PF-89


The PF-89 or Type 89 is a portable, disposable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled rocket launcher. Developed by Norinco for People's Liberation Army, PF-89 was designed to replace the obsolete Type 69 RPG, providing a man-portable, single-use assault weapon system that could used primarily by infantry squads in order to engage and defeat light armor and bunkers. The design permits accurate delivery of an rocket-propelled 80mm High Explosive Anti-Tank warhead, with negligible recoil. PF-89 entered mass production in 1993, and generally replaced Type 69 RPG in PLA throughout 1990s. Since 2010, the system is being used alongside with the more advanced Type 08 recoilless gun.

Description

The PF-89 is a lightweight, self-contained, anti-armor weapon comparable to the Swedish AT4. Unlike AT4, PF-89 is a rocket-propelled weapon instead of a recoilless gun which by design is more similar to M72 LAW and RPG-26. The weapon consists of a free-flight, fin-stabilised, rocket-propelled cartridge packed in a one-piece, one-off, fiberglass-wrapped tube. It is man-portable and is fired from the right shoulder only. The launcher is watertight for ease of transportation and storage. The PF-89 has a simple optical sight for aiming, with no night combat capability. The firer must be able to see and identify the target and estimate the range to it. The round of ammunition is self-contained in a disposable launch tube. The system weighs only eight pounds and can be utilized effectively with minimal training.
However, the problem of back blast became prominent after Army adopted PF-89. Collateral damage is especially concerning for PLA that utilizes motorized infantry fighting tactics. China developed Type 08 multipurpose recoilless gun with countermass balance mechanism to replace the PF-89.

Variants

The PF-89 has three variants with each variant corresponding to a specific type of ammunition. The earliest variant, simply called PF-89, uses high-explosive rounds. The second variant, PF-89A, employs specialized multipurpose incendiary rounds. The multipurpose round can penetrate 300 mm of reinforced concert with the ability to light up wood, fabric upon impact. The third variant, PF-89B, utilize tandem-charge high-explosive rounds to improve penetration against reactive armour. The WPF-89-1 is the thermometric version of the PF-89. WPF-89-1 did not see much use because the shortcoming it has, thus China developed improved WPF-89-2 in 2003.
DesignationPF-89PF-89APF-89BWPF-89-1WPF-89-2
Ammo typeHigh-explosiveMultipurpose incendiaryHigh-explosive tandem-chargeThermometricThermometric tandem-charge
Cartridge diameter80mm80mm80mm80mm80mm
Cartridge weight1.84kg2.35kg2.5kg2.15kg>2.15kg
Launcher weight1.85kg1.85kg1.85kg1.85kg1.85kg
Full mass3.7kg4.2kg4.7kg4kg>4kg
Length900mm900mm900mm900mm900mm
Length w/o cover880mm880mm880mm880mm880mm
ZeroingN/AN/AN/A
Sight rangeN/A
Penetration180mm/65°20mm/65°300mm/65°N/AN/A
Velocity

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