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45-502: The AGS-17 is a heavy infantry support weapon designed to operate from a tripod or mounted on an installation or vehicle. The AGS-17 fires 30 mm grenades in either direct or indirect fire to provide suppressive and lethal fire support against soft-skinned or fortified targets. The weapon uses a blowback mechanism to sustain operation. Rounds are fired through a removable (to reduce barrel stress) rifled barrel. The standard metal ammunition drum contains 29 linked rounds. The tripod

90-419: A captain in infantry companies and often also in cavalry squadrons), although again the rank of the appointment holder and the holder's appointment are separate and independent of each other. In some cases, independent units smaller than a sub-unit (e.g. a military police platoon that reports directly to a formation such as a brigade) will also have an OC appointed. In these cases, the officer commanding can be

135-411: A company , usually a captain , is referred to as the company commander (or the battery /troop commander for artillery / cavalry ) units. The commanding officer of a battalion (or squadron of cavalry/armored cavalry ) is usually a lieutenant colonel . The commanding officer of a brigade , a colonel , is the brigade commander . At the division level and higher, however, the commanding officer

180-596: A platoon , the smallest tactical unit of Marines usually led by a commissioned officer , typically a first or second lieutenant , is referred to as the platoon commander . This distinction in title also applies to officers who are aircraft commanders, as well as officers, staff non-commissioned officers (staff sergeant – master sergeant), and non-commissioned officers (corporal and sergeant) who are tank and armored vehicle commanders. While these officers, SNCOs, and NCOs have tactical and operational command (including full authority, responsibility, and accountability—especially in

225-526: A regiment , aviation group , or Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is a colonel . At the Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), Marine Logistics Group (MLG), Marine Division (MARDIV), Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), and Fleet Marine Force (FMF) levels; however, the commanding officer is referred to as the commanding general , as these officers hold general officer rank. The officer in charge of

270-533: A battalion gun so Swedish 4-pounders were used for that purpose beginning in 1757. Two years later the French began using the 1-pdr Rostaing gun but it only had limited service. Manufacture of the ordnance was also revolutionised by the early-18th century invention of the boring mechanism by the Swiss gun- founder Moritz of Geneva which allowed for a far greater precision achieved in the casting, in essence creating

315-683: A captain or even a lieutenant. Appointments such as CO and OC may have specific powers associated with them. For example, they may have statutory powers to promote soldiers or to deal with certain disciplinary offences and award certain punishments. The CO of a unit may have the power to sentence an offender to 28 days' detention, whereas the OC of a sub-unit may have the power to sentence an offender to 3 days' restriction of privileges. Commanders of units smaller than sub-units (e.g. platoons , troops and sections ) are not specific appointments and officers or NCOs who fill those positions are simply referred to as

360-456: A commanding officer. The officer in command of a minor unit holds the appointment of " officer commanding " (OC). Higher formations have a commander (usual for a brigade) or a general officer commanding (GOC). Area commands have a commander-in-chief (e.g. C-in-C Land Army, C-in-C British Army of the Rhine). The OC of a sub-unit or minor unit is today customarily a major (although formerly usually

405-417: A commissioned officer is present; normally they serve as executive officer ( 2IC ). The commanding officer of a company , usually a captain , is referred to as the company commander or the battery commander (for field artillery and low altitude air defense units ). The commanding officer of a battalion or a squadron ( Marine aviation ), is usually a lieutenant colonel . The commanding officer of

450-401: A huge lathe on which the barrel casting turned instead of the boring tool. Manufacture of cannonballs was also improved so the projectiles were now well-fitted to the bore of the ordnance, and after conducting experiments with gunpowder, the powder charges were determined to be one-third the weight of the shot (cannonball). Frederick's artillery doctrine influenced the development of

495-548: A range of 100 yards, same as that of the musket range, and therefore put the gunners into the environment of direct infantry combat due to Frederick's insistence that artillery should participate in the infantry attack . In 1732 Florent-Jean de Vallière standardized French artillery ordnance ( barrels ) into five calibers. The lightest piece was the Vallière 4-pounder and the heavier cannons were 8-, 12- , 16- and 24-pounders . The 4-pounder proved too heavy to be employed as

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540-408: A ship, submarine or other vessel is addressed by naval custom as 'captain' while aboard in command, regardless of their actual rank." They may be informally referred to as "Skipper", though allowing or forbidding the use of this form of address is the commanding officer's prerogative. A prospective commanding officer (PCO) is a U.S. Navy officer who has been selected for his/her own command. The term

585-477: A steel cartridge case. Two types of ammunition are commonly fired from the AGS-17. The VOG-17M is the version of the original 30 mm grenade ammunition, which is currently available and has a basic high explosive fragmentation warhead. The VOG-30 is similar, but contains a better explosive filling and an enhanced fragmentation design that greatly increases the effective blast radius. New improved VOG-30D grenade

630-508: Is also a Soviet design of fuse. Similar improvised grenades are known as " khattabkas ". Infantry support weapon Infantry support guns or battalion guns are artillery weapons designed and used to increase the firepower of the infantry units they are intrinsic to, offering immediate tactical response to the needs of the unit's commanding officer . They typically have short, low- velocity barrels, and light construction carriages , allowing them to be more easily manoeuvered on

675-710: Is equipped with fine levelling gear for indirect fire trajectories. 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 of

720-407: Is referred to as the commanding general , as these officers hold general officer rank. Although holding a leadership position in the same sense as commanders, the individual in charge of a platoon , the smallest unit of soldiers led by a commissioned officer , is referred to as the " platoon leader ", not the "platoon commander". This officer, typically a second lieutenant , does have command of

765-482: Is used in correspondence or in reference to the officer before they assume command of the unit (ship, squadron, unit, etc.). If the sailor in command of a unit is an enlisted member, rather than a commissioned or warrant officer , he or she is referred to as the "officer in charge" rather than "commanding officer". In the Coast Guard it is common for smaller cutters to be commanded by a chief petty officer . In

810-806: The AGS-30 launcher, which fires the same ammunition, but weighs only 16 kg unloaded on the tripod and has an upgraded blowback action. Ukrainian company Precision Systems developed a miniaturized handheld version of AGS-17 called RGSh-30 "in order to create a grenade launcher that could respond to the needs of Ukrainian units and special forces operating in the Donbas ". RGSh-30 is designed to disable armored vehicles. that can be carried like an assault rifle. RGSh-30 uses magazines with five 30mm VOG-17 grenades. Precision Systems plans to develop versions using 20mm, 25mm, and 40mm grenades. The AGS-17 fires 30×29 mm  [ ru ] belted cartridges with

855-492: The Geneva Conventions ), duties (to higher authority, mission effectiveness, duty of care to personnel), and powers (for example, discipline and punishment of personnel within certain limits of military law). In some countries, commanding officers may be of any commissioned rank. Usually, there are more officers than command positions available, and time spent in command is generally a key aspect of promotion, so

900-518: 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

945-640: The Royal Artillery to handle the two 3- or light 6-pounder guns battalion guns. Frederick the Great of Prussia was the first to introduce artillery tactics for the regimental guns which were to accompany the infantry units as part of his reform of the Prussian artillery as a whole before and during the Seven Years' War . This included the determination that canister shot was only effective at

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990-573: The Royal Navy and many others, commanding officer is the official title of the commander of any ship, unit or installation. However, they are referred to as "the captain" no matter what their actual rank, or informally as "skipper" or even "boss". In the United States , the status of commanding officer is duly applied to all commissioned officers who hold lawful command over a military unit, ship, or installation. The commanding officer of

1035-449: The arquebus , while another avenue of development led to the light ordnance, now on wheeled carriages, such as the 2-pounder Culvern moyane, the 1-pounder falcon, and the 3 ⁄ 4 -pounder falconet . These lighter Renaissance pieces eventually led to the development of the 3-pounder and 4-pounder regimental guns of the 17th century as well as the leather cannon , notably in the army of Gustavus Adolphus . The light field guns of

1080-549: The battlefield . They are generally used for direct fire , rather than the indirect fire of other types of artillery. Their role has generally been replaced by tanks using tank guns , infantry fighting vehicles using autocannons , other combat vehicles , mortars , recoilless rifles , rocket-propelled grenades , and shoulder-launched missiles . Infantry support guns were the first type of artillery employed by armed forces , initially in China, and later brought to Europe by

1125-656: The caissons . The system of ordnance , carriages, ball, and powder charges introduced by de Gribeauval remained virtually unaltered through the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars . General Augustin Lespinasse on battalion guns: "If you want to prevent your troops from manouevering, embarrass them with guns ... A line of infantry supported by good, properly established batteries retains its order of battle better" Infantry support guns drew much interest in course of World War I because of

1170-538: The 17th century, commonly known as a drake in England, came in almost 100 different calibres, with each having its own distinct name, some of which were: The saker and falcon had point-blank ranges of 330 and 290 metres (360 and 320 yd), and 1,980 and 1,760 metres (2,170 and 1,920 yd) extreme ranges respectively. Although oxen were used to haul the heavier field and siege ordnance, some on wagons rather than limbers , they were too slow to keep up with

1215-483: The French artillery troops, and after 1764 Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval , the first Inspector of Artillery, after conducting trials in Strasbourg , reorganised French artillery units to provide them with greater mobility , changing length of the barrels to standard 18-calibre length, including the regimental 4-pounders. These were now pulled by four horses and used large six-wheeled vehicles that also included

1260-521: The German 7.5 cm leichtes Infanteriegeschütz 18 and Japanese Type 92 battalion gun were designed to meet all these requirements simultaneously and saw action during WWII . The Canon de 76 FRC was a Belgian infantry support gun, produced by the Fonderie Royale des Canons (FRC). The gun was typically of 76 mm calibre; however, an optional 47 mm barrel could be fitted instead. The gun

1305-543: The Mongol invasion. In their initial form, they lacked carriages or wheels, and were simple cast barrels called pots de fer in French, or vasi in Italian. These weapons were relatively small, immobile, and fired large bolts or quarrels . Along with increases in the sizes of ordnance (the barrels) came the requirement of easier transportation. This led to two divergent approaches, the very light hand-gun, and eventually

1350-1190: The US Army had put these into storage (or scrapped them). Poland fielded a number. In 1940, the Wehrmacht began using these as 3.7 cm IG 152(f). During the First World War, the Japanese Type 11 was based on this design. Very few support guns are still in service with infantry units, as their roles have been largely replaced by rocket-propelled grenades , grenade launchers , anti-tank guided missiles , Recoilless rifles , howitzers , and mortars . Heavier wire-guided missiles are used to engage point targets, such as structures. Most pack guns (guns designed to be disassembled into multiple parts for easier movement over terrain) and airborne guns (guns designed for use by paratroopers by being either disassemblable for deployment or especially light, or both) are infantry support guns, but these types are also obsolete. Commanding officer The commanding officer ( CO ) or commander , or sometimes, if

1395-664: The case of aircraft commanders) of the Marines and equipment in their charge, they are not accorded the legal authority of a "commanding officer" under the UCMJ or military regulations. In the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard , commanding officer is the official title of the commander of a ship, but they are usually referred to as " the Captain " regardless of their actual rank: "Any naval officer who commands

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1440-537: The case of aircraft commanders) of the soldiers and equipment in their charge, they are not accorded the legal authority of a "commanding officer" under the UCMJ or military regulations. Warrant officers in the United States Armed Forces are single career-track officers that can, and occasionally do, hold command positions within certain specialty units, i.e. Special Forces and Army Aviation . However, warrant officers usually do not command if

1485-555: The commander or leader (e.g. platoon commander, troop leader, section commander/leader, etc.). In the Royal Air Force , the title of commanding officer is reserved for station commanders or commanders of independent units, including flying squadrons. As with the British Army, the post of a commander of a lesser unit such as an administrative wing , squadron or flight is referred to as the officer commanding (OC). In

1530-467: The commanding officer of a unit is appointed. Thus the office of CO is an appointment. The appointment of commanding officer is exclusive to commanders of major units ( regiments , battalions and similar sized units). It is customary for a commanding officer to hold the rank of lieutenant colonel , and they are usually referred to within the unit simply as "the colonel" or the CO. "The colonel" may also refer to

1575-511: The developments in trench warfare. In addition to the usual requirements that they needed to be portable enough to be carried by infantry, two separate capabilities were desired. First, it needed to engage in high angle indirect fire, especially given the prevalence of trenches. Second, it needed to be capable of low angle direct fire, while being carried by assault infantry, to engage strongpoints, bunkers, and other fortifications. Some infantry support guns that appeared between world wars, such as

1620-477: The holder of an honorary appointment of a senior officer who oversees the non-operational affairs of a regiment. However, the rank of the appointment holder and the holder's appointment are separate. That is, not all lieutenant colonels are COs, and although most COs are lieutenant colonels, that is not a requirement of the appointment. Sub-units and minor units ( companies , squadrons and batteries ) and formations (brigades, divisions, corps and armies) do not have

1665-408: The incumbent is a general officer , commanding general ( CG ), is the officer in command of a military unit . The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as they see fit, within the bounds of military law . In this respect, commanding officers have significant responsibilities (for example, the use of force , finances, equipment,

1710-624: The infantry, and so horses were used to pull the lighter pieces, leading to the development of the artillery carriage and horse team that survived until the late 19th century. The first School of Artillery in Venice was opened early in the 16th century, and by the late 17th century the different old names of the lighter ordnance were abandoned, and replaced with the French canon , or cannon. The first regimental guns in English service were ordered by King James II in 1686; two 3-pounders for each of

1755-599: The new weapon 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 of the AGS-17, the AG-17A, was developed for installation on helicopters, including the Mi-24 Hind in gun pods and

1800-491: The role of commanding officer is highly valued. The commanding officer is often assisted by an executive officer (XO) or second-in-command (2i/c), who handles personnel and day-to-day matters, and a senior enlisted advisor . Larger units may also have staff officers responsible for various responsibilities. In the British Army , Royal Marines , and many other Commonwealth military and paramilitary organisations,

1845-482: The seven regiments (of one battalion each) encamped in Hyde Park . Attachment of guns to the infantry had practical reasons also. While the allocation of horses was reckoned at one for each 350–500 pounds of ordnance and its carriage, this was only true for availability of good horses and good roads, both in short supply due to unscrupulous civilian contractors and lack of road building technology . In cases where

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1890-816: The soldiers under him but does not have many of the command responsibilities inherent to higher echelons. For example, a platoon leader cannot issue non-judicial punishment . Non-commissioned officers may be said to have charge of certain smaller military units. They cannot, however, hold command as they lack the requisite authority granted by the head of state to do so. Those wielding "command" of individual vehicles (and their crews) are called vehicle commanders. This distinction in title also applies to officers who are aircraft commanders ("pilot in command"), as well as officers and enlisted soldiers who are tank and armored vehicle commanders. While these officers and NCOs have tactical and operational command (including full authority, responsibility, and accountability – especially in

1935-426: The work was excessive for horses alone, infantry would join them in pulling the guns, calculated at 80 lbs per infantryman , a load which remains at the upper limit of the average light infantry unit requirement today. The 3-pounder Grasshopper cannon was in use with British forces in the 18th century. Each British infantry battalion had an officer and 34 non commissioned officers and other ranks trained by

1980-412: Was designed for transport via a trailer towed by a vehicle. In 1940, the Wehrmacht redesignated these as 7.6 cm IG 260(b). The Canon d'Infantrie de 37 modele 1916 TRP (37mm mle.1916) was a French infantry support gun, first used during World War I. The gun was used by a number of forces during and after the war. The US acquired a number of these guns, which they designated 37mm M1916; however, by 1941

2025-680: Was taken into service in 2013 for use with AGS-17 and AGS-30 grenade launchers. It was ordered by the Russian Defense Ministry in August 2023. The same month, the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine begun to receive VOG-17 grenades, factory modified for use by commercial drones. The Bulgarian weapons manufacturer Arcus produces AR-ROG hand grenades based on VOG-17 cartridges and UZRGM  [ ru ] (Russian: УЗРГМ), which

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