Grenade launchers and ammunition

The concept of arming individual soldiers with grenades to increase their firepower is not new.; what we recognise today as the predecessor of the modern grenade emerged centuries ago as gunpowder, later becoming a major factor on the battlefield.

For some, the concept of the grenade actually predates the gunpowder era; in Byzantium an incendiary compound was placed in a ceramic container with a rudimentary fuze attached. The container breaks on or near the target, with the fuze igniting the incendiary. However, the foundations of the recognisable modern grenade can be traced to the First World War (1914–1918).

Initially, the earliest hand grenades were field expedients constructed from readily-available materials, but the utility of the grenade saw it developed into a system that could be mass-produced and be reliable in operation. Inevitably, the hand grenade had its limitations and this created a requirement for a grenade system with a longer range. Out of this requirement came the rifle grenade, functional versions of which emerged from 1915 onwards.

The hand grenade still remains a fundamental part of the weapon load of the modern infantry soldier, with the number of hand grenade options being legion. Typical natures include anti-personnel with high explosive (HE), blast and fragmentation effects, amongst others. Smoke, illumination, flash and stun natures are also available, as are training grenades. Hand grenades have also been developed for riot control requirements of military, paramilitary and law enforcement. These devices are described as non-lethal and feature various different payloads, including CS gas.

There is evidence though that riot control devices in terms of hand grenades can be evolved into chemical weapons. In May 2024, the US Department of State, accused the Russian military of being in breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) through the use of grenades with a chemical weapon payload in Ukraine. The hand grenade in question is the K-51, normally used for riot control and has a CS gas payload. However, the K-51 also provides the basis for a new grenade with a Chloropicrin (PS) payload, which is classed a chemical agent illegal to use in war under the CWC. PS causes severe irritation to the skin, eyes, respiratory tract (if inhaled), and gastrointestinal tract (if inhaled or ingested). PS vapours are heavier than air, spreading along the ground and will collect and stay in poorly ventilated, low-lying, or confined areas, for example basements.

While the hand grenade is ubiquitous, the traditional rifle grenade has lost its utility for the majority of users, being replaced by either dedicated grenade launchers or under-barrel models. One of the reasons for this decline was the rifle grenade’s lack of utility in the anti-armour role. Many early rifle grenade natures were developed to provide the infantry with a credible anti-tank capability. The problem was that vehicle armour protection has outstripped the penetrative capabilities of rifle grenades, seeing them superseded by systems such as the M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW), the Carl Gustaf or the RPG-7 by the 1960s, and later by dedicated anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).

Grenade launcher dawn

The other factor that led to the decline of the rifle grenade era was the result of a US Army programme known as Project Niblick, which aimed to increase infantry firepower and range. One of the systems that emerged from Project Niblick was the 40 × 46 mm grenade, today more usually described as the 40 mm Low Velocity (LV) grenade. The 40 mm LV grenade was twinned with the M79 grenade launcher, a single-shot weapon that breaks-open like a shotgun. The dedicated grenade launcher had a range well in excess of 300 m, significantly more than a traditional rifle grenade.

The M79 remains in widespread service around the world. Somewhat ironically, considering it first saw service in Vietnam in the early 1960s, a copy of the M79 known as the SPL40 is manufactured by a state-owned Vietnamese defence manufacturer. Other manufacturers have also developed 40 mm LV standalone single-shot grenade launcher solutions for military, paramilitary and law enforcement applications. Heckler & Koch (HK) developed the HK69, while FN offered the FN40GL, and B&T of Switzerland developed the GL06, which has been acquired by the US Department of Homeland Security. Ukraine has developed a single-shot 40 mm LV grenade launcher known as the Fort-600, whose design appears to be based on the GL06. According to Ukrainian media reports, some 40 of these systems were delivered to the 82nd Air Assault Brigade in June 2024.

Elsewhere, Russian Special Forces are equipped with the GM-94 pump-action grenade launcher, utilising a unique 43 × 30 mm (stub case) grenade.

Evolutionary development

The next stage in the evolutionary development of the grenade launcher came as a result of the US Army Special Purpose Individual Weapon (SPIW) programme. This resulted in the development and fielding of a new grenade launcher system in the shape of the M203 Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), with the British Army referring to systems of this type as an Underslung Grenade Launcher (UGL). The M203 first came into service at the end of the 1960s and employs the same 40 × 46 mm LV grenade as the M79. It is easily the most widely-deployed UGL system globally.

The M203 remains in production to this day, and in September 2020 LMT Defense won a USD 17,031,520.00 firm-fixed-price contract to provide M203/M203A2 grenade launchers and spare parts to the US Army, with contract completion in September 2025. LMT Defense also supplied M203 systems to Estonia as a part of a 2019 contract to supply 20,000 R20 Rahe (Hail) assault rifles in 5.56 × 45 mm and 1,000 R20 Rahe Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) variants in 7.62 × 51 mm, with all deliveries complete in 2023.

In Ukrainian service, the newest UGL arrival is the UGL-40, clearly derived from the US M203 and likewise using the 40 × 46 mm grenade. The weapon is increasingly widely deployed by Ukrainian Forces, a standalone variant of the system is also available, but the majority of systems seen thus far appear to be UGLs.

Other manufacturers were quick to develop their own UGL solutions, notably HK in Germany. When the Bundeswehr adopted the G36 5.56 × 45 mm assault rifle, they also required a 40 mm LV grenade launcher solution leading HK to develop the AG36 system. With HK tasked with rectifying the many problems of the British Army L85 assault rifle, the opportunity was taken to acquire a UGL system from HK which was designated as the L132A2 in British service. British Army L119A1/A2 5.56 × 45 mm carbines were equipped with another variant of the HK UGL, with the L17A1 designation.

In 2017, the French Army selected the HK416F as its future assault rifle to replace the FAMAS, with some 110,000 rifles ordered. Prior to the HK416F selection, the French Army had acquired AG36 UGLs from HK, but as a part of the HK416F contract they opted for a new solution in the shape of the HK269F UGL system. This is based upon a significant UGL contract that HK won to supply the US Army with a replacement for the M203 system. In 2004, the US Army opened a competition to acquire an off-the-shelf grenade launcher to replace the M203, which saw the HK offering selected and classified as the M320 Grenade Launcher Module (GLM). The M320 variant is used with M16 rifles, while the M203A1 is used with the M4 carbine.

Other UGL manufacturers include FN and Steyr, but there are many more grenade launcher options available internationally. China has its QLG-10/-10A systems that utilise the DFS-10 35 mm ‘caseless’ grenade, while Russia has developed a profusion of UGL solutions. These started with the GP-25 and GP-30 systems that utilise 40 mm VOG-25 and VOG-25 P grenades; the GP-25/-30 successor was the GP-34, for use with the AK-74M and AK-101/-103 rifles, also employing VOG-25 series grenades. The latest Russian UGL is the GP-46, which uses the standard US/NATO 40 × 46 mm LV grenade; there is also a standalone single-shot variant of the system.

Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) have developed their own grenade launcher solution in the form of the GL40 system, which can also be used as either a UGL with IWI assault rifles such as the X95 (available in 5.56 ×45 mm, .300 BLK and 9 mm), ARAD (available in 5.56 × 45 mm or .300 BLK) or ACE (available in 5.56 × 45 mm, 7.62 × 39 mm and 7.62 × 51 mm), or as a single-shot standalone system, with either a 228.5 mm or 305 mm barrel length. The GL40 can use 40 mm LV grenades, but also has the capability to utilise 40 mm Medium Velocity (MV) grenades. The 40 mm MV grenade has increased muzzle velocity compared to the LV grenade, increased recoil, but also significantly increased range; depending on application, the range increase could be a minimum of 50% or as much as 100%.

Revolver options

As the use of grenade launchers in military, paramilitary and law enforcement applications grew, the logic of being able to have a launcher system that would have the capacity to fire multiple rounds became obvious. The solution to this requirement emerged in the early 1980s in South Africa, when Milkor introduced the Multiple Grenade Launcher (MGL), which has a six-round revolver magazine. South Africa was the first customer for the weapon, giving it the Y2 designation.

The great advantage of the MGL was that it was simple, rugged, and reliable, all of which saw a large number of international customers acquire the system. In the 1990s, a new version of the system was developed in the form of the MGL Mk 1S, followed in the 2000s by the MK 1L. Also developed was a dedicated anti-riot/crowd control variant of the weapon using 37 mm/38 mm grenades. The next MGL development was the Super Six MRGL (Multiple Range Grenade Launcher), which offered the ability to fire 40 mm MV, as well as 40 mm LV grenades. The structure of the launcher and its ability to deal with recoil were greatly improved to handle the 40 mm MV grenade.

The revolver MGL was considered such a great idea that others were inspired to produce similar designs, for example the LG4 and LG6 in China, the RG-6 in Russia, the RGB-6 in Croatia, while Vietnam produced its own MGL variant. Another South African company, Rippel Effect, emerged in 1995 with their own MGL systems, capable of using both 40 mm LV and MV grenades, achieving success in export markets including NATO members.

To confuse matters further, there is another company called Milkor USA, which is based in Tucson, Arizona, and not linked in any way to the South African company, which is also manufacturing MGL systems. In 2004, the US Marine Corps was evaluating a number of MGL options to supplement its M203 UGL. Milkor USA won the evaluation and was awarded a contract to provide a number of M32 MGL systems. The weapon was further developed to accommodate both 40 mm LV and MV grenades, being type classified as the M32A1 by the Marines, with United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) also adopting the weapon. The M32A1 is credited with a maximum range of 400 m with LV grenades and 800 m with MV grenades.

Automatic options

In the 1960s, the US Navy had looked to develop Automatic Grenade Launchers (AGL) to support riverine operations in South Vietnam. Initially this focused on weapons utilising 40 mm LV grenades, but they needed more performance and this led to the development of the 40 × 53 mm High Velocity (HV) grenade and the MK19 AGL. The US Navy manufactured the MK19 in small numbers at the Navy Ordnance Station in Louisville, Kentucky. However, when the US Army adopted the MK19, the manufacturing capabilities of the US Navy were insufficient for the large number of systems required, and so an industry contractor was selected. Currently the MK19 is available in the Model 3 and Model 4 (MOD 3 and MOD 4) configurations, with US Ordnance as the prime contractor.

The US then developed a new lighter 40 mm AGL in the mid-2000s, classified as the MK47, which was produced by General Dynamics. The system was adopted by the US Army, the US Navy and SOCOM, with Australia and Israel also being customers. In January 2024, Colt CZ Group announced that it acquired intellectual property rights for the MK 47 automatic grenade launcher from General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (OTS) via its Colt subsidiary.

In the early 1990s, HK developed the Grenade Machine Gun (GMG) system to meet a Bundeswehr AGL requirement. The GMG is a 40 mm HV system, has an effective range of 1,500 m and is employed from ground and various vehicle mounts. As of early August 2024, the German government had supplied 100 GMG systems to Ukraine. The GMG is in service with the British Army and a minimum of 12 other NATO militaries.

Other 40 mm AGL systems are manufactured by Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, South Africa, and Spain, while Romania has an AGL that uses a unique 40 mm grenade calibre. Russia has its own AGL using a 30 × 29 mm grenade, and more recently the AGS-40 Balkan system has been introduced, which uses a new 40 mm ‘caseless’ grenade. China has a number of different AGL systems, these employ 35 × 32 mm HV grenades.

Looking ahead

The 40 mm grenade in LV, MV and HV variants has become the dominant calibre in grenade launcher systems. As might be imagined, a diverse range of ammunition natures has been developed to meet the needs of the three 40 mm velocity categories. The fact that 40 mm grenade systems are so widely deployed creates an obvious requirement for future ammunition developments. In the LV/MV area, the objectives will be increased range and lethality, indirect fire capability, non-lethal rounds and, most likely, the development of a credible counter-uncrewed aerial vehicle (C-UAV) round.

In the HV area, the aim would be to increase AGL/GMG range out to 2,000 m and beyond; an an indirect fire capability would also be desirable, as would an effective C-UAV capability. There have also been suggestions that both LV and HV rounds could be fitted with a camera capability, allied to GPS location to allow for enhanced situational awareness. Within 40 mm grenades, the space to work with is such that a profusion of payload developments is possible.

All of this should indicate that 40 mm LV/MV/HV systems in standalone, UGL and AGL/GMG configurations will continue to be fielded in large numbers. The fact that 40 mm grenades have substantial development potential indicates a long-term future for the 40 mm grenade and its associated launchers.

David Saw