Wikipedia

Automatic grenade launcher

(Redirected fromComparison of automatic grenade launchers)

Anautomatic grenade launcher (AGL)orgrenade machine gunis agrenade launcherthat is capable offully automatic fire,[1]and is typically loaded with either anammunition beltormagazine.[2][3][4][5]

These weapons are often mounted on vehicles or helicopters, as when these weapons are moved by infantry the weapon, its tripod, and ammunition, are a heavy load, requiring a small team.[2]Other types of grenade launchers are typically much lighter and can easily be carried by just a single soldier. TheMark 19 Automatic Grenade Launcher,first fielded by the United States in 1966, and still widely used today, weighs 62.5 kg (137.58 lb) when attached to its tripod, and loaded with a box of ammunition.[3] For comparison, the single-shotM79 grenade launcherweighs 2.93 kg (6.45 lb). Regardless of their weight, AGLs are still highly effective, and the Mark 19 is capable ofindirect fireup to 2,200 metres, a role traditionally reserved formortars.Even though the round carries less explosive than a 60mm mortar shell, this is thought to be counterbalanced by its much higher volume of fire.

The most popular caliber for automatic grenade launchers in Western nations has been40mm.[2][3]TheSoviet Unionsuccessfully fielded a 30mm grenade launcher, theAGS-17,duringits war in Afghanistan.In 2002,Russiaintroduced a successor weapon, theAGS-30,and in 2017, theAGS-40 Balkan.[6]Traditional munitions for automatic grenade launchers includehigh explosive,fragmentation, andshaped chargefor attacking light armored vehicles. Less lethal rounds, like tear gas andsponge grenadesfor crowd control, have also been made. In the 21st century, AGLs have been made with integrated sight/range systems which can set a fused round to detonate precisely on, above, or behind a designated target.[6][7]

Different weapons use different methods of operation, withblowbackandlong recoilbeing two common choices.[2]In all these weapons, the energy released by firing a round loads the next round into the weapon's breech. The Mark 19 is automatically reloaded through the blowback method, where expanding gases blow back the firing bolt.

In the long recoil method the bolt is fixed to the firing chamber, and the whole firing chamber is blown back. These weapons are slightly less accurate, but weigh less than blowback weapons.[8] General Dynamicsmanufactures a long recoil weapon, theMark 47 Automatic Grenade Launcher,as does the Spanish firmSanta Bárbara.TheLAG-40manufactured by Santa Bárbara has a relatively low rate of fire of 215 rounds per minute.

Comparison

edit
Name Country Year Image Caliber Effective Range Muzzle
velocity 		Rate of
fire, rpm 		Approx.
weight[A] 		Feed,
rounds 		Sights[B]
Mk 19 Mod 3
[9] 		United States 1966

40×53mm 1,500 m (4,900 ft) 241 m/s (790 ft/s) 325‑375 35.2 kg (78 lb) Belt, 32, 48 Night vision
AGS-17 Soviet Union 1967 30×29mm grenade 1,700 m 185 m/s 400 — — —
Mk 47 Striker
[10] 		United States 2005

40x53mm 1,700 m (5,600 ft) — 225‑300 18 kg (40 lb) Belt, 32, 48 FCS, Thermal
HK GMG
[11] 		Germany 1992

40x53mm 1,500 m (4,900 ft) 241 m/s (790 ft/s) 340 29 kg (64 lb) Belt, 32 Reflex, "Various"
SB-40 LAG
[citation needed] 		Spain 1984

40x53mm 1,500 m (4,900 ft) 240 m/s (790 ft/s) 215 34 kg (75 lb) Belt, 24, 32 Night vision
STK 40 AGL
[12] 		Singapore 1986 40x53mm 1,500 m (4,900 ft) 242 m/s (790 ft/s) 350‑500 33 kg[13] Belt, 32 Reflex,FCS,Thermal
Daewoo K4
[14] 		South Korea 1985 40x53mm 1,500 m (4,900 ft) 241 m/s (790 ft/s) 325-375 34.4 kg (76 lb) Belt, 24, 48 KAN/TVS-5 night vision scope can be attached
Howa Type 96
[15] 		Japan 1996

40x53mm 1,500 m (4,900 ft) — 250‑350 24.5 kg (54 lb) Belt, 50 Ladder sights
Denel Y3 AGL
[16] 		South Africa 1992 40x53mm 2,176 m

(7,100 ft)

242 m/s (790 ft/s) 280‑320 53 kg (117 lb) Belt, 20 Optical, Indirect electronic sight
UAG-40
[17] 		Ukraine 2016

40x53mm — 240 m/s (790 ft/s) 400 31 kg (68 lb) Belt, 32 Optical, Infrared, Photo‑Visual, Electronic[18]
AGA-40 Md.85
[19][C] 		Romania 1985 40x74.5mm 1,400 m (4,600 ft) 216 m/s (710 ft/s) 380‑450 33 kg (73 lb) Mag., 10 —
AGS‑30 Atlant
[20][21][22] 		Russia 1990

30x29mm 2,100 m

(6,900 ft)

185 m/s (610 ft/s) 400 17.5 kg (39 lb) Belt, 29 Optical, Day‑Night,Radar sight
AGS‑40 Balkan
[23][24] 		Russia 2017

40x53mm
(caseless)		 2,500 m

(8,200 ft)

— 400 32 kg (71 lb) Belt, 20 Optical
Type 87
[D][25] 		China 1987

35x32mm 1,700 m (5,600 ft) 200 m/s (660 ft/s) 500 12 kg (26 lb)/20 kg (44 lb) Mag., 6, 9, 12, 15 Optical
Type 04
[26] 		China 2004

35x32mm 1,750 m (5,740 ft) 200 m/s (660 ft/s) 350-400 20 kg (44 lb) Belt, 30 Optical
  1. ^Without ammo, with default sights.
  2. ^Normally includes iron sights.
  3. ^Production status is unclear.
  4. ^Can be fired from bipod.

Ammunition

edit
40×74.5mm[19] 30×29mm 40mm "Balkan" 35×32mm[25]
HE HEAT VOG-30[27][28] GPD-30[22][29] 7P39[24][30] HE HEAT
Max. range 1,550 m (5,090 ft) 1,700 m (5,600 ft) 2,100 m (6,900 ft) 2,500 m (8,200 ft) 1,750 m (5,740 ft)
Muzzle velocity 223 m/s (730 ft/s) 185 m/s (610 ft/s) — 200 m/s (660 ft/s)
Weight 490 g (1.08 lb) 348 g (0.767 lb) 340 g (0.75 lb) 430 g (0.95 lb) — —
Shell weight 260 g (0.57 lb) 275 g (0.606 lb) — — —
Filling — — 47 g (1.7 oz) — 90 g (3.2 oz) — —
Kill radius/area 10 m (33 ft) — 90 m2(970 sq ft) 120 m2(1,300 sq ft) — — —
Penetration — 50 mm (2.0 in) — — — — 80 mm (3.1 in)

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^"GRENADE LAUNCHERS AND THEIR AMMUNITION: INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS".Archivedfrom the original on 2017-12-11.Retrieved2017-08-24.
  2. ^abcd "CASW (Close Area Suppression Weapon System) Automatic Grenade Launcher — MERX Notice of Proposed Procurement".Canadian American Strategic Review.August 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-06-05.Retrieved2015-03-09.
  3. ^abc "Background – CASW Project – Company Area Suppression Weapon".Canadian American Strategic Review.December 2008.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-08-08.Retrieved2015-03-09.In its current form, the Mk19 mod 3, this AGL has become the weapon of choice among US ground troops in Iraq – primarily because the AGL offers both direct (to 1,600 meters) and indirect fire (to 2,200 meters).
  4. ^ Spencer C. Tucker (20 May 2011).The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History.ABC-CLIO. p. 431.ISBN978-1-85109-961-0.Archivedfrom the original on 17 May 2016.Retrieved17 October2016.
  5. ^ Dennis J. Blasko (17 June 2013).The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century.Routledge.p. 168.ISBN978-1-136-51997-0.Archivedfrom the original on 19 May 2016.Retrieved17 October2016.
  6. ^ab "A new generation of AGLs".Armada International. 2002-04-01.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-04-30.Retrieved2015-03-09.
  7. ^ Us Future Combat & Weapon Systems Handbook.International Business Publications. 30 March 2009. p. 265.ISBN978-1-4387-5447-5.Archivedfrom the original on 4 June 2016.Retrieved17 October2016.
  8. ^ "Background — CASW Candidates Operating Systems – Long Recoil".Canadian American Strategic Review.December 2008.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-08-08.Retrieved2015-03-09.The long recoil operating system's obvious advantage is the compact gun body. While this compensates for the weapon's internal complications, that moving barrel might also result in first-round aiming inaccuracies. The AGL designers are willing to overlook this in exchange for reduced weight (in comparison to a blowback design) and for the portability inherent in a smaller weapon (even if weight reduction is modest). In any case, great accuracy is not the forte of the AGLs.
  9. ^[1][dead link‍]
  10. ^"Mk47 Striker40: GD's Auto-Programmed 40mm GMG".Defense Industry Daily.9 August 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 6 October 2014.Retrieved21 October2014.
  11. ^"Heckler & Koch:: Home".Heckler-koch.com.Archivedfrom the original on 8 April 2019.Retrieved8 April2019.
  12. ^"CIS 40AGL"(PDF).Stengg.com. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 September 2015.Retrieved21 October2014.
  13. ^"ST Kinetics (CIS) 40 AGL".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-01-28.Retrieved2019-05-31.
  14. ^"Defense Products - S&T Motiv"(PDF).S&T Motiv.Archived(PDF)from the original on 13 September 2016.Retrieved17 December2015.
  15. ^"96 formula 40 mm automatic gun gun".via wayback machine. 6 January 2009. Archived fromthe originalon January 6, 2009.Retrieved21 October2014.
  16. ^"40 ml Y3 AGL"(PDF).Iieexport.com. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2014-10-22.Retrieved21 October2014.
  17. ^"Leninska Kuznya Plant Joint Stock Co".Lk.com.au.Archivedfrom the original on 2 June 2016.Retrieved21 October2014.
  18. ^"мотреть Український автоматичний гранатомет УАГ-40 онлайн".Video.i.ua.Archivedfrom the original on 24 December 2013.Retrieved21 October2014.
  19. ^ab"Arme uitate".Romania Military.15 December 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 12 March 2023.
  20. ^"AGS-30".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-10-22.Retrieved2013-05-11.
  21. ^"Open Joint Stock Company" V.A.Degtyarev Plant "/ AGS-30 30 mm antipersonnel automatic grenade launching system".Kbptula.ru. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-10-27.Retrieved21 October2014.
  22. ^ab"ГПД-30, 30 мм гранатометный выстрел".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-07-06.Retrieved2013-05-11.
  23. ^"Military Defense Industry Technology - AGS-40 Balkan".Archivedfrom the original on 2017-08-17.Retrieved2017-08-19.
  24. ^ab"Lenta.ru: Оружие: Вооружение: Россия вооружится новым крупнокалиберным гранатометом"(in Russian). Lenta.ru.Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2015.Retrieved21 October2014.
  25. ^ab"QLZ87 35mm Automatic Grenade Launcher".Archived fromthe originalon February 12, 2013.RetrievedMay 11,2013.
  26. ^"QLZ-04".weapon system.
  27. ^"Выстрел ВОГ-17 (ВОГ-17А) / ВОГ-17М / ВОГ-30 / ГПД-30".Weapon.at.au.Archivedfrom the original on 21 October 2014.Retrieved21 October2014.
  28. ^Книга: Боевое стрелковое оружие России(in Russian). E-reading-lib.org.Archivedfrom the original on 9 June 2013.Retrieved21 October2014.
  29. ^"ГПД-30"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on March 6, 2009.RetrievedMay 11,2013.
  30. ^"IDEX 2019: Tecmash unveils AGS-40 grenade launcher - EDR Magazine".20 February 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-04-13.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Automatic_grenade_launcher&oldid=1229216893#Comparison"