The U.S. Army is apparently still interested in fielding its own copy of the fabled Russian RPG-7 shoulder-fired, anti-tank, anti-personnel rocket-propelled grenade launcher for use by infantry units.

The "Americanized RPG" is being pushed by AirTronic USA, Inc. as part of the Army's annual Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE). Based in Texas, Airtronic describes itself as "an electromechanical engineering design and manufacturing company focused on innovative military-based manufacturing solutions."

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In 2015, the Army evaluated AirTronic's RPG called the Precision Shoulder-fired Rocket Launcher (PSRL) system. AirTronic touts its PSRL as a much superior version of the iconic RPG-7 with better accuracy, enhanced lethality, longer range and durability.

PSRL, however, is very different from the Russian weapon. Its tube is made from 4140/4150 ordnance grade barrel steel and it features several sections of rail for attaching optics. It also has an M4-style pistol grip and buttstock. It weighs about 14 pounds unloaded and without optic.

AirTronic claims PSRL offers a "safe, reliable and effective solution, enhanced by a custom-design sighting system resulting in significantly improved accuracy." AirTronic this year said it developed two more RPG designs slated for production: PSRL-1 and PSRL-2.

PSRL-1 interlinks a new sighting system, which includes an illuminated reticle for use in low light situations. The second design, PSRL-2, builds on PSRL-1 but features a new innovative design, improved durability and extending the lifecycle of the launcher.

AirTronic said integrating its custom-designed optical sight into a unified system enabled PSRL-1 to achieve 90% hit accuracy at 800 meters, more than twice the distance of competitor systems, and far better than the Russian RPG-7.

The Airtronic RPG is now a program of record in U.S. Special Operations Command.

The weapon did perform well when company representatives fired it at targets between 900 and 1,200 meters away, said Harry Lubin, chief of the Experimentation Branch at the Maneuver Battle Lab of the Maneuver Center of Excellence.

"The accuracy seemed to be very good," said Lubin.

TagsAmericanized RPG, Precision Shoulder-fired Rocket Launcher, PSRL, AirTronic USA, Inc., U.S. Army, RPG-7