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Marines load a belt of 40×53mm grenades into the Mk 19 grenade launcher.

Inside view of a spent casing for a 40 mm grenade, showing the internal pressure chamber for the high-low pressure system.

The 40 mm grenade^[1] is a military grenade caliber for grenade launchers in service with many armed forces. There are two main types in service: the 40×46mm,^[2] which is a low-velocity round used in hand-held grenade launchers; and the high-velocity 40×53mm, used in mounted and crew-served weapons. The cartridges are not interchangeable. Both 40 mm cartridges use the High-Low Propulsion System.

The less powerful 40×46mm is used in hand-held weapons such as the M79, M203, and the multi-shot M32 MGL.

The more powerful 40×53mm is used in automatic grenade launchers mounted on tripods, vehicles or helicopters, such as the Mk 19 grenade launcher. In these roles, the rounds are linked together with a metallic disintegrating link.

A medium velocity 40×51mm cartridge recently (2007) developed in South Africa provides a more powerful alternative for hand-held weapons without increased recoil. A new version of the Milkor MGL chambered for the new round remains backward compatible with existing 40×46mm rounds.^[3]

40×46mm

M79

U.S. military rounds designated specifically for the M79 launcher include:

• High Explosive (HE): M381, M386


• Airburst: M397, M397A1
  


• MP-APERS (Twenty 24-grain metal pellets): M576^[4]


• 
  CS gas: M651


• Practice: M781

M320/M203

M203 qualification range: a 40×46mm training round can be seen hitting the hill.

U.S. military rounds designated specifically for the M203 launcher include:

• 
  High Explosive (HE): M381, M386, M406, M441


• High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP): M433
  


• 
  Air burst: M397, M397A1
  


• 
  Buckshot: M576 (Twenty metal pellets, 20 grams total)^[4]


• 
  Thermobaric: XM1060
  


• Star parachute (flare): M583A1


• Star cluster (flare): M585 (white), M661 (green), M662 (red)


• 
  CS gas: M651


• Smoke Canopy: M676 (yellow), M680 (white), M682 (red)


• Ground Marker (smoke): M713 (red), M714 (white), M715 (green), M716 (yellow)


• Practice: M781


• Infra-red illumination: M992
  


• Non lethal (crowd control)


• 
  Sponge Grenade (crowd control)

SAGM

The U.S. Army ARDEC began development of a 40 mm airburst fuze in 2011 to improve the ability of grenade launchers like the M203 and M320 to engage targets in defilade. Called Small Arms Grenade Munitions (SAGM), they double the lethality of the standard M433 grenade round by adding a small "smart" fuze sensor that detonates in the air to hit targets in cover or behind obstacles. The airburst function is similar to the XM25 CDTE, which has an onboard laser system to determine the distance to the target, but SAGM is considered complementary to the XM25 rather than competing against it, as the XM25 provides low-angle fire while 40 mm launchers fire a lobbing trajectory. Engineers integrated sensors and logic devices to scan and filter the environment and then autonomously airburst the fuze without needing to be told to by the firer, thereby not requiring the soldier to carry extra weapon accessories. SAGM enables soldiers to accurately incapacitate personnel targets in defilade at ranges between 50 and 500 meters. The round is engineered with three firing modes: airburst; point detonation; and self-destruct. A successful demonstration occurred in November 2013.^[5] Although the SAGM sensor does not need a laser rangefinder or any pre-fire programming sequence, it does require some skill by the user to aim and fire the round correctly so that it can detect the wall or obstruction to detonate in the air. The SAGM was to undergo evaluation in July 2015 and, if successful, transition into an official Army program of record by the end of the year.^[6] Not only does the fuze burst over walls, but it can detonate when passing cover like trees, bursting just as it senses and passes the trunk. The sort of sensor SAGM uses to differentiate clutter from triggering obstacles is highly classified, but shows airburst reliability of 76 percent.^[7]

40×47mm

Pallad-D wz. 83 grenade launcher

It is a grenade caliber designed in Poland, and used in Pallad wz. 74 underbarrel grenade launchers (used with AK family rifles in use in Polish Army like the AKM/AKMS, Tantal and Beryl) and Pallad-D wz. 83 Grenade launcher (standalone variant fitted with standard pistol grip and folding stock from AKMS assault rifle). The construction is similar to one used in 40×46mm but grenades are not fully interchangeable.

A caliber with this designation is also used in the Romanian AG-40

40×51mm

Extended Range Low Pressure (ERLP) 40×51mm cartridges extend the range of 40 mm grenades from 400 m to 800 m and are manufactured by companies such as Rheinmetall Denel Munitions.^[8]

40×53mm

Mk 19 Mod 3

M430A1 HEDP.

U.S. military rounds designated specifically for the Mk 19 grenade launcher include:

• High Explosive (HE): M383, M384


• High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP): M430I


• High Velocity Canister Cartridge (HVCC): M1001^[9]


• Practice: M385I, M918


• Dummy: M922/M922A1

Mk 47 Mod 0

U.S. military rounds designated specifically for the Mk 47 grenade launcher include:

• MK285, Programmable Prefragmented High Explosive/Self-Destructible (PPHE/SD)

The MK285 consists of an electronic programmable fuze, a prefragmented warhead and a propulsion system. The fuze is programmed through the fire control of the gun. The fuze is mechanically armed at approximately 23 meters.

The round is programmed to airburst over the target and the fuze counts down the programmed time via its built in electronics. If an unprogrammed round is fired, it will detonate on impact.

The projectile has a built in self-destruct and can be fired by any automatic grenade launcher.

40×74.5mm

Developed for and used by AGA-40 Md. 85^[10]

43×30mm

Used by GM-94.

Other

Other weapons using 40 mm rounds are the Milkor MGL, the Penn Arms PGL65-40 "Fourkiller Tactical Model" 40 mm Multiple Grenade Launcher, the Heckler & Koch AG36, Heckler & Koch AG-C/GLM, the Heckler & Koch GMG and the Heckler & Koch HK69A1. There is also the STK 40 AGL and 40LWAGL from Singapore's ST Kinetics. The Daewoo K4 Grenade Machine Gun is in service with the South Korean Armed Services.

The Soviet GP-25 Kostyor and GP-30 Obuvka and Russian GP-34, BG-15 Mukha and RG-6 use a unique type of 40 mm grenade. These grenades are caseless, holding their own propellant within the body of the grenade. The Soviet 40 mm VOG-25 grenades are not interchangeable with U.S. 40×46mm and 40×53mm weapons.

The Metal Storm Redback 40 mm Weapon System is a four-barrel, 16-round weapon system that uses preloaded barrels containing superposed 40 mm grenades with electrical priming, and is designed for mounting on vehicles.

Multi-caliber grenade launchers

The M203 cannot be loaded with high-powered or specialized grenades, such as Milkor ERLP grenades, because of its slide-locking breech. Manufacturers working on replacements for the M203 had to come up with new ideas so this would be possible with new issued grenade launchers. This resulted in two designs, the side-loading M320 grenade launcher and the FN SCAR's Mk13 Mod0 EGLM. The EGLM opens like the M203 but the barrel can also be pivoted right or left, allowing left and right-handed shooters to load it quickly with any ammunition.

Green ammunition

The MK281 is a new type of 40 mm target practice grenade ammunition that has been accepted for use into the United States Marine Corps and the United States Army. It is "green" because it is non-toxic and non-dud producing (since it is a training round), meaning that there is no unexploded ordnance left to clean up on the range and heavy metals in the fuze do not leak into the ground. The MK281 was introduced into parts of the U.S. Armed Forces because of an executive order mandating that they buy green ammunition. The MK281 is manufactured by an American subsidiary of the Rheinmetall Group.

The United States Army has a requirement for a non-dud producing 40mm training ammunition in both high and low velocity variants. The Army awarded four contracts to three United States companies to test designs. The resulting ammunition will not contain explosive energetics and have day and night visible, infrared, and thermal signatures.

See also

• Grenade launcher


• M203 grenade launcher


• M79 grenade launcher


• Milkor MGL


• United States 40 mm grenades


• Daewoo K4

References

External links

• Milkor Worldwide


• 40mm Low-Velocity Grenades


• Defense Review overview of Mk 47 Mod 0 'Striker' 40mm Grenade Machine Gun


• Defense Review overview of Corner Shot 40 personal grenade launcher


• Defense Review overview of Penn Arms PGL65-40 'Fourkiller Tactical Model' 40 mm Multiple Grenade Launcher


• Penn Arms data page for PGL65-40 6-Shot Grenade Launcher


• Defense Review overview of Metal Storm 40mm Weapon System


• Future Weapons: MEI Mercury 40MM Grenade