PF-89

The PF-89 or Type 89 is a portable, disposable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled rocket launcher. Developed by Norinco for People's Liberation Army, PF-89 was designed to replace the obsolete Type 69 RPG, providing a man-portable, single-use assault weapon system that could used primarily by infantry squads in order to engage and defeat light armor and bunkers. The design permits accurate delivery of an rocket-propelled 80mm High Explosive Anti-Tank warhead, with negligible recoil. PF-89 entered mass production in 1993, and generally replaced Type 69 RPG in PLA throughout 1990s. Since 2010, the system is being used alongside with the more advanced Type 08 recoilless gun.[1]

Type 89 Individual Anti-tank Rocket
TypeAnti-tank, anti-bunker
Place of originChina
Service history
In service1993–present
Used bySee Users
Production history
DesignerChina North Industries Group Corporation
Designed1980s
ManufacturerNorinco
Produced1989
Specifications
MassTotal: 3.7 kg (8.2 lb)
Length900 mm (2 ft 11 in)
Crew1 (single-use, disposable)
Cartridge80×900 mm rocket-assist grenade
Cartridge weight1.84 kg (4.1 lb)
Caliber80 mm (3.1 in)
ActionSingle-shot
Rate of fire5-7 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity147 m/s (480 ft/s)
Effective firing range100 m (330 ft) to 250 m (820 ft)
Maximum firing range400 m (1,300 ft)
Sightsoptical 1x/2.5x (day sight)

Description

The PF-89 is a lightweight, self-contained, anti-armor weapon comparable to the Swedish AT4 (U.S. Designation M136). Unlike AT4, PF-89 is a rocket-propelled weapon instead of a recoilless gun which by design is more similar to M72 LAW and RPG-26. The weapon consists of a free-flight, fin-stabilised, rocket-propelled cartridge packed in a one-piece, one-off, fiberglass-wrapped tube. It is man-portable and is fired from the right shoulder only. The launcher is watertight for ease of transportation and storage. The PF-89 has a simple optical sight for aiming, with no night combat capability. The firer must be able to see and identify the target and estimate the range to it. The round of ammunition is self-contained in a disposable launch tube. The system weighs only eight pounds and can be utilized effectively with minimal training.

However, the problem of back blast became prominent after Army adopted PF-89. Collateral damage is especially concerning for PLA that utilizes motorized infantry fighting tactics. China developed Type 08 multipurpose recoilless gun with countermass balance mechanism to replace the PF-89.

Variants

The PF-89 has three variants with each variant corresponding to a specific type of ammunition. The earliest variant, simply called PF-89, uses high-explosive rounds. The second variant, PF-89A, employs specialized multipurpose incendiary rounds. The multipurpose round can penetrate 300 mm of reinforced concert with the ability to light up wood, fabric upon impact. The third variant, PF-89B, utilize tandem-charge high-explosive rounds to improve penetration against reactive armour.[2][3] The WPF-89-1 is the thermometric version of the PF-89. WPF-89-1 did not see much use because the shortcoming it has, thus China developed improved WPF-89-2 in 2003.[4]

PF-89 Variants
Designation PF-89 PF-89A PF-89B WPF-89-1 WPF-89-2
Ammo type High-explosive Multipurpose incendiary High-explosive tandem-charge Thermometric Thermometric tandem-charge
Cartridge diameter 80mm 80mm 80mm 80mm 80mm
Cartridge weight 1.84kg 2.35kg 2.5kg 2.15kg >2.15kg
Launcher weight 1.85kg 1.85kg 1.85kg 1.85kg 1.85kg
Full mass 3.7kg 4.2kg 4.7kg 4kg >4kg
Length 900mm 900mm 900mm 900mm 900mm
Length w/o cover 880mm 880mm 880mm 880mm 880mm
Zeroing 200 metres (660 ft) 180 metres (590 ft) N/A N/A N/A
Sight range 400 metres (1,300 ft) 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) N/A 400 metres (1,300 ft) 800 metres (2,600 ft)
Penetration 180mm/65° 20mm/65° 300mm/65° N/A N/A
Velocity 147 m/s (480 ft/s) 147 m/s (480 ft/s) 140 m/s (460 ft/s) 120 m/s (390 ft/s) 120 m/s (390 ft/s)

Users
gollark: The speaker is mostly just for my death contingency.
gollark: Otherwise it would be nice to have something to stop me flying stupidly fast at walls.
gollark: It's irritating that there's not room in my neural interface for a block scanner.
gollark: My thing just tries to slow you down all the time if you're going downward fast. Which mostly works with hover boots.
gollark: My flight script used to detect the ground, but it was far too slow.

See also

References
  1. http://defenseupdates.blogspot.com/2013/02/pf89-type-89-law-rocket-launcher-from.html
  2. "PF-89". Gun's World (in Chinese). 10 September 2004.
  3. "PF-89 Single use anti-tank rocket launcher". Military Today.
  4. "WPF-89-1". Military Today.
  5. https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/171425/SIPRIPP38.pdf
  6. "Saisie d'armes à El Oued: l'empreinte de Fadjr libya". menadefense.net. 11 March 2016.
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