Russian soldier's explosive bow tactics in Ukraine: Does it work?
The war in Ukraine is rife with situations that seem more suited to video games or action movies than reality. One striking example is a Russian soldier attempting to mimic Rambo or Prophet from Crysis 3 by using a bow and arrows equipped with fragmentation grenades. We delve into whether this combination makes any sense.
Attaching grenades to arrows and shooting them with a bow might seem straightforward, but it's not. The primary issue is that an explosive arrow moves much slower than a grenade launched from a grenade launcher and doesn't spin as fast, potentially causing the fuse to fail to arm in time.
The standard for 30 mm or 40 mm grenades, such as VOG-17/25 or those from newer anti-tank grenade launchers like the RGW90, is to arm after a certain distance, measured by the number of revolutions during flight. For instance, a grenade should arm after about 20 yards, corresponding to roughly 20 revolutions.
Another problem is the risk of the explosive arrow detonating upon firing, as different forces act on the fuse compared to its usual deployment, which could lead to premature detonation.
The footage shows that the Russian appears to be using VOG-17 30 mm grenades intended for AGS-17 family machine grenade launchers. Apparently, the unit was without AGS grenade launchers but had ammunition, so this improvised method was seen as better than nothing.
It should also be noted that the range achieved by the shot is unimpressive, most likely due to using a standard bow rather than a compound bow with a higher draw weight.
VOG-17 grenades are fragmentation devices with a blast radius of at least 6 meters. They contain a 30-gram RDX explosive charge surrounded by pre-fragmented wire in a thin steel casing. Depending on the specific model, the arming range of VOG-17 grenades ranges from 10 to 60 meters.
It is worth noting that these grenades feature a simple impact fuse, including a self-destructor designed to cause self-destruction 28 to 36 seconds after arming.
