F-1 grenade (Russia)

File:F1 hand grenade (DOSAAF Museum in Minsk) 2.jpg

Grenade cutaway and training sample (DOSAAF Museum, Minsk)

File:Russian - MUV pull fuze.jpg

Russian MUV booby trap firing device. A zero-delay pull fuze which is normally connected to a tripwire. The MUV fuze is fully compatible with F-1 and RGD-5 grenades. Fitting an MUV fuze makes it easier to conceal the grenade when setting a boobytrap e.g. partial burial. Note that the detonator is usually threaded, so it can be screwed into the F-1 grenade body

The Soviet F-1 hand grenade (Russian: Фугасный > Fugasnyy 1, "Explosive, Type No. 1") is an anti-personnel fragmentation defensive grenade. It is based on the French F1 grenade and contains a explosive charge (TNT). The total weight of the grenade with the fuze is about .

Due to its shape and its yellow-green color, it is nicknamed the (fem. 'little lemon'). It is also nicknamed Efka (Template:Langx) for the letter F. It is similar to the American Mk 2 "pineapple grenade", which was also ultimately modeled on the French F-1.

F-1 simulation-training grenade is called УРГ (учебная ручная граната), URG (training hand grenade).

Fuse

The Universal'nyi Zapal, Ruchnaya Granata, Modernizirovannyi (UZRGM) (Russian for 'universal igniter, hand grenade, modernized') fuse is a universal Russian type also used in the RG-42 and RGD-5 grenades. The standard time delay for this fuse is 3.5 to 4 seconds. There was a myth originating from an article written by Peter Kokalis for the Soldier of Fortune (magazine) that implied UZRGM fuse variants are available in versions with delays from zero (i.e., instantaneous, specifically for use in booby-traps) to 13 seconds. However the UZRGM fuse never had such variants, and all UZRGM fuses have delay of 3.2 to 4.2 seconds if working correctly.

The myth originated from the author reading the numbers stamped on the fuse body, which are concealed when the fuse is inserted into the grenade. This number indicates the factory production line, not the fuse delay. Having fuses without clear external marking indicating that it is "short fuse" with 0 or 1–2 seconds delay would be dangerous for soldier operating them. It is possible to hear a loud "pop" as the fuse ignites and begins to burn.

History

The F-1 was introduced during World War II and subsequently redesigned post-war. It has a steel exterior that is notched to facilitate fragmentation upon detonation and to prevent hands from slipping. The distance the grenade can be thrown is estimated at . The radius of the fragment dispersion is up to (effective radius is about ,). Hence, the grenade has to be deployed from a defensive position to avoid self-harm.

About 60 percent of the grenade body pulverizes during the explosion, only 30 percent of the body splits into 290 high-velocity, sharp-edged splinters each weighing around 1 gram with an initial speed of about .

While the F-1 is no longer regarded as a front-line weapon with the former Warsaw Pact countries, it still remain in widespread use, especially with insurgent groups.Template:Sfn

Foreign copies

Several countries produced copies of the F-1 grenade, including China (as the Type 1), Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Georgia, Poland, and Romania.Template:Sfn In 2024, Ukraine started production of an improved F-1 grenade which was approved for military use in September 9, 2024. Several insurgent groups have produced their own grenades based on the F-1.Template:Sfn

There are different production variations according to country of origin, including fuse and explosive filling. Poland in particular, produced a rifle grenade based on the F-1 known as the F1/N60. This variant have an impact fuse instead of a time delay fuse.Template:Sfn

Operators

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• − Produced locally as the Type 1 grenadeTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn
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• Iraq
• − Remained in frontline service as late as 2010Template:Sfn
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• South Yemen − 50,000 delivered between 1982 and 1987 by CzechoslovakiaTemplate:Sfn
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• − Domestically produced copies
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See also

• List of Russian weaponry

External links

• Trinitrotoluene Filling (TNT)
• F-1 grenade (Russian)
• Soviet hand grenade F-1 (Russian)
• Information about the World War II-era F-1
• Information about the post World War II F-1