TKB-0249 "Crossbow" grenade launcher
Introduced in 1998, probably earlier if the USSR doesn't implode in your timeline.
The Soviets really warmed to the grenade launcher idea. Due to having less radios than Western armies there tended to be something of a lag in getting supporting fires. Just speculating, this may be why they started attaching AGS-17s to infantry platoons but they also attached 12.7mm MG guns to that unit so I might be misunderstanding their doctrine.
Anyway, even with the RPG-7V along for the ride they liked the idea of an organic accurate grenade launcher, probably because the RPG-7V's ammo is on the bulky side and also its blast effect is a bit over the top if you're using it in the support role.
So in 1998 they brought out the Crossbow (
"arbalet") which sort of doesn't have an analogue in the West. Essentially it's a dirty great big grenade launcher that's used for accurate point firing. Instead of just plastering the area this launcher shoots accurate grenades onto small point targets such as bunker embrasures, weapon pits or windows. They occasionally refer to is as a "sniper grenade launcher" in imperfect translations.
In many ways it seems to be a weapon in search of a role. Troops in battle usually have little compunction against hitting positions with weapons that are way too powerful for the application and most commanders would rather their lads carried stuff with too much destructive capacity rather than too little. Still, you can pack a lot of the ammo.
Anyway, this 10kg beasty is a drum-fed weapon from a bipod utilising 10-round magazines containing the standard 30mm VOG-17M or VOG-30 grenades. It's considered highly accurate as grenade launchers go and evidently has less recoil than an assault rifle. Notably I've never seen it in use anywhere. Maximum range is 1,700m.
