil War
War in Donbass
Specifications
Weight 600 g
Length 130 mm
Diameter 55 mm
Filling Trinitrotoluene
Filling weight 60 g
Detonation
mechanism
 Time delay fuse 3.2 to 4.2 s
F-1 Hand grenade
Russian MUV booby trap firing device. A zero-delay pull fuze which is normally connected to a tripwire. The MUV fuze is fully compatible with F1 and RGD-5 grenades. Fitting an MUV fuze makes it easier to conceal the grenade when setting a boobytrap e.g. partial burial. Note that the detonator is usually threaded, so it can be screwed into the F1 grenade body

The Soviet F1 hand grenade, is an anti-personnel fragmentation defensive grenade. It is based on the French F1 grenade and contains a 60-gram explosive charge (TNT). The total weight of the grenade with the fuze is about 600 grams.

Due to its shape, it is nicknamed the limonka ("little lemon"). It is also nicknamed Efka (Russian: Эфка) for the letter F.[2] It is similar to the American Mk2 grenade "Pineapple grenade", which was also ultimately modeled on the French F1.

Fuze

The UZRGM (Universal'nyi Zapal, Ruchnaya Granata, Modernizirovannyi > “Universal Igniter, Hand Grenade, Improved") fuze is a universal Russian type also used in the RG-41, RG-42, RGO-78, RGN-86 and RGD-5 grenades. The standard time delay for this fuze is 3.5 to 4 seconds. However, UZRGM fuze variants are available which give delays between zero (i.e., instantaneous, specifically for use in booby-traps) and 13 seconds. It is possible to hear a loud "pop" as the fuze ignites and begins to burn. Additionally, it is possible to screw an MUV booby-trap firing device into the fuze well.

History

The F1 was introduced during World War II and subsequently redesigned post-war. It 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 meters. The radius of the shrapnel dispersion is up to 200 meters (effective radius is about 30 meters, by some sources (Russian)). Hence, the grenade has to be deployed from a defensive position to avoid harm.

The F1 grenade has been supplied to various foreign countries over the years, including Iraq and other Arab nations, and there are different production variations according to country of origin (in terms of finish, markings and spoon/lever design). Though obsolete and no longer in production, it can still be encountered in combat zones.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/ArtOfWar_RhodesianAfricanRifles.pdf
  2. ↑ Yu. Veremeev, "Происхождение "лимонки".

External links

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