![]() ![]() The launcher also had a slide open action which limited the variety of 40mm shells it could fire. However, the XM148 had many small parts which could be easily lost when disassembled. This allowed the grenadier to serve their intended role while also fulfilling the role of a rifleman. The launcher was designed to mount to the bottom handguard of an M16 rifle. The XM148 was ambitious but overly complex for its intended role. Navy SEALs have used cut down versions of the M79. Note: The M79 has still seen service in by the United States in the GWOT.The first rifle-mounted grenade launcher that ever saw any significant service in the United States was the XM148. Experiments began with multi-shot pump-action grenade launchers as well as rifle-mounted grenade launchers. However, the design also allowed the grenadier to use any length 40mm shells they wanted. Consequently, they were reliant on their pistol and/or fellow riflemen to engage close targets.ĭue to the break-action design of the M79, only one shell could be fired before needing to reload. The primary downside was that the grenadier no longer had a fighting rifle. These developments allowed the grenadier to provide much greater firepower at a faster rate. The M79 fired the now NATO standardized 40mm low-velocity cartridge. One of the first was the US-made Vietnam War era M79 grenade launcher. M79Įventually, stand-alone grenade launchers began to be developed. For example, Yugoslavian AKs have a built-in grenade launcher sight that also acted as a gas shut-off when the sight was employed.Īmerican soldier with a rifle grenade for the M1 Garand. This ensures that all the gas from the blank cartridge is used to launch the rifle grenade rather than cycle the rifle. Rifles that utilized a gas operating system would require a gas port shut-off mechanism. Standard ammunition would be removed from the rifle and a high-pressure blank cartridge would launch it. Originally, grenadiers used rifle grenades, a special explosive projectile that was affixed to the muzzle of a rifle. Rheinmetall designed the launcher to be about the same size and weight as a standard infantry rifle. It incorporates MIL-STD 1913 rails which allow for the mounting of optics and other force multipliers. This significantly increases the maximum effective range compared to older designs. Additionally, the semiautomatic mechanism allows for the SSW40 to fire medium velocity grenades. The SSW 40 feeds from box magazines and utilizes a recoil-reducing mechanism to tame the recoil from 40mm grenades. SSW 40 with optic and laser aiming module. The weapon is an evolution of the Hydra AGL which was a collaboration between Rheinmetall and Milkor. The SSW 40 was unveiled at Eurosatory 2022 and will be available for delivery in 2023. Rheinmetall, a German military weapons company is manufacturing the SSW 40. The Squad Support Weapon 40 (SSW 40) – Automatic Grenade Launcher (AGL) is a new semiautomatic grenade launcher. While on paper grenade launchers are an indirect fire weapon, a 40mm projectile moving at 78–84 m/s can have devastating effects even without detonating. ![]() This has a bit of a learning curve at first, but an experienced grenadier can engage targets based on feel alone. The steeper the angle, the longer the range. Using a tangent or ladder-style sight, the user adjusts the angle of the barrel in relation to the ground to alter its trajectory. This means that you don’t aim it the same way you aim a rifle. Grenade launchers are technically an indirect fire weapon. This ensures that if the grenade won’t kill the user if they severely blow their shot. High explosive grenades require the grenade to travel around 14-28m before the grenade arms. The grenades fired from a grenadier’s launcher are usually low velocity which limit the range to around 400m. Today almost all NATO countries use one of the launchers mentioned in this list and they all fire some form of 40mm projectiles. Dead space can be any area where you don’t know exactly what’s behind it but there’s a high probability its someone who wants to kill you. The grenadier’s job is typically to engage targets such as vehicles, machine gun nests, and enemies in “dead space”. Grenade launchers are used by soldiers known as grenadiers. Typically, grenade launchers fire explosive projectiles but fire a variety of loads such as smoke, flares, or even ballistic projectiles. Grenade launchers are individual operated support weapons intended to assist the infantry while assaulting.
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