Infantry Weapons

RPG-27 Tavolga

The RPG-27 Tavolga is a Soviet/Russian disposable 105 mm anti-tank rocket launcher built around a tandem HEAT warhead for defeating ERA-protected armor and field fortifications. It is heavier than earlier RPG-26-class disposable launchers but remains portable by one soldier, and open reporting documented its use by Russian-backed forces against Ukrainian positions in Donbas during the Russia-Ukraine War.

Russia-Ukraine WarRussian-backed separatists / Russia

Conflict side: Russian-backed separatistsRussia
Built by: JSC SPA Bazalt
Built in: Soviet UnionRussia

RPG-27 Tavolga, Disposable anti-tank rocket launcher, Infantry Weapons

Profile

Type: Disposable anti-tank rocket launcher
Conflict side: Russian-backed separatistsRussia
Origin: Soviet Union / Russia
Service note: Entered service in 1989; documented in the Donbas phase of the Russia-Ukraine War

portable anti-tank rocket launcher

Service History

In service: 1989-present
Used by: Russian Ground Forces, Russian-backed separatist forces in Donbas
Wars: Russia-Ukraine War

Production History

Designer: Bazalt design bureau
Designed: Late 1980s
Built by: JSC SPA Bazalt
Built in: Soviet UnionRussia
Produced: 1989-present
Variants: RShG-1 thermobaric derivative, RMG multipurpose derivative

Specifications

Crew: 1
Caliber: 105 mm
Warhead: Tandem HEAT shaped-charge rocket
Weight: 8.3 kg
Length: 1.155 m
Effective range: 200 m sighting/practical range
Armor penetration: At least 0.6 m homogeneous armor under ERA, according to Rosoboronexport
Fortification penetration: Up to 2 m reinforced concrete, 1.5 m brick, or 3.7 m log-and-soil cover

Conflict Usage

Russia-Ukraine War: Side: Russian-backed separatistsRussia
Reported with Russian-backed forces in Donbas: Ukrainian and international reporting documented RPG-27 Tavolga attacks on Ukrainian positions and shell remnants near Stanytsia Luhanska, while noting the launcher was not in Ukrainian army service.

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Sources

RPG-27Publisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export catalog page describing the RPG-27 as a disposable anti-tank rocket launcher with tandem HEAT warhead and listing caliber, weight, range, and penetration figures. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 RPG-27 TavolgaPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Reference profile used for Bazalt developer/producer background, service-entry context, dimensions, warhead type, and derivative variants. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Ukrainian positions in Donbas shelled by deadly Russian RPG-27 TavolgaPublisher: UNIAN | Note: Directly supports the Donbas conflict-use note, including reported RPG-27 shelling of Ukrainian positions and the claim that Ukrainian forces did not have this launcher in service. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Russia is giving this high-tech RPG to separatists in UkrainePublisher: Business Insider | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict use by reporting Russian-backed separatist use of the RPG-27 against Ukrainian troops in Luhansk region, citing 112.ua and the International Human Rights Community. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Terrorists shelled Stanytsia Luhanska bridge from powerful Russian grenade launchersPublisher: Censor.NET | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict use by citing the ATO press center on RPG-27 Tavolga remnants near Stanytsia Luhanska bridge and stating the launcher was not in Ukrainian armed forces service. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Tula State Museum of Weapons (cropped) RPG-27Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing source for the primary RPG-27 image; file page lists Vitaly V. Kuzmin as author and CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing with VRT permission. | Accessed: 2026-06-20