F-1 grenade (Russia)


The Soviet F-1 hand grenade is an anti-personnel fragmentation defensive grenade.

History

The F-1 was introduced during World War II and subsequently redesigned post-war.
While the F-1 is no longer regarded as a front-line weapon with the former Warsaw Pact countries, it still remains in widespread use, especially with insurgent groups.

Design

The F-1 grenade’s body based on the French F1 grenade cast iron body and contains a explosive charge. The total weight of the grenade with the fuze is about.
Due to its shape and its yellow-green color, it is nicknamed the . It is also nicknamed Efka for the letter F.
The F-1 also is similar to the American Mk 2 "pineapple grenade", which was ultimately modeled on the French F-1.
The F-1 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 . 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.

Fuze

The F1 uses the UZRG-M fuze.
The UZRGM is a universal Russian type fuse also used in the RG-42 and RGD-5 grenades. The standard time delay for this fuze is 3.5 to 4 seconds.

Myth

There was a myth originating from an article written by Peter Kokalis for the Soldier of Fortune (magazine) that implied UZRGM fuze variants are available in versions with delays from zero to 13 seconds. However the UZRGM fuze never had such variants, and all UZRGM fuzes have delay of 3.2 to 4.2 seconds if working correctly.
The myth originated from the author reading the numbers stamped on the fuze body, which are concealed when the fuze is inserted into the grenade. This number indicates the factory production line, not the fuze delay.
Having fuzes without clear external marking indicating that it is "short fuze" with 0 or 1–2 seconds delay would be dangerous for soldier operating them. It is possible to hear a loud "pop" as the fuze ignites and begins to burn.

Variants

Soviet Union

URG is the F-1's simulation-training variant.

Foreign copies

The F-1 was used and copied by Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Several other countries and insurgent groups also produced their own copies, including China, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Georgia, Poland, and Romania. During the Russo-Ukrainian War, Ukraine started production of an improved F-1 grenade which was approved for military use in September 9, 2024. Type 1 − Chinese copyF1/N60 − Polish rifle grenade based on the F-1, but with an impact fuze instead of a time delay fuzeMKEK Mk 2 − Post-war Turkish design combining the body of the F-1 with a United States-designed M204A2 fuseM15 − Yugoslav variant almost identical to the F-1, but the 5.6 second igniter is entirely different. Officially designated as the Defensive hand grenade M15 M35 − Yugoslav copy virtually similar to the M15. Officially designated as the Defensive hand grenade M35

Operators

  • − Remained in frontline service as late as 2010
  • − Produced as the MKEK Mk 2
  • − Domestically produced copies
  • − 50,000 delivered between 1982 and 1987 by Czechoslovakia
  • − Produced as the M15 and ''M35''