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Grenade launcher

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Agrenade launcher[1][2][3]is aweaponthat fires a specially designed, large-caliber projectile, often with anexplosive,smoke,orgaswarhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicatedfirearmsfiring unitary grenadecartridges.The most common type are man-portable, shoulder-fired weapons issued to individuals, although larger crew-served launchers are issued at higher levels of organization by military forces.[4]

AUnited States Army Special Forcesadvisor instructing a VietnameseCivilian Irregular Defense Grouptrainee on how to use anM79 grenade launcher

Grenade launchers are produced in the form of standalone weapons (either single-shot or repeating) or as attachments mounted to a parent firearm, usually arifle.Larger crew-served automatic grenade launchers such as theMk 19are mounted on tripods or vehicles.

Somearmored fighting vehiclesalso mount fixed arrays of short-range, single-shot grenade launchers as a means of defense.

History

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Early precursors

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French grenade launchers from 1747

The earliest devices that could be referred to as grenade launchers wereslings,which could be used to throw earlygrenadofuse bombs. The ancestors of modern ballistic grenade launchers, however, were simplistic muzzle-loading devices using a stake-like body to mount a short, large-bore gun barrel into which an explosive or incendiary device could be inserted; these were later refined into shoulder-firedblunderbuss-like firearms referred to as "hand mortars".[5]These weapons were not highly regarded due to their unreliability, requiring the user to ignite a fuse on the projectile before firing, and with a substantial risk of the explosive failing to leave the barrel; attempts to ignite the fuse on firing using the gunpowder charge resulted in weapons that would often force the fuse into the grenade and make it explode in the barrel.

Hand grenade launchers

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French soldiers with aSauterelle,c. 1915

During theFirst World War,several novel crew-served launchers designed to increase the range of infantryhand grenadeswere developed, such as theSauterellecrossbow, theWest spring gun,and theLeach trench catapultdevices. None were particularly effective, and such devices were ultimately replaced by light mortar systems such as theStokes mortar,[6]while the task of increasing the range of infantry explosive projectiles was primarily taken by rifle grenades.

A late example of such a system was the JapaneseType 91 grenade,which could be used as a thrown hand grenade, or fitted with adaptors to either be fired as a rifle grenade or used as a projectile by theType 89 grenade discharger,a light infantry mortar.

Rifle grenades

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Main article:Rifle grenade
Rifle grenade on anM1 Garand

A new method of launching grenades was developed during the First World War and used throughoutWorld War II.The principle was to use the soldier's standard rifle as an ersatz mortar, mounting a grenade (in many older cases an infantry hand grenade) fitted with a propelling charge, using an adaptor or socket on the weapon's muzzle or inside a mounted launching cup, and usually firing with the weapon's stock resting on the ground. For older rifle grenades, igniting the charge generally required loading the parent rifle with a special blank propellant cartridge, though modern rifle grenades can be fired using live rounds using "bullet trap" and "shoot through" systems.[7]

The system has some advantages; since it does not have to fit in a weapon's barrel, the warhead can be made larger and more powerful compared to that of a unitary grenade round, and the rifle's weight and handling characteristics are not affected as with underbarrel systems unless a grenade is actually mounted. While older systems required the soldier carry a separate adaptor or cup to attach to the rifle to make it ready to launch (such as the GermanSchiessbecher), later rifle grenades were often designed to attach to the standard factory-mountedflash hiderof the parent rifle; for example, the NATO-standardized22 mm rifle grenadecan be mounted to most post-WWII Western military rifles without the need for an adaptor.

The disadvantage of this method is that when soldiers want to launch grenades, they must mount the grenade to the muzzle prior to each shot. If they are surprised by a close-range threat while preparing to fire the grenade, they have to reverse the procedure before they can respond with rifle fire. Due to the lack of a barrel, rifle grenades also tend to be more difficult to fire accurately compared to under-barrel or stand-alone designs.

Prior to the development of lightweight disposable antitank weapons such as theM72 LAW,largeHEATrifle grenades such as theENERGAwere the preferred method for allowing infantry who were not part of dedicated antitank teams to engage vehicles. Rifle grenades have largely fallen out of favor since the late 1960s and early 1970s, replaced in most of their traditional roles by dedicated grenade launchers, though a recent resurgence in interest in such devices for special purposes has occurred.

Types

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Stand-alone

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Israeli Border Guard with aFederal M201-Z37 mm riot gun

The earliest examples of stand-alone grenade launchers in the modern sense were breech-loadingriot gunsdesigned to launchtear gasgrenades andbaton rounds,such as theFederal Riot Gundeveloped in the 1930s. One of the first examples of a dedicated breech-loading launcher for unitary explosive grenade rounds was theM79 grenade launcher,a result of the AmericanSpecial Purpose Individual Weaponprogram (specifically the 40×46mm grenade round developed duringProject NIBLICK,[8]applying the German-developedhigh–low systemto produce manageable recoil). The goal for the M79 was the production of a device with greater range than arifle grenadebut more portable than amortar.[9]Such single-shot devices were largely replaced in military service with underbarrel grenade launchers, removing the need for a dedicatedgrenadierwith a special weapon. Many modern underbarrel grenade launchers can, however, also be used in standalone configurations with suitable accessories fitted; this is of particular preference for groups usingsubmachine gunsas their primary armament, since it is rarely practical to mount an underbarrel launcher on such a weapon. Single shot launchers are also still commonly used inriot controloperations.

Heavier multi-shot grenade launchers like theARWEN 37are used astear gasand smoke projectors in riot control, while military launchers like theMilkor MGLare used to provide heavy sustained firepower to infantry; most such devices, dating back to theManville machine-projector,use a revolver-style cylinder, though a handful of pump-action weapons built like oversized shotguns, such as theChina Lake grenade launcherandGM-94,also exist. Magazine-fed semi-automatic designs such as theNeopup PAW-20andXM25 CDTEhave also been created for military use, using smaller rounds (respectively 20 and 25mm) for purposes of practicality in terms of the size of the magazine, and reduced collateral damage compared to 40mm rounds.

Attached

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Loading anM203attached to anM16A1with a practice round

Since grenade launchers require relatively low internal pressure and only a short barrel, a lightweight launcher can be mounted under the barrel of a traditionalrifle;this type of device is referred to as an "underbarrel"or"underslung"grenade launcher.[10][11]This reduces the weight the soldier must carry by eliminating the grenade launcher's buttstock and makes the grenade launcher available for use at a moment's notice. Underbarrel 40 mm grenade launchers generally have their own trigger group; to fire, one simply changes grips, disengages the safety, and pulls the trigger. In Western systems, the barrel slides forward or pivots to the side to allow reloading; most fire a40×46mm grenade cartridge.[12]Soviet and Russian launchers are instead loaded from the muzzle, with the cartridge casing affixed to the projectile in the style of a mortar shell. For aiming, underbarrel grenade launchers typically use a separate ladder, leaf, tangent or quadrant sight attached to the launcher or the rifle, either to one side of the handguard or on top of the handguard in between the iron sights. Modern launchers often have the option of mounting more sophisticated aiming systems, such as ballistic rangefinders and day / night sights.

As with the M79, the concept of mounting a dedicated grenade launcher to a service rifle has its roots in theSpecial Purpose Individual Weaponprogram; though the experimental ColtXM148 grenade launcherhad been produced earlier, it had proved too problematic to adopt. One AAI submission for SPIW mounted a "simple" single-action, single-shot breech-loading underbarrel grenade launcher in lieu of the required semi-automatic multi-shot device. With refinement, this was adopted as theM203 grenade launcherin 1968.[13]A variety of lengths of M203 are available along with numerous parts kits to fit it to various rifles aside from the AR15 pattern weapons it was designed for.

More modern Western grenade launchers address some of the shortcomings of the M203, such as the sliding breech limiting the weapon's ability to load outsize projectiles and the lack of factory-fitted sight mounts, with designs likeFN Herstal'sELGMandHeckler & Koch'sAG36featuring a swing-out breech to provide better access, integral sight mounts, and built-in support for standalone conversion. A variant of the latter weapon, theM320 Grenade Launcher Module,was salvaged from the failedXM8program and adopted in 2008 as the US military's replacement for the M203.[14]

Soviet development of an underbarrel launcher for the AK rifle series began in 1966 and in 1978 produced theGP-25,a muzzle-loading device for theAK-74rifle using a mortar-like grenade round which functions by venting its propellant through holes in the base; this is a variation of the high-low system used by Western rounds, with the base of the projectile acting as the high-pressure chamber and the launcher's barrel acting as the low-pressure chamber. Further developments led to theGP seriesof grenade launchers.

A number of experimental weapon systems have attempted to produce combination weapons which consist of a permanently attached grenade launcher and a carbine assault rifle, often with the rifle mounted underneath the launcher, most notably theXM29 OICW,[15]but so far the only such weapon to reach full production is theS&T Daewoo K11,adopted in limited numbers by the South Korean military.[16]

Automatic

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Mk 19 grenade launcher
Main article:Automatic grenade launcher

Anautomatic grenade launcherorgrenade machine gun[17]is a crew-served support weapon which fires explosive rounds in quick succession from anammunition beltor large-capacitymagazine.As most are heavy weapons, they are normally attached to atripodor vehicle mounting, and as well as being used to provide heavy suppressing fire in the manner of aheavy machine gun,also have sufficient firepower to destroy vehicles and buildings. Examples include theMk 19,AGS-17,and theHK GMG.

Automatic grenade launchers generally use a higher-velocity round than infantry weapons; NATO launchers use a 40×53mm grenade round rather than the 40×46mm round used by infantry. There are exceptions to this rule: the crank-operatedMk 18 Mod 0 grenade launcher,a unique example of an AGL which was not fully automatic,[17]and theMk 20 Mod 0 grenade launcherboth used the 40×46mm round, and the ChineseType 87 grenade launcher,a device intended to be employed like ageneral-purpose machine gun,uses the same 35×32mm low-velocity grenade round as theQLG91Bunderbarrel launcher for theQBZ-95assault rifle.[18][19][20]

Fixed arrays

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76mm smoke grenade launchers on a GermanFlakpanzer Gepardanti-aircraft vehicle

Somearmored fighting vehiclesalso mount fixed arrays of short range, single-shot grenade launchers as a means of defense.[21]These devices usually fire smoke grenades to conceal the vehicle behind asmoke screen,though can also be loaded withchaff,flares,oranti-personnelgrenades to repelinfantryattacks. Vehicle-mounted smoke grenade launchers are also known assmoke(grenade)dischargers.SomeWorld War IIexamples of these devises are the GermanNebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung,Nebelwurfgerät,MinenabwurfvorrichtungandNahverteidigungswaffe.

Ammunition

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AU.S. Marineloading 40×46mm grenades into aMilkor MGL-140

Most grenade launchers are flexible in terms of the types of ammunition they can employ. In military use, the primary ammunition type for a grenade launcher is fragmentation rounds, with the most common grenade round in use by NATO the40 mm fragmentation grenade,which is effective against a wide range of targets, including infantry and lightly armored vehicles.[22]The large size of the grenade projectile relative to a bullet also allows for payloads requiring a substantial mass of chemicals, such as flares, incendiary rounds, gas grenades and smoke grenades.[23]Law enforcement users generally employ grenade launchers in riot control operations to project obscuring smoke ortear gas;less-lethalcrowd control munitions such as baton and sponge rounds also exist for such use.

Lethal rounds are usually fitted with an inertial fuzing system which arms the warhead after it has rotated a set number of times, in order to prevent the user from harming themselves if a grenade encounters a nearby obstruction.[23]

Western launchers are primarily either the37 mm flarecaliber intended for civilian and law enforcement use, or the larger military 40 mm caliber. This is intended to prevent civilian-legal flare projectors being used to fire lethal military ammunition, since lethal rounds are not manufactured in 37mm caliber. The reverse is not true; a full range of less-lethal ammunition is available in 40 mm caliber, and an increasing number of law enforcement launchers not intended for the civilian market are chambered for 40×46mm rounds.[24]

XM25in use by aU.S. Armysoldier

Recently militaries have paid great attention to the development of"smart" grenade systemswith integrated sighting systems, which can be used as point-detonating rounds as normal, or fuzed to detonate in mid-air at a preset distance to engage targets in cover with their fragments. This ammunition was first developed as High Explosive Air Burst (HEAB) as part of the Small Arms Master Plan (SAMP) projects:[25]theObjective Individual Combat Weapon(20×28mm and25×40mmlow-velocity) andAdvanced Crew Served Weapon(25×59mm high-velocity) projects. The low-velocity round was to have been used by theXM25 CDTE.[26]Following the failure of the SAMP weapon programs, the United States developed 40 mm grenades incorporating similar technology, including the 40×53mm MK285 Programmable Prefragmented High Explosive/Self-Destructible (PPHE/SD) round for theMk 47 StrikerAGL[27]and more recently theSAGMround for 40×46mm underbarrel launchers, an airburst-only computerized grenade which does not require an integrated sighting system.[28]Other countries have also produced grenades using similar technology, including South Korea for theS&T Daewoo K11,Australia during theAdvanced Individual Combat Weaponprogram, and China for theZH-05grenade launcher module.

Legality

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United States

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In the U.S., under theNational Firearms Actof 1934, breech-loading firearms with a barrel diameter of greater than.50 inches (12.7 mm) and no practical sporting use are classified as Title II "destructive devices",with ownership heavily restricted and banned entirely in some states; in addition, each individual round of explosive ammunition for a grenade launcher isalsoclassified as a destructive device and subject to the same restrictions. The state ofCaliforniaadditionally considers rifles with integral rifle grenade launching devices as destructive devices in accordance with the definition of such in section 16460 of theCalifornia Penal Code.[29]However, it is legal for civilians to own 37mm flare launchers which are not regulated as firearms, some of which are designed to have a cosmetic appearance similar to a grenade launcher and use certain types of ammunition, as theBATFEhas ruled that unless such devices are possessed along with direct-fire ammunition such as pellet orbeanbag rounds,they are not destructive devices.[30][31]One result of this is that in American film productions, visually similar 37mm launchers are often substituted for 40mm weapons.

A "grenade launcher" or "grenade launcher mount" is usually included in the list of features defining an "assault weapon",though this is a legal definition which primarily affects firearms with flash hiders compatible with rifle grenades,[32][33]since firearms that are designed specifically for launching explosive grenade rounds and their ammunition are already federally restricted as destructive devices. Several state assault weapon bans extend this to include under-barrel 37mm flare launchers on the list of banned features.[34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Grenade Launchers and their Ammunition: International Developments".Small Arms Defense Journal.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-12-11.
  2. ^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 2017-10-25.Retrieved2017-12-17.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^"Weapons: Semi-Automatic Grenade Launchers".
  4. ^Stuart Casey-Maslen, Sarah Parker, Gilles GiaccaThe Arms Trade Treaty: A Commentary,Oxford University Press 2016, p. 115-116
  5. ^Claude Blair,Pollards History of Firearms Ed. 1983, pp 56-58, 92
  6. ^Hugh Chisholm (1922).The Encyclopædia Britannica: The New Volumes, Constituting, in Combination with the Twenty-nine Volumes of the Eleventh Edition, the Twelfth Edition of that Work, and Also Supplying a New, Distinctive, and Independent Library of Reference Dealing with Events and Developments of the Period 1910 to 1921 Inclusive, Volume 1.Encyclopædia Britannica Company Limited. p. 470.**Please note a wikilink to the article "Bombthrowers" in [EB1922] is not available**.
  7. ^"13--Ammunition and Explosives - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities".Archivedfrom the original on 2013-01-16.
  8. ^R. Blake Stevens, Edward Clinton Ezell,The SPIW: The Deadliest Weapon that Never was,Collector Grade Publications 1985, p.43
  9. ^Rottman, Gordon (18 September 2012).US Army Infantryman in Vietnam 1965-73.Osprey Publishing. p. 57.ISBN978-1-78200-468-4.
  10. ^Acronym finder - UBGL,TheFreeDictionaryArchived2016-08-27 at theWayback Machine
  11. ^40 mm ARSENAL Underbarrel Grenade Launcher UBGL-1Archived2016-08-13 at theWayback Machine,ARSENAL Ltd, Kazanlak, Bulgaria
  12. ^Clancy, Tom(1996).Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit.Berkley Books. pp.86–87.ISBN978-0-425-15454-0.
  13. ^R. Blake Stevens, Edward Clinton Ezell,The SPIW: The Deadliest Weapon that Never was,Collector Grade Publications 1985, p.99
  14. ^M320Archived2007-07-11 at theWayback Machine,Globalsecurity.org
  15. ^XM29 OICWArchived2016-08-19 at theWayback Machine,Globalsecurity.org
  16. ^"숨은 적 공격하는 K11 소총, 국내 본격 공급".Yonhap. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24.Retrieved2016-08-12.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^abN. R. Jenzen-Jones, Jonathan Ferguson, Graeme Rice,Research Notes, Weapons & Markets - Automatic Grenade LaunchersArchived2015-03-16 at theWayback Machine,Small Arms Survey, February 2015
  18. ^Tucker, Spencer C. (20 May 2011).The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History [4 volumes]: A Political, Social, and Military History.ABC-CLIO. p. 431.ISBN978-1-85109-961-0.
  19. ^Blasko, Dennis J. (17 June 2013).The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century.Routledge. p. 168.ISBN978-1-136-51997-0.
  20. ^Usa, Ibp (30 March 2009).Us Future Combat & Weapon Systems Handbook.Int'l Business Publications. p. 265.ISBN978-1-4387-5447-5.
  21. ^Gary W. Cooke,"U.S. Vehicle Grenade Launchers,"Archived2013-05-16 at theWayback MachineGary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide
  22. ^Zaloga, Steven (19 July 2011).HMMWV Humvee 1980-2005: US Army tactical vehicle.Osprey Publishing. p. 10.ISBN978-1-84908-968-5.
  23. ^abGary W. Cooke,"40mm Low-Velocity Grenades"Archived2017-11-02 at theWayback MachineGary's U.S. Infantry Weapons Reference Guide
  24. ^A. Hunsicker,Behind the Shield: Anti-Riot Operations Guide,Universal-Publishers 2011, p. 170
  25. ^Joint Services Small Arms Program (JSSAP)Archived2016-08-19 at theWayback Machine,Globalsecurity.org
  26. ^ATK XM25 “Game-Changer” Semi-Auto 25mm Airburst Grenade Launcher/Individual Airburst Weapon System (IAWS) Goes to Combat: DR Provides the Cool Skinny on this Potentially Revolutionary Infantry Weapon SystemArchived2016-04-17 at theWayback Machine-DefenseReview
  27. ^MK285 40mm High Velocity AmmunitionArchived2016-10-11 at theWayback Machine,Globalsecurity.org
  28. ^Eric Kowal,Enhanced grenade lethality: On target even when enemy is concealedArchived2016-08-27 at theWayback Machine,Army.mil, September 4, 2014
  29. ^Public Notice - Zastava SKS CarbinesArchived2016-08-13 at theWayback MachineState of California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General
  30. ^"The Law and 37mm Launchers".Ordnance Group LLC.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-04-09.
  31. ^ATF ruling 95-3Archived2016-10-06 at theWayback Machine,United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
  32. ^H. R. 4269 Assault Weapons Ban textArchived2016-01-03 at theWayback Machine,"(44) The term ‘grenade launcher or rocket launcher’ means an attachment for use on a firearm that is designed to propel a grenade, rocket, or other similar destructive device."
  33. ^New York Magazine, "What Makes a Gun an Assault Weapon?"Archived2016-08-23 at theWayback Machine"Grenade launcher or rocket launcher: Attachments that allow grenades or rockets to be fired from the muzzle or a separate barrel."
  34. ^Maryland CR § 4-301(e)Archived2016-08-15 at theWayback Machine,General Assembly of Maryland
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