AGS-17

The AGS-17 Plamya (Russian: Пламя; Flame) is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher in service worldwide.

Description

The AGS-17 is a heavy infantry support weapon designed to operate from a tripod or mounted on an installation or vehicle. The AGS-17 fires 30 mm grenades in either direct or indirect fire to provide suppressive and lethal fire support against soft skinned or fortified targets.

The weapon uses a blowback mechanism to sustain operation. Rounds are fired through a removable (to reduce barrel stress) rifled barrel.

The standard metal ammunition box contains 30 linked rounds.

The tripod is equipped with fine levelling gear for indirect fire trajectories.

Development

Development of the AGS-17 (Avtomaticheskiy Granatomyot Stankovyi - Automatic Grenade launcher, Mounted) started in the USSR in 1967 by the OKB-16 design bureau (now known as the KBP Instrument Design Bureau, located in the city of Tula). Most probably its development was inspired by the Sino-Soviet border conflict of the late 1960s, as well as initial experience with several US automatic grenade launchers, learned from Vietnamese troops who were often on the receiving end of these weapons.

AGS

AGS may refer to:

Military

Science and technology

Organizations, societies, companies

Silver sulfide

Silver sulfide (Ag
2S) is the sulfide of silver. It is useful as a photosensitizer in photography.

Properties

This dense black solid constitutes the tarnish that forms over time on silverware and other silver objects. Silver sulfide is insoluble in all solvents, but is degraded by strong acids. Silver sulfide features a covalent bond, as it is made up of silver (electronegativity of 1.98) and sulfur (electronegativity of 2.58). It is a component of classical qualitative inorganic analysis. When formed on electrical contacts operating in an atmosphere rich in hydrogen sulfide, long filaments known as silver whiskers can form.

Degrading wooden treasure chests aboard sunken galleons can provide the sulfide needed for certain sulfide ion consuming bacteria to produce hydrogen sulfide gas. When combined with silver the hydrogen sulfide gas creates a layer of black silver sulfide patina on the silver, protecting the inner silver from further conversion to silver sulfide.

Structure

Three forms are known: monoclinic acanthite (β-form), stable below 179 °C, body centered cubic so-called argentite (α-form), stable above 180 °C, and a high temperature face-centred cubic (γ-form) stable above 586 °C. The higher temperature forms are electrical conductors. It is found in nature as relatively low temperature mineral acanthite. Acanthite is an important ore of silver. In the acanthite, monoclinic, form there are two crystallographically distinct silver atoms with two and three near neighbour sulfur atoms respectively. The name argentite refers to a cubic form, which, due to instability in "normal" temperatures, is found in form of the pseudomorphosis of acanthite after argentite.

AGS (motorcycle)

AGS was a motocross bicycle manufacturer in the 1970s, featuring 50cc and 123cc engines by Sachs, Puch and Zundapp.

References

External links