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RAC 112 APILAS

The RAC 112 APILAS, commonly designated , is a portable one-shot 112 mm recoilless anti-tank weapon, first issued to French forces in the mid-1980s and later in service with some 15 countries. The designation RAC is Roquettes Anti-Char, 112 is the 112mm diameter of the shell, and APILAS is Armor-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System. In the second half of the 1970s, GIAT Industries began the development of a new hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher and a cumulative grenade. As a result, in the early 1980s, the APILAS (Armor-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System) expendable RPG was created. In 1984, the APILAS grenade launcher was adopted by the French army, and its production was established at the MATRA Manurhin enterprise (Vichy, France).

The grenade launcher consists of a launcher with a smooth bore and a rocket projectile placed in it at the factory. The tube of the launcher is made of reinforced fiber and is closed on both sides with plastic caps to ensure its tightness. On the tube are shock absorbers, two front handles, an electric trigger cover, a shoulder rest and two folding reflectors to protect the face. All of these devices are made of plastic. The electric escapement is powered by two lithium batteries installed in an easily replaceable container (they should be checked every 5 years). Batteries are switched on with a push-button switch secured by a cotter pin. The start of their work is signaled by a control light.

The trigger and safety mechanisms are closed with an elastic casing, under which there is a push-button fuse (it disconnects the electrical system designed to fire a shot); outside are the mechanical fuse box and the trigger. The APILAS grenade launcher is equipped with a daytime optical sight with 3x magnification. Sight marks corresponding to shooting distances from 300 to 600 m and side corrections, as well as a range finder, are applied to the focal plate of the sight. At the same time, the installation of a standard passive night sight "Orion 80" by ZEISS is provided. The scope mounts equally easily on the left or right side of the weapon, so it can be used by both right-handed and left-handed shooters. For this purpose, double front grips and reflectors are used to protect the face, as well as other mechanisms of the grenade launcher, appropriately placed.

The 112 mm APILAS grenade launcher consists of a HEAT warhead and a rocket motor. The warhead includes a shaped charge and a ballistic tip 3 calibers long. It is equipped with an electric fuse that uses the force of pressure from the powder gases of a jet engine for cocking. He gets on a combat platoon at a distance of 10-25 m from the launcher and acts at an impact angle of up to 80 °. The combustion chamber of the rocket engine is made of reinforced fiber, and the nozzle is made of aluminum alloy. Rotating stabilizer wings are attached around the nozzle, which unfold after the projectile leaves the launcher. The appropriate shape of the nozzle and wings gives the projectile a slow rotational movement (25 rev / s), which affects the improvement of shooting accuracy. driving charge.

In order to fire the grenade launcher, it is necessary to remove the front cover of the launcher, unfold the sight and reflector to protect the face, remove the cotter pin blocking the battery activation button, and press it. Then aim, turn the mechanical safety box, press the push-button safety with your index finger, and the trigger with your thumb.

It is simple to operate and possesses a relatively powerful shaped-charge warhead. At 9.0 kg, the APILAS is considerably heavier than other single-shot, disposable anti-tank weapons in service with modern militaries. However, its 4.7 kg projectile delivers a 1.5 kg shaped charge warhead which offers penetration of rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) in excess of 700 mm. This is significantly more than most of its contemporaries at time of issue. The APILAS is also capable of penetrating more than 2000 mm of concrete.

Several sources note that the APILAS proved an accurate weapon at shorter ranges, but most sources list its range as limited to either 320 or 350 m. The warhead will detonate if it strikes the target at up to an 80-degree angle of incidence. Within its effective combat range, the APILAS has a hit probability of 97 percent against a stationary target.

One recurrent criticism levelled at the APILAS is its bulkiness and poor ergonomics. In particular, the addition of a face shield became necessary to protect the operator. Other systems with good armour penetration and similar or better range characteristics, such as the Saab AT4 CS ER, offer a much sleeker, shorter, and more readily manipulated form factor, in addition to a modern sighting system and no need for a cumbersome face shield.

In the Donbass, the use of Western lethal weapons was increasingly being recorded. In late 2021, the press service of the NM DPR reported on the use of French APILAS grenade launchers by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were brought to Ukraine this autumn. “In October of this year, the United States brought a military cargo to the territory of Ukraine, in which, according to our intelligence, among other weapons, there were also French APILAS anti-tank grenade launchers. In addition to France, the United States also has a license for their production. According to the information we have, a batch of these grenade launchers was sent to the Donbass at the end of October to units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and are already being used by them,” the report says.