Russian RPG Line Remains Dominant

NEWTOWN, Conn. --- As Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-present) continues to demonstrate, the man-portable anti-armor weapon remains a particularly significant asset on the modern asymmetric battlefield. The role of the man-portable anti-armor weapon continues to morph from a dedicated anti-tank weapon to a general-purpose fire support asset for light and medium forces.>> In its annual analysis, "The Market for Man-Portable Anti-Armor and Bunker Buster Weapons," the Forecast International Weapons Group expects the market will produce over 1.79 million weapons, worth in excess of $5 billion, through 2018. According to Dean Lockwood, a weapons systems analyst at Forecast International, The market is evolving to address radical changes in the worldwide security environment. The challenges of this new environment present particularly ripe opportunities for man-portable anti-armor and bunker buster weapons.>> Russian defense contractors will continue to dominate the market, accounting for 59.31 percent of man-portable anti-armor and bunker buster weapon production, worth 46.53 percent of the total market value, through 2018. During this period, the RPG-26 and RPG-27 will account for 44.63 percent of all new production, worth 25.55 percent of the total market value.>> Nevertheless, the ubiquitous RPG-7 remains the man-portable anti-armor weapon of choice worldwide. The Forecast International Weapons Group expects the Russian RPG-7 series, as well as various licensed and unlicensed copies, will account for 7.55 percent of all new production, worth 5.37 percent of the total market value, through 2018.