What is the world's most powerful rocket propelled grenade launcher?

Answer 1

The Milkor M32 MGL could be considered the most powerful handheld grenade launcher.

The United States developed the most powerful grenade launcher in history in the late 1950's as part of the program that was engineering the Davy Crockett Weapon System (the M-28 or M-29 and M-388 selectable yield nuclear projectile--nominal yield of .001 to .002 kilotons). The Davy Crockett was euphemistically called the Nuclear Hand Grenade, but weighing in at over 51 pounds each, was hardly manageable by one person. A three man crew was needed for firing the M-388 in either of its configurations. The M-28 was a 102mm, tripod mounted, crew transportable, recoiless rifle with a 2 km range. The M-29 was a 155mm launcher mounted on a tripod or vehicle with a range of 4 km.

Production began in 1956 and 2,100 weapons systems were produced. The weapon was tested twice at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. On 7 July 1962 a static test of the M-388 wast conducted with the device suspended at three feet. On 17 July (with then US Attorney General Robert Kennedy watching), the M-28 fired a round 1.7 miles for detonation. These were the last above ground nuclear tests conducted by the US. Troops also trained with M-101 Spotter Rounds (non-nuclear) at the Pohakuloa Training Area in Hawaii.

Units were deployed with Davy Crockett systems from 1961 to 1971 (only until 1967 in West Germany). The only remaining examples of this weapons system in existence are in the following museums.

• The Air Force Space & Missile Museum, Cape Canaveral, Florida
• The Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Don F. Pratt Museum, Fort Campbell, Clarksville, Tennessee
• The National Atomic Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• The National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Georgia
• The United States Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
• The Watervliet Arsenal Museum, Watervliet, New York
• West Point Museum, West Point, New York

Answer 2

RPG is just a Soviet designation for their man-portable, unguided anti-tank weapons. Out of the series, the most powerful would be the RPG-29.