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DUring the Cold War years, the Soviets fielded three versions of the recoilless rifle, two have been since retired (still available in some of the Cat II, and all of the the Cat III and Mobilization Only divisions).

The B-10 82mm Recoilless Rifle. Introduced in the early 1950s, this fires fin-stabilized HEAT and HE rounds and is towed by the muzzle on a two wheeled mount that can be broken down into man-portable loads. The breech opens horizontally. The B-10 weighs 72kg (ready for firing), has a rate of fire of 5-6 rpm, a maximum range of 4,470m and an eff range of 390m. The HEAT shell weighs 3.6kg and will penetrate 240mm of armor, while the HE shell weighs 4.5kg and produces lethal fragments out to 20m.

The B-11 107mm Recoilless Rifle. Introduced in the early 1950s, this fires fin-stabilized HEAT and HE rounds and is towed by the muzzle on a two wheeled mount that can be broken down into man-portable loads. The breech swings down for loading. The B-11 weighs 305kg in its firing position, has a rate of fire of 5rpm, a maximum range of 6,650m and an effective range of 450m. The HEAT round weighs 7.5kg and will penetrate 380mm of armor, the HE shell weighs 8.5kg and will produce lethal fragments out to 50m.

The SPG-9 Recoilless Rifle. This replaces the B-10 and B-11 rifles and is a tripod-mounted, smooth-bore weapon. It is similar to the 73mm 2A20 gun mounted on the BMP-1 and BMD, the difference being in the propelling cartridge. While man-portable, a two-gun section of SPG-9s is normally carried in an APC, although it is always fired from its tripod and not from the vehicle. It fires a rocket assisted round and can be fitted with both active and passive night sights. Like the RPG-7, the shell self-destructs at maximum range. Two SPG-9s are found in the battalion anti-tank platoon, providing short range protection for the platoon's ATGMs. The SPG-9 weighs 60kg in its firing configuration. Has a rate of fire of 6rpm, maximum range is 1,960m and effective range is 800m. The only known round (in the 1980s) was a HEAT round that weighed 1.3kg and had an armor penetration of 400mm.