F-1 grenade (Russia)

For other uses, see F1 grenade (disambiguation).

The Soviet F-1 hand grenade (Russian: Фугасный > Fugasnyy 1, "Explosive, Type No. 1") is an anti-personnel fragmentation defensive grenade. Grenade’s body based on the French F1 grenade cast iron body and contains a 60 g (2.1 oz) explosive charge (TNT). The total weight of the grenade with the fuze is about 600 g (21 oz).^[2]

F-1
F-1 hand grenade
Type	Anti-personnel hand grenade
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1939–present (Russia)
Used by	Soviet Union, Cuba, China
Wars	World War II Hukbalahap Rebellion Korean War Vietnam War Rhodesian Bush War[1] Six-Day War Yom Kippur War Angolan Civil War Iran-Iraq War Iraq War First Libyan Civil War Syrian Civil War War in Donbas Russian invasion of Ukraine
Specifications
Mass	600 g (1.3 lb)
Length	130 mm (5.1 in)
Diameter	55 mm (2.2 in)
Filling	Trinitrotoluene
Filling weight	60 g (2.1 oz)
Detonation mechanism	Time delay fuse 3.2 to 4.2 s

Grenade cutaway and training sample (DOSAAF Museum, Minsk)

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

Due to its shape and its yellow-green color, it is nicknamed the limonka (fem. 'little lemon'). It is also nicknamed Efka (Russian: Эфка) for the letter F.^[3] 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).

Fuze

The Universal'nyi Zapal, Ruchnaya Granata, Modernizirovannyi (UZRGM) (Russian for 'universal igniter, hand grenade, modernized') fuze is a universal Russian type also used in the RG-42 and RGD-5 grenades. The standard time delay for this fuze is 3.5 to 4 seconds. There was a myth originating from an article written by Peter Kokalis ^{[citation needed]} for the Soldier of Fortune (magazine) that implied UZRGM fuze variants are available in versions with delays from zero (i.e., instantaneous, specifically for use in booby-traps) 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.^[4] It is possible to hear a loud "pop" as the fuze 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 30–45 m (98–148 ft). The radius of the fragment dispersion is up to 200 m (660 ft) (effective radius is about 30 m (98 ft),^[5]). 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 700 m/s (2,300 ft/s).

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.^[6]

Foreign copies

Several countries produced copies of the F-1 grenade, including China (as the Type 1), Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Georgia, Poland, and Romania.^[7] In 2024, Ukraine started production of an improved F-1 grenade which was approved for military use in September 9, 2024.^[8] Several insurgent groups have produced their own grenades based on the F-1.^[6]

There are different production variations according to country of origin, including fuze 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 fuze instead of a time delay fuze.^[7]

Operators

•  Bulgaria^[6]
•  China − Produced locally as the Type 1 grenade^[6][9]
•  Czechoslovakia^[10]
•  Czech Republic^[6]
•  Georgia^[11]
• Iraq^[12]
•  North Korea^[13]
•  Poland − Remained in frontline service as late as 2010^[7]
•  Romania^[11]
•  Russia^[11]
•  Soviet Union
• South Yemen − 50,000 delivered between 1982 and 1987 by Czechoslovakia^[10]
•  Syria^[14]
•  Ukraine − Domestically produced copies^[8]
•  Vietnam^[9]

See also

• List of Russian weaponry