Automatic grenade launcher
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An automatic grenade launcher or grenade machine gun is a grenade launcher firing rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine.[1]
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 of men.
The most popular caliber for automatic grenade launchers in the west has been 40mm. The Soviet Union successfully fielded 30mm grenade launchers during its war in Afghanistan.
Different weapons use different methods of operation, with the "blowback" and "long recoil" being two popular choices. In all these weapons the energy released by firing the previous round powers loading the next round into the weapon's breech.
can be attached to a tripod. Automatic launchers include the Mk 19, Vektor Y3, AGS-17, and the HK GMG, which all fire at a higher velocity than related shoulder-fired grenades. They generally function as large-caliber machine guns with a relatively low rate of fire, used from an emplaced position in a similar way to a heavy machine gun.
The heavy equivalent of the XM29 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 rooms or behind hard cover that would normally not be reachable by small arms fire.
Portable variants
A man-portable automatic grenade launcher is the Type 87 of Chinese origin, which is capable of firing up to 500rpm in full automatic.
References
- ↑ "CASW ( Close Area Suppression Weapon System ) Automatic Grenade Launcher — MERX Notice of Proposed Procurement". Canadian American Strategic Review. August 2009. Archived from the original on 2008-12-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20081219050421/http://www.casr.ca/doc-npp-casw-agl.htm. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
