The projectile is launched from the gun by a small charge, which gives it an initial velocity of between . The launch charge also imparts spin to the projectile by a series of offset holes. Once the projectile has traveled approximately from the launcher, a rocket motor in its base ignites. For the PG-9 projectile, this takes it to a velocity of before the motor burns out. The SPG-9 is heavy, ~, and normally transported by vehicle, and carried into position by its two person crew. It can be deployed in about a minute. The weapon is in service with a large number of armed forces, and a variety of ammunition is produced; however, they are mostly copies of the original
Soviet PG-9 HEAT and OG-9
fragmentation high explosive (Frag-HE) rounds. The SPG-9 is widely available to terrorists and maritime pirates such as in the
Horn of Africa region, and in other regions to a lesser degree. It is not as popular as the
RPG-7 because it must be mounted on a vehicle or boat and cannot be easily carried and
shoulder fired. The SPG-9 requires much more skill to fire accurately than the RPG-7. There have been reports of these mounted in skiffs and larger "mother ships". The SPG-9 can typically be found mounted on a wide variety of vehicles known as "
technicals" in Somalia. A variant for use with airborne troops including detachable wheels was built as the SPG-9D. ==Combat use==