Basically, the grenade launcher is a weapon which fires a grenade – a small shell, filled with high explosive or other agent, such as tear gas for less lethal application, bright burning compound for illumination purposes, incendiary filling etc. Of course, in most cases the grenade also must be fitted with a fuse, and with a safety, to avoid damage to the grenadier or handler. The simplest way to use the grenade is to throw it by hand; but the effective range and maximum weight of hand grenades is severely limited; so, at the earliest stages of the development of firearms, many armies used so called “hand mortars†– basically, the smoothbore muskets with short barrel of very large caliber, which was used to fire standard grenades at ranges beyond the limits of human throwing ability. During the First World War most nations started to use so called “rifle grenade launchersâ€. These launchers in fact were add-ons to standard issue military rifles, usually in the shape of a cup, attached to the muzzle of the rifle. A grenade was placed into this cup, primed, the rifle aimed toward the enemy, and then the grenade was launched using a special blank cartridge. he actual choice of the type of grenade launcher varies – some countries, most notably the USA and the former USSR/Russia, stuck completely with underbarrel grenade launchers, some others, like Belgium or France, seemed to prefer rifle launcher type, while many other countries, such as Germany, produced both types of weapon,. The post-war period saw a short period of renaissance of the stand-alone grenade launchers, similar in basic idea to the “hand mortars†mentioned above. First these were re-introduced in service by the Germans during WW2, as the “kampfpistole†– a modified flare launcher, fitted with a rifled barrel and a detachable shoulder stock, and firing various types of grenades. In the postwar period, several countries developed single-shot, shoulder-fired grenade launchers, usually of 40mm caliber, which actually preceded the modern underbarrel grenade launchers and used the same types of ammunition. The most famous of these is probably the US M79 “thumperâ€, widely used during the Vietnam War. The key problem with these weapons was that they required the grenadier to carry some sort of personal defense firearm in addition to the grenade launcher, such as a pistol, submachine gun or rifle. Latter on, several countries produced multi-shot versions of stand-alone shoulder fired grenade launchers, usually in the form of a large revolver, or a pump-operated rifle with a tubular magazine. Military users mostly replaced these weapons with underbarrel grenade launchers, and stand-alone launchers are mostly used either by special operations forces or by police forces, which employ the launchers for less-lethal anti-riot applications, firing tear gas canisters and baton rounds (rubber projectiles or buckshot).
AT4 / M136 antitank grenade launcher (Sweden) Caliber: 84mm Type: recoilless launch Overall length: 1040 mm Weight: 7.5 kg Effective range: up to 150 meters against moving targets, about 300 meters against stationary targets Armour penetration: 500+ mm
M72 LAW antitank rocket launcher (USA) M72 trough M72A3 M72A4 through M72A7 'Improved LAW' Caliber 66 mm Type rocket launcher Weight 2.5 kg 3.5 kg Overall length (launcher open / closed) 899 / 665 mm 980 / 775 mm Effective range up to 150-170 meters up to 350 meters Armour penetration up to 300 mm for M72A3 350 mm for M72A4 150 mm for M72A6/A7
Mark 153 (Mk.153) SMAW rocket launcher (USA) Caliber: 83 mm rocket + 9mm spotting rifle Type: rocket Overall length: 825 mm (launcher), about 1370 mm (ready to fire w. HEDPround) Weight: 7.52 kg unloaded launcher plus 4.3 to 6.9kg rocket in canister. Effective range: up to 250 m (500m max) Armor penetration: HEAA ~ 580-600mm (23-24") RHA; HEDP25mm (1") RHA or 30cm (12") brick wall or 20cm (8") concrete wall
RPG-32 Caliber: 105mm (also can fire special 72mm rockets) Type: rocket Overall length:1200 mm (complete with 105mm launch container) or 900 mm (complete with 72mm launch container) Weight: 3 kg unloaded, 10 kg loaded with 105mm rocket, 6kg loaded with 72mm rocket Effective range: up to 200 m Armour penetration: ERA + 650 mm RHA with 105mm PG-32V tandem HEAT rocket
Balkan Caliber:40mm Type: automatic grenade launcher Overalllength: n/a Weight: 32 kg unloaded on tripod + 14 kg loaded boxwith 20 rounds Effective range: up to 2500 m Rate of fire: 400 rounds per minute
automatic grenade launcher (USA) Caliber: 25x59mm Type: gas operated, belt fed automatic grenade launcher Overall length: 1328 mm Weight: 22.7 kg complete with tripod mount and sight / fire controlunit Effective range: up to 2000 m against point targets, 3600 m maximum Rate of fire: 250 rounds per minute
QLZ-87B semi-automatic grenade launcher (PR China) Caliber: 35x32mm SR Type: gas operated, magazine fed semi-automatic grenade launcher Overall length: 1046 mm Weight: 9,1 kg unloaded Effective range: up to 600 m (point targets), 1000 m (area targets) Feed and capacity: drum magazine, 4 or 6 rounds
Milkor MGL Mk.1 40mm grenade launcher (South Africa) Milkor MGL Mk.1 / Mk.1S Milkor MGL-140 Caliber 40x46mm Type multi-shot revolver Overall length, shoulder rest open/folded 730 / 630 mm 787 / 661 mm Weight 5.3 kg empty (5.6 kg Mk. 1S) 6 kg empty Effective range 150 m point targets; up to 400 m area targets Capacity 6 rounds
AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher (Russia / USSR) Caliber: 30x29B Type: blowback operated, belt fed automatic grenade launcher Overall length: 840 mm Weight: 18 kg gun plus 12 kg tripod 6T8 Effective range: up to 800 m point targets; 1700 m maximum range Rate of fire: 350-400 rounds per minute
Have we developed or reverse engineered any granade launcher on our own? Or are we using imported stuff?
DRDO has developed a 84mm light weight launcher, i hope it hits mass production. its weight is half that of the 84mm MK-2 manufactured at OFB. the MK-2 weighs in at 14.2 kg. The 84mm LWL is around 7 kg which is also 3 kg lighter than the mk-3 84mm also manufactured at ofb. Ordnance Factory Board Ordnance Factory Board Livefist: DRDO Develops New 84mm Lightweight Anti-Tank System Google Images
RG-6 / 6G30 40mm grenade launcher (Russia) Caliber: 40mm VOG-25 Type: revolver type multi-shot Overall length: 680 mm buttstock retracted; 520mm buttstock collapsed Weight: 6.2 kg unloaded Effective range: up to350 m Capacity: 6 rounds OFB copied it from russian one
NOW............... world's deadliest anti-tank missiles Infantry is crucial for the frontline defence of nations around the world. As technology evolved, these assault vehicles have grown faster and deadlier. The armour-plating on the combat vehicles too has seen numerous upgrades over the decades, As lethal they are for their enemies, they too have their nemesis. Armour-piercing missiles have been making life miserable for most infantrymen, especially tankmen. Most modern Anti-Tank Guided Missiles have shaped charge high explosive warheads, designed specifically for penetrating armour. Top-attack weapons such as the India's Nag, American Javelin and the Swedish Bill are designed to focus the explosion down through an armoured fighting vehicle's thinner turret-roof or upper-hull armour.
Spike anti-tank anti-armour guided missile Missile Single missile with Tandem-charge HEAT warhead Country user Azerbaijan, Chile, czech Republic, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, and Turkey. Designer Country Israel Accessories electro-optic CCD or IR sensors for operation day and night. Operator 1 or 2 Armor Can penetrated more than 700 mm of armour Weight Missile in canister: 13.5 kg Launcher: 13 kg a a Rate of fire Ready to launch in 30 seconds, reload in 15 seconds Range 800 m to 2.5 km a Dimensions missile Length, 1,67 m; Diameter, 1,7 m
Kornet-E 9M133 AT-14 Spriggan antitank guided missile system Specifications Type Anti-tank guided missile Country users Algeria, Greece, India, Jordan, Syria, Russia, Turkey, Peru Designer Company KBP Instrument Design Bureau Accessories Thermal sight 1PN79-1, sight-tracker 1P45-1 a Crew 2 - 3 soldiers Missile 9M133-1 and 9M133F-1 Launcher Weight 26 kg a Armour penetration 1,000 mm Firing Range - by day 100 – 5,500 m - by night 100 – 4,500 m Warhead HEAT and thermobaric
FGM-148 Javelin Weight Missile: 11.8 kg (26 lb)[1] CLU: 6.4 kg (14.1 lb) Length Missile: 1.1 m (43 in) Launch tube: 1.2 m (47 in) Diameter Missile: 127 mm (5.0 in) Launch tube: 142 mm (5.6 in) Crew 2 Effective range 75 to 2500 m Warhead Tandem shaped charge HEAT Warhead weight 8.4 kg (18.5 lb)[2] Detonation mechanism Impact force
