B-11 recoilless rifle

107mm B-11 recoilless gun
A gun used by the Polish Armed Forces
TypeRecoilless gun
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1954−1969 (Soviet Union)
Used bySee users
Wars
Specifications
Mass240 kg (530 lb)
Length356 cm (140 in)
Barrel length338.3 cm (133.2 in)
Width145 cm (57 in)
Height90 cm (35 in)
Crew5
Shell
Shell weight
  • 8.5 kg (19 lb) (HE)
  • 7.5 kg (17 lb) (HEAT)
Caliber107 mm (4.2 in)
Elevation-10° to 45°
Traverse35°
Rate of fire5−6 rpm
Muzzle velocity
  • 375 m/s (1,230 ft/s) (HE)
  • 400 m/s (1,300 ft/s) (HEAT)
Effective firing range450 m (1,480 ft) (HEAT round)
Maximum firing range6,650 m (21,820 ft) (HE round)
References[1]

The B-11 recoilless gun, also known as RG-107 (Rückstoßfreies Geschütz) is a Soviet 107 mm (4.2 in) smoothbore recoilless weapon firing fin-stabilized HE and HEAT rounds. It entered Soviet service in 1954. By the 1970s, it was no longer in service, having been replaced by the SPG-9, though as of 2025, it remains in use with other countries.

The B-11 would see use in conflicts in the Sub-saharan Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia regions.

Description

The B-11 is a 107 mm (4.2 in) recoilless gun, it uses a smoothbore barrel firing fin stabilized High-explosive (HE) and High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds.[1][2] The B-11 breech swings down (while the B-10 is opened horizontally) and is fitted with a PBO-4 sight.[3]

When firing HEAT rounds, the gun has an effective range of 450 m (1,480 ft) and is capable of penetrating 380 mm (15 in) of RHA at a 90° angle.[1] Despite rumors, the B-11 cannot fire M40 recoilless rifle ammunition. The projectiles and cartridge cases dimensions and designs are radically different, the M40A1 uses a rifled barrel while the B-11 is a smoothbore, and the Soviet gun was fielded in 1954, while the American in 1958. As Rottman puts it: "It would have been rather difficult for the Soviets to have designed a weapon capable of firing as yet to be fielded US ammunition."[4]

The breechblock has an enlarged chamber section and is covered with a grill or perforated jacket to protect the crew from the hot chamber.[1][2]

The wheels can be removed and gun is fitted with tripod legs that are folded under the barrel in traveling position.[1] The gun is normally fired from the tripod, but in case of emergency it can be fired without removing the wheels, albeit with reduced accuracy. The B-11 can be employed in the anti-tank role but the sights also allow it to be used in the indirect fire role using HE rounds.[2]

The B-11 is usually towed by the muzzle from a ZIL-157 6×6 or UAZ 4×4 truck, but its light enough to be manhandled. According to Foss, the gun weights only 260 kg (570 lb) when ready to fire,[1] while Hogg and Isby give a weight figure of 305 kg (672 lb).[2][5]

Operational history

The B-11 was first fielded by the Soviet Army in 1954;[4] Six guns were issued for each battalion.[1] In 1969, the Soviets introduced the SPG-9 to replace the B-10 and B-11 in service.[6] Following the poor performance of the B-10 in the hands of Arab armies during the Six-Day War, some Soviet battalions reportedly replaced their B-10 and B-11s with 57 mm anti-tank guns kept in reserve as a stopgap measure until the arrival of the SPG-9.[3]

The B-11 saw limited use with Nigerian forces during the Biafran War.[7] The gun would see wider usage during the Vietnam War with the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong;[8] and the Yom Kippur War. Egyptian anti-tank teams deployed a wide variety of weaponry in waves: platoons armed with RPG-7s would provide short-range coverage, followed by teams armed with AT-3 Sagger missiles, followed by a third wave armed with B-10 and B-11 recoilless guns, with subsequent waves carrying ammunition for the anti-tank teams.[9]

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) possessed considerable numbers of B-10, B-11, and SPG-9s alongside Western-made 75 mm recoilless guns during the Lebanese Civil War, though their effectiveness were hampered by poor training and Israeli counter-battery fire.[10]

During the Gulf War, Iraqi infantry used the SPG-9 alongside the older B-11 and B-10 recoilless guns.[11] Croatian militias during the Bosnian War made use of a large variety of Soviet and Yugoslav-made recoilless guns, including the B-11.[12]

Users

Current

Former

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Foss 1976, p. 66.
  2. ^ a b c d Hogg 1987, p. 746.
  3. ^ a b Isby 1988, p. 204.
  4. ^ a b Rottman 2013, p. 296.
  5. ^ Isby 1988, p. 203.
  6. ^ Isby 1988, p. 202.
  7. ^ a b Jowett 2016, p. 20.
  8. ^ a b Ezell 1988, pp. 142−143.
  9. ^ McNab 2018, pp. 56−59.
  10. ^ a b Bregman 2017, p. 231.
  11. ^ a b Jacobson 1991, p. 34.
  12. ^ a b Shrader 2003, pp. 30, 170.
  13. ^ IISS 2025a, p. 328.
  14. ^ IISS 2025b, p. 453.
  15. ^ IISS 2025, p. 238.
  16. ^ IISS 2025b, p. 472.
  17. ^ IISS 2025a, p. 338.
  18. ^ IISS 2025, p. 275.
  19. ^ a b Isby 1988, p. 222.
  20. ^ Department of the Army 1960, p. 68.
  21. ^ Department of the Army 1960, p. 95.
  22. ^ McNab 2018, p. 59.
  23. ^ Department of the Army 1960, p. 139.
  24. ^ Department of the Army 1960, p. 161.
  25. ^ Nelson 1982, p. 297.

Bibliography

  • Bregman, Ahron (2017). Warfare in the Middle East since 1945. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-87364-2.
  • Department of the Army, United States (1960). Handbook on the Satellite Armies. Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  • Ezell, Edward Clinton (1988). Personal Firepower. The Illustrated history of the Vietnam War 15. Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-34549-0. OCLC 1036801376.
  • Foss, Christopher F. (1976). Artillery of the World (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 978-0-684-14787-1.
  • Hogg, Ian V., ed. (1987). Jane's Infantry Weapons, 1987-88 (13th ed.). London: Jane's Information Group, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-7106-0843-7.
  • International Institute for Strategic Studies (11 February 2025). "Chapter Five: Asia". The Military Balance. 125 (1). Taylor & Francis: 206–311. doi:10.1080/04597222.2025.2445477. ISSN 0459-7222. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  • International Institute for Strategic Studies (11 February 2025). "Chapter Six: Middle East and North Africa". The Military Balance. 125 (1). Taylor & Francis: 312–379. doi:10.1080/04597222.2025.2445478. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  • International Institute for Strategic Studies (11 February 2025). "Chapter Eight: Sub-Saharan Africa". The Military Balance. 125 (1). Taylor & Francis: 440–509. doi:10.1080/04597222.2025.2445480. ISSN 0459-7222. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  • Isby, David C. (1988). Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army (Revised ed.). London: Jane's Publishing Company Limited. ISBN 978-0-7106-0352-4.
  • Nelson, Harold D. (1982). Somalia, a Country Study. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  • Jacobson, Michael R. (January–February 1991). Garland, Albert N. (ed.). "Iraqi Infantry". Infantry. 81 (1). Fort Benning, GA: U.S. Army Infantry School: 33–37. ISSN 0019-9532. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  • Jowett, Philip (2016). Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-70. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Press. ISBN 978-1472816092.
  • McNab, Chris (2018). Sagger Anti-Tank Missile vs M60 Main Battle Tank: Yom Kippur War 1973. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-2577-3.
  • Rottman, Gordon L. (2013). The Big Book of Gun Trivia: Everything you want to know, don't want to know, and don't know you need to know. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78200-949-8.
  • Shrader, Charles R. (2003). The Muslim-Croat Civil War in Bosnia: A Military History, 1992-1994. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-60344-719-5.
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