19th century grenade launchers.

The M203 is a modern grenade launcher. The grenade can travel up to 400 meters and explodes on impact. Seen here mounted on an M4A1 carbine.

A Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher mounted on a tripod.

A grenade launcher is a weapon that launches a grenade greater distances, more accurately, and faster than a soldier could throw by hand. Most grenade launchers are man-portable, shoulder-fired weapons, usually mounted on a rifle such as the AK-47 or M16. However, many can be used independently, such as the M79 and AG36. These are almost always single shot, manually reloaded weapons firing 30–40 millimeter caliber grenades which rarely resemble hand grenades, but look more like miniature artillery shells. The most standard grenade round today is the 40mm grenade, which has a wide variety of applications in man-portable and vehicle mounted weapons systems. With this standardization, there are many new 'specialty' grenades available, from rounds that can be used as a flare, infared flare, or even a video camera that surveys the battlefield from a bird's eye view. There are also heavier examples, including automatic grenade launchers for ground and vehicle use, such as the American Mk 19. Capable of a relatively high rate of fire, these automatic grenade launchers are used for suppressive fire and to destroy or disable light vehicles and buildings. Some armored fighting vehicles also mount grenade launchers as a means of defense, usually firing smoke grenades to conceal the vehicle behind a smoke screen, though can also be loaded with chaff, flares, or anti-personnel grenades to repel infantry attacks. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 499 KB) fr: Mortiers dinfanterie, début du XIXe siècle en: Grenade launchers, 19th Century Work by Rama File links The following pages link to this file: Grenade launcher ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 499 KB) fr: Mortiers dinfanterie, début du XIXe siècle en: Grenade launchers, 19th Century Work by Rama File links The following pages link to this file: Grenade launcher ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1435x1097, 285 KB) Source: http://www4. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1435x1097, 285 KB) Source: http://www4. ... M203 generally refers to the U.S. Militarys designation for a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher that attaches to the M16 assault rifle or the M4 Carbine. ... The M4 Carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 made by ArmaLite. ... Mk19 40mm grenade launcher MK-19 40mm grenade launcher during MIL-EX 2003 The MK19 (also known as MK-19, M19, Mark 19, or Mk 19) is a belt-fed grenade machine gun capable of firing five grenades per second. ... The bayonet is used as both knife and spear. ... For the alcoholic beverage sold in New Orleans, see hand grenade (drink). ... Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... M16 (more formally United States Rifle, Caliber 5. ... The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break open grenade launcher which fires a 40 x46 mm grenade and first appeared during the Vietnam War. ... The AG36 is a single shot 40 mm x 46 mm grenade launcher for the G36 assault rifle, designed by the German weapons manufacturing company Heckler & Koch. ... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. ... A shell is a projectile, which, as opposed to a bullet, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage includes large solid projectiles previously termed shot (AP, APCR, APCNR, APDS, APFSDS and Proof shot). ... M2 machine gun An automatic firearm is a firearm that will continue to load and fire rounds of ammunition as long as the trigger (or equivalent) is activated or until it runs out of ammunition. ... Mk19 40mm grenade launcher MK-19 40mm grenade launcher during MIL-EX 2003 The MK19 (also known as MK-19, M19, Mark 19, or Mk 19) is a belt-fed grenade machine gun capable of firing five grenades per second. ... Polish armoured car Korfanty in 1920. ... An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, equipped with protection against hostile attacks and often mounted weapons. ... A U.S. Army Humvee laying a smoke screen A smoke-screen is a release of smoke in order to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks or ships. ... Modern US Navy RR-129 and RR-124 chaff countermeasures and containers Chaff, originally called Window by the British, is a radar countermeasure in which aircraft or other targets spread a cloud of small, thin pieces of aluminium, metallised glass fibre or plastic, which either appears as a cluster of... A World War I-era parachute flare dropped from aircraft for illumination. ... An anti-personnel weapon is one primarily used to injure or kill people. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ...

The man-portable grenade launcher can either come in the form of a standalone weapon (either single-shot or repeating weapons, the latter resembling a large revolver); or an underbarrel weapon which is permanently mounted to the rifle. Alternatively, many rifles have been designed to fire grenades from their muzzle, using either a special blank propellant cartridge or a central hole through the grenade allowing the bullet to pass through. This system has two key advantages: the grenade can generally be made larger and more powerful as compared to underbarrel or standalone weapons, and the rifle's weight and handling characteristics are not affected as with underbarrel systems. The disadvantage of this method is that when a soldier wants to launch a grenade he must unload the weapon and then load the propellant cartridge and grenade. If he is surprised by a close-range threat while preparing to fire the grenade, he has to reverse the above procedure and cannot immediately react with rifle fire. In underbarrel systems, the rifle portion and launching portion of the weapon can both be carried loaded and ready to fire. Underbarrel tubes generally have their own trigger and use the rifle's magazine as a grip for the firing hand. To fire, one simply changes grips, disengages the safety and pulls the trigger. In most systems the barrel either slides forward or pivots to the side to allow reloading. For aiming, the M203 mounts either a flip-up rear sight, which is notched for different ranges and utilizes the rifle's existing front sight, or a "quadrant" sight which mounts to the side of the carrying handle. Recoil from such weapons is significant, comparable to a high-power shotgun.

Examples of modern man-portable grenade launchers are the M203 and GP-30, which mount to service rifles. Another type of man-portable grenade launcher is the M32 'six shooter' grenade launcher and its cousins, which is able to fire six grenades in quick succession from a cyndrilical chamber, this classification of firearm is often referred to as a Multi Shot Grenade Launcher, or MSGL. Automatic launchers include the Mk 19, AGS-17, and the HK GMG, which all fire at a higher velocity than related shoulder-fired grenades. Modern developments tend toward smaller, faster, and massed grenade fire. The XM25 is a shoulder-fired, magazine-fed semi-automatic launcher firing 25 mm projectiles. It was originally a component of the XM29 OICW program, but modified to a larger caliber. Its heavy equivalent is the XM307 ACSW automatic grenade launcher that is easily convertible between the 25 mm grenade ammunition and standard .50 BMG cartridges. Both are intended to fire programmable "smart" grenades capable of being set to explode at a certain distance from launch or at a certain height above the ground. This gives the ability to hit targets inside of rooms or behind hard cover that would normally not be reachable by small arms fire. M203 generally refers to the United States Army designation for a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher that attaches to the M16 assault rifle or the M4 Carbine. ... A GP-30 grenade launcher. ... The service rifle (also known as standard-issue rifle) of a given army or force is that which it issues as standard to its soldiers. ... M32 refers to: Messier 32 a Messier object and an elliptical galaxy in the Andromeda constellation. ... MK-19 40mm grenade launcher during MIL-EX 2003 The MK19 (also known as MK-19, M19, Mark 19, or Mk 19) is a belt-fed grenade machine gun capable of firing five grenades per second. ... The AGS-17 is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher currently in production in Russia and in service worldwide. ... Heckler & Kochs automatic grenade launcher is the Granat Maschinengewehr or grenade machine gun (GMG) It fires 40mm grenades at a rate of about 360 rounds per minute. ... A guns muzzle velocity is the speed at which the projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun. ... The XM25 is an airburst grenade launcher derived from the XM-29 OICW. It fires 25 mm grenades that can be set to explode in mid-air after traveling a certain distance. ... A 30-round STANAG magazine. ... An early XM8 mockup after the break up; became part of OICW Increment 1 A working XM25 prototype is tested in 2005; this was part of OICW Increment 2 OICW prototype; similar to the planned OICW Increment 3 Early Springfield Armory SPIW prototype (Circa 1964) Final Springfield Armory SPIW prototype... XM307 The XM307 Advanced Crew Served Weapon (ACSW) is a developmental 25mm belt-fed autocannon with smart shell capability. ... A . ... A smart grenade is a type of explosive ammunition used in some modern grenade launchers. ... Small arms captured in Fallujah, Iraq by the US Marine Corps in 2004 The term small arms generally describes any number of smaller infantry weapons, such as firearms that an individual soldier can carry. ...

See also

• Hand grenade
• Mortar
• Rifle grenade
• Rocket propelled grenade
• Tear gas
• Smoke grenade

For the alcoholic beverage sold in New Orleans, see hand grenade (drink). ... Soldier Firing the M224 60-mm Mortar. ... A rifle grenade is a form of grenade that utilizes a rifle as a launch mechanism to increase the effective range of the grenade. ... An RPG-7 captured by the US Army A rocket propelled grenade (RPG) is a loose term describing hand-held, shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons capable of firing an unguided rocket equipped with an explosive warhead. ... A riot control agent is a type of lachrymatory agent (or lacrimatory agent). ... Smoke grenade A purple smoke grenade being used during a military training exercise Main article: Hand grenade Smoke grenades are canister-type grenades used as ground-to-ground or ground-to-air signaling devices, target or landing zone marking devices, or a screening devices for unit movements. ...

External links

• Modern Firearms & Ammunition grenade launcher intro
• MF&A page on the AICW