Recoilless one-shot RAC 112 APILAS ‘came to light’ in Ukraine
KIEV, UKRAINE — Ukraine has received delivery of the recoilless RAC 112 APILAS [Armor-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System]. Social media photos from Ukrainian accounts share and inform about the shipment. The photos were shared today, April 12th. BulgarianMilitary.com cannot confirm when, however, the anti-tank systems were delivered.
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RAC 112 APILAS is a French production. It is a mid-1980s design. It has recorded participation in the Gulf War and the Syrian Civil War. With its arrival in Ukraine, this French system increases its military experience.
The RAC 112 APILAS is a recoilless and one-shot anti-tank gun. The caliber of the system is 112 mm and according to its combat characteristics, it can penetrate 700 mm armor. According to Ukrainian social media sources, the systems were sent from Finland. This is clearly evident, they say, in the JVA 2021 inscription that was used to mark this grenade launcher.
About APILAS
The RAC 112 APILAS weighs 9 kg [19.84 lb]. Its length is 1,300 mm [51.2 in] and its barrel length is 180 mm [7.1 in]. The anti-tank missile exits the system with an initial velocity of 293 m/s. The lower and upper limits of the effective range vary from 25 meters to 350 meters. However, the maximum range reaches up to 500 meters.
The anti-tank missile is powered by a solid-fuel rocket. From 0 to 500 meters, the rocket covers the distance in 1.9 seconds. The anti-tank rocket warhead is a 1.5 kg shaped charge capable of penetrating 720 mm RHAe or 2 m of concrete. Its trigger is a piezoelectric sensor with 50g of black powder.
In 2006 Giat Industries [now Nexter Systems] stopped production of RAC 112 APILAS. By 2006, a total of 120,000 units of these anti-tank systems were produced. Nearly 84,000 of them were accepted into service in the inventory of the French army alone.
It is interesting to note that the RAC 112 APILAS is described as a “traumatic weapon”. This description is actually a categorization of the weapon by the French army. It is categorized this way because of its blast and noise. A curious fact is that a French soldier in peacetime is allowed to fire this anti-tank system no more than three times during his entire military career.
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