HHB-14
| HRB-14 | |
|---|---|
 HRB-14 showing its two main ammunition options. | |
| Type | Anti-Tank Missile Launcher |
| Place of origin |  Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2014-present |
| Used by | Menghe |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Hanbyŏl Missile Design Bureau |
| Designed | 2010-2014 |
| Unit cost | ₩600,000 ($26,784) per HR-14DCh |
| Produced | 2014-present |
| Variants | HR-14DCh (anti-tank) HR-14DM (multi-purpose) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2.4 kg (launcher) 9 kg (HR-14DCh reload) |
| Length | 103 cm (loaded launcher) |
| Width | 11 cm (4.3 in) |
| Cartridge | Reloadable |
| Caliber | 110 mm |
| Muzzle velocity | 220 m/s (720 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 20 to 600 m (22 to 660 yd) |
| Filling | HR-14DCh: Explosively Formed Penetrator HR-14DM: multipurpose HEAT warhead |
The HRB-14 (Formal designation: 14식 휴대용 화전 발사기 / 一四式携帶用火箭發射機, il-sal-sik hyudaeyong hwajŏn balsagi, "Type 14 man-portable rocket launcher;" Short designation 휴화발-14 Hyuhwabal ilsal "HHB-14") is a short-range, reloadable, man-portable rocket launcher developed in Menghe for use by the Menghean Army. It is designed to replace the THRB as a universal, squad-level weapon capable of both anti-armor and anti-structure missions. Its anti-armor warhead uses an overflight top-attack mode to strike the enemy tank's thinner roof armor.
Development
The Menghean Army's interest in a squad-level top-attack munition began after the Ummayan Civil War, where skirmishes with Tyrannian and Sieuxerrian armored forces revealed inadequacies in the newer ammunition types for the THRB. Though tandem-charge armor-piercing ammunition was available, it still relied on direct impact with the front of the target, where composite armor protection against shaped charges was strongest.
The Menghean Army initially responded by pushing forward the development of specialized anti-tank guided missiles, namely the tube-launched YDCh-70 and gun-launched YDCh-71, which could defeat enemy tanks by flying overhead and detonating a downward-facing shaped charge. Yet the THRB remained the dominant squad-level weapon due to its simplicity and its existing large numbers. It was only around 2009 that the Ministry of National Defense posted a requirement for a squad-level anti-tank weapon which could defeat roof armor.
The Hanbyŏl Design Bureau, which was responsible for the YDCh-70 and -71, responded by applying the same approach it had used in those weapons, namely a downward-facing HEAT charge and a smart fuse. As the new system was smaller in diameter than either of these weapons, and was intended to be cheaper, this created new challenges in the design process. The expense of the smart fuse also led the Army to insist on higher accuracy, to raise the hit probability per shot, which forced Hanbyŏl to improve the mid-course stabilization and guidance system.
The final product was approved for production in early 2014 under the designation "HRB-14," with initial deliveries directed to units on the border with Innominada.
Design
Technically, "HRB-14" is the designation applied to the reloadable launcher (balsagi), a 38-centimeter-long tube carrying the folding 2.5x magnification sight on the left side and a hand-grip on the right. The sight itself is designed to be modular; it is possible to mount a night-vision light amplifier in front of it, or a small laser rangefinder on the side. Enclosed missile tubes are then loaded into the rear of the launcher, after the operator removes the protective lid. Menghean designers argued that this system would cut costs and save weight and bulk compared to a complete disposable launcher for each individual projectile.
The HRB-14's anti-armor projectiles (HH-14DCh, Dae-Jŏncha, "anti-tank") use a form of inertial guidance system, and can be considered guided missiles. Prior to launch, the operator aims the sight directly at the target and tracks its movement for two to three seconds, allowing the missile's guidance computer to automatically predict its speed and relative angle. Once the missile is launched, it uses inertial guidance to keep itself on a pre-set firing trajectory properly leading the target without any further input from the operator. This makes it a form of fire-and-forget munition, and one that is immune to jamming and multi-spectral smokescreens.
Rather than flying directly at the target, however, the anti-tank round ascends to a height of 1-2 meters above the operator's original line of sight. When its onboard detection system detects a tank underneath, it detonates a fixed, downward-facing explosively formed penetrator, punching a hole in the target's thinner roof armor. This top-attack approach bypasses the thicker armor on the hull glacis and turret face, and also bypasses the area of effectiveness of certain active protection systems.
In addition, the launcher can also accept multi-purpose projectiles, designated HH-14DM (Da-mogjŏk, "multi-purpose"). These are fully unguided munitions which detonate on direct impact with the target, and are aimed like conventional anti-tank rockets. The warhead consists of a HEAT precursor charge accompanied by a larger high-explosive charge behind. It is designed for use against buildings, fortifications, and light armored vehicles such as APCs and last-generation IFVs.
Both ammunition types use two-stage solid-fuel rocket motors, with the initial booster stage firing a countermass through a hole in the rear of the tube. This allows crews to safely fire the weapon from enclosed spaces, such as buildings, with less concern for the damage caused by backblast.
Publicity brochures for the HRB-14 report that it has an effective range of 600 meters, but it is not clear how this term is defined, as the weapon can be used with lower levels of accuracy at ranges of up to one kilometer. Training procedures reportedly instruct operators to fire on moving targets only at ranges of less than 300 meters. Minimum range is usually listed as 20 meters, time required for the warhead to arm and the sustainer rocket to kick in.
Service
The HRB-14 entered service with the Menghean Army and Menghean Marine Infantry in early 2014. During the buildup to the Innominadan Crisis, it was rushed to front-line units, with the aim of improving the vanguard's anti-tank capabilities and testing the weapon in combat. Combat experience was limited compared to other anti-tank weapons, as the HRB-14 was still in early production, but units equipped with the new weapon reported that it had excellent anti-armor performance and reliable accuracy.
The Menghean Ministry of Defense has since then made the HRB-14 standard in Class 4 and Kimsŏng divisions, where it serves as the standard squad-level weapon in mechanized infantry units. A typical mechanized or motorized infantry squad will include one anti-tank grenadier, with a HRB-14 launcher and two missile tubes, and one anti-tank grenadier's assistant with two more reloads. Usually each soldier carries one anti-tank and one multi-purpose round, with additional reloads stored in the squad transport vehicle.