Russian Army Deploys RG-60 Thermobaric Hand Grenades

The Russian military has begun receiving a new model of the RG-60 fragmentation-thermobaric hand grenade, which has already been seen in use in the war against Ukraine.

Details concerning the new weapon were published by the TASS news agency.

The Federal Scientific and Production Center Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry patented a modified version of the thermobaric grenade, designated RG-60TBO1, with an updated body designed to produce a fragmentation effect.

The grenade is a further development of the RG-60TB, created in the 2000s, and features a cylindrical-hemispherical polymer body containing 900 pre-formed steel alloy fragments.

The thermobaric effect is achieved by dispersing a flammable aerosol and igniting it, creating a high-temperature flash and a sharp pressure drop.

According to the patent, the thermobaric charge “provides an increased time of the positive compression phase,” allowing fragments to reach speeds of 1,300–1,500 m/s. The effective kill zone against infantry wearing class 2 (NIJ IIA) body armor is up to eight meters.

The grenade uses a standard UDZ-5 fuse, which can detonate 3-4 seconds after activation or on impact with a hard surface.

Patent authors told Russian media that test batches had confirmed the stated specifications and readiness for serial production. However, by summer, the samples of the new grenade had already been observed in use by Russian forces in Ukraine.

Most grenades are supplied with the UDZ-5 fuse, though videos show some in use with the older UZRGM fuse.

The Ukrainian military also fields RGT-27 series thermobaric grenades, adopted in 2020 in versions with rectangular and cylindrical bodies.

A 600-gram grenade produces a fireball of 13 cubic meters within seconds, reaching temperatures of 2,500–3,000°C. The resulting pressure drop has a destructive effect in enclosed spaces, but with no fragmentation, the impact in open terrain is limited.

During the war, Ukraine received these grenades in limited quantities, where they proved effective for clearing dugouts and buildings as well as for destroying abandoned armored vehicles.