AGS-17
Soviet automatic grenade launcher providing infantry fire support.
The AGS-17 Plamya is an automatic grenade launcher of Soviet origin, used by armed forces around the world. This heavy infantry support weapon is typically deployed on a tripod, but can also be fitted to vehicles or fixed installations. It fires 30 mm grenades in both direct and indirect fire roles, delivering suppressive and lethal support against soft-skinned vehicles or fortified positions.
The weapon operates via a blowback system. Its rifled barrel is removable to reduce stress during sustained firing. Ammunition is fed from a standard metal drum holding 29 linked rounds. The tripod includes fine levelling gear, enabling accurate indirect fire trajectories.
Development began in the USSR in 1965 at the OKB-16 design bureau (now KB Tochmash), led by Alexander F. Kornyakov. The goal was a lightweight weapon for infantry close-to-medium range support against personnel and unarmored targets such as trucks, half-tracks, jeeps, and sandbagged machine-gun nests. Prototypes entered trials in 1969, and mass production started in 1971. Soviet troops in Afghanistan widely used and appreciated the AGS-17, both as ground support and on improvised vehicle mounts on armoured personnel carriers and trucks.
A dedicated airborne variant, the AG-17A, was developed for helicopter use—including the Mi-24 Hind in gun pods and the Mi-8 on door mounts. This version featured a thick aluminium barrel jacket, a special mount, and an electric remote trigger. The AGS-17 remains in Russian service as a direct fire support weapon for infantry, and is also installed in various vehicle mounts and turrets alongside machine guns, guided rocket launchers, and sighting equipment. It is gradually being replaced by the AGS-30, which fires the same ammunition but weighs only 16 kg unloaded on its tripod and has an upgraded blowback action.
Variants include the AG-17A (remotely controlled aircraft version with electric trigger) and the AGS-17D (remotely controlled vehicle version with electric trigger). The launcher uses belted steel-cased cartridges. Common ammunition types are the VOG-17M (high explosive fragmentation), the VOG-30 (improved explosive filling and fragmentation for greater blast radius), and the VOG-30D (a further improved grenade adopted in 2013). In August 2023, the Russian Defense Ministry ordered VOG-30D grenades.
Quick Facts
- Is Ranged
- yes
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Designer
- KB Tochmash
- Manufacturer
- Molot Plant
- Cartridge
- 30×29mm grenade · ru · 30×29 мм
- Design Date
- 1967
- Service
- 1970–present
- Caliber
- 30 mm
- Feed
- 29 grenades belt
- Action
- Blowback
- Rate
- 400 round/min
- Velocity
- 185 m/s
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Development of the AGS-17 (Avtomaticheskiy Granatomyot Stankovyi—Automatic Grenade launcher, Mounted) started in the USSR in 1965 by the OKB-16 design bureau (now known as the KB Tochmash), under the leadership of Alexander F. Kornyakov. This lightweight weapon was to provide infantry with close to medium range fire support against enemy personnel and unarmored targets, like trucks, half-tracks, jeeps and sandbag-protected machine-gun nests. The first prototypes entered trials in 1969, with mass production commencing in 1971. The AGS-17 was widely operated and well-liked by Soviet troops in Afghanistan as a ground support weapon or as a vehicle weapon on improvised mounts installed on armoured personnel carriers and trucks.
A special airborne version, the AG-17A, was developed for installation on helicopters, including the Mi-24 Hind in gun pods and the Mil Mi-8 on door mounts. This weapon had a thick aluminium jacket on the barrel and used a special mount and an electric remotely controlled trigger. It is still in use with the Russian army as a direct fire support weapon for infantry troops; it is also installed in several vehicle mounts and turrets along with machine guns, guided rocket launchers and sighting equipment. It is being replaced by the AGS-30 launcher, which fires the same ammunition, but weighs only 16 kg unloaded on the tripod and has an upgraded blowback action.
Reader's Guide
The AGS-17 Plamya has seen extensive service worldwide, with numerous countries adopting it as a standard infantry support weapon. Its design, using a blowback mechanism and a removable rifled barrel, allows sustained fire from a tripod or vehicle mount. The weapon's 29-round metal drum feeds linked 30 mm grenades, and the tripod includes fine levelling gear for indirect fire trajectories. Variants include the AG-17A for aircraft with an electric trigger mechanism and the AGS-17D for remote vehicle mounting. Ammunition types include the VOG-17M high explosive fragmentation round, the improved VOG-30 with enhanced blast radius, and the VOG-30D taken into service in 2013. The Bulgarian manufacturer Arcus produces AR-ROG hand grenades based on VOG-17 cartridges. Users range from current operators like Bulgaria, China, Ecuador, India, Iraq, Poland, Sudan, and Vietnam to former users such as Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and the Soviet Union. The weapon is being succeeded by the AGS-30 and the AGS‑40 Balkan, the latter using caseless 40 mm grenades.
Did You Know?
- The AGS-17 was developed by the OKB-16 design bureau under Alexander F. Kornyakov starting in 1965.
- A special airborne version, the AG-17A, was developed for helicopters like the Mi-24 Hind and Mi-8.
- In August 2023, Russian troops in Ukraine began receiving VOG-17 grenades factory modified for use by commercial drones.
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