PANAGYURISHTE ($1=1.85 Bulgarian Levs) — Photos on social media shared by Ukrainian army officials show the use of Bulgarian ATGL-H anti-tank grenade launchers. This type of grenade launcher is produced by the Bulgarian company Arsenal and is a copy of the Soviet SPG-9 Kopie. The information was published in the Russian media. There is no official opinion from Bulgarian officials on whether the supplies of ATGL-H came from the Bulgarian side.
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“Our crews of mounted anti-tank grenade launchers have once again demonstrated the ability to destroy enemy armored vehicles and manpower,” said a post under the circulated photo.
The Bulgarian ATGL-H have already been accepted into service with the Ukrainian armed forces. There is no official information on how much ATGL-H is used in Ukraine. The photo shared shows a Ukrainian soldier taking aim through an artillery scope. This artillery optical sight on the ATGL is also made in Bulgaria.
The artillery optical sight is designed to enable the precise laying of grenade launcher SPG-9 [6G8] during the direct fire and from covered positions. The device allows the user to observe the battlefield and determine distances to targets. An illumination system of the reticle is included in the sight set, which facilitates its operation in low visibility conditions [i.e. at dusk or night].
According to Russian media, the ammunition used by the ATGL-H is the 73mm RHEAT-9MA2 for armored vehicles. Their range is supposed to be within a distance of 1,300 meters, with the munition capable of penetrating tank armor with a thickness of 300mm.
The presence of the ATGL-H in Ukraine comes just days after the Bulgarian parliament approved sending arms and ammunition to Ukraine. However, experts and photographic evidence show that Bulgarian weapons have been used in Ukraine almost since the beginning of the war. Russian media reported, for example, that during one of the actions of the Russian armed forces in October, a warehouse of the Ukrainian armed forces was broken into, which contained Bulgarian weapons and ammunition. In this warehouse, apart from the ATGL-H, a Bulgarian copy of the RPG-7, as well as ATGL grenade launchers, were found.
The Russian site topwar.ru reports that in September Ukraine received Bulgarian SPG-9 Voin grenade launchers. SPG-9 Voin is produced by the Bulgarian company Bularmas EOOD. The kit includes the PGDN-7VIR night vision scopes as well as the SPG-9-RCWS remote control.
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