IMFDB policy on Russkie rockets.

[Nyles]

While obviously not all anti-tank weapons or grenade launchers are RPGs, I think calling an RPG-7 a rocket propelled grenade launcher is a total non-issue. An RPG literally is a rocket propelled grenade launcher, that's what it does. Foreign weapons are part of my job, and I can tell you that in US, British and Canadian weapons pams, that's how they're described. The point here is to be understood.

The same with using NATO reporting names for Soviet weapons systems. That's the commonly accepted name in the West, even among professionals. Why use a name no one will recognize? Just to prove how much smarter you are than your reader? That accomplishes nothing.

Using the official term for a weapon is alot less common than you probably realize. The M1 Garand is actually the "US Rifle, Cal .30, M1". The Winchester 97 Trench Gun is actually the "US Combat Riot Shotgun M1917 (Winchester)". Non US-military Colt 1911s are actually the Colt Government Model. Where does it end? Should we start writing it out in Cyrillic too?