The rating of the best automatic easel grenade launchers of our time could not have been imagined without the German model of this weapon from the world-famous company Heckler & Koch. The HK GMG automatic grenade launcher, created by the specialists of this company in the mid-1990s, is in service with the Bundeswehr, and is also actively exported. The operators of these weapons are also Canada, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Poland, New Zealand, Latvia, Lithuania and other countries around the world.
In modern realities, armies of all countries of the world are interested in a means of universal fire support. Previously, this role was played either by heavy machine guns or grenade launchers, while they were not an ideal solution to all problems. Conventional small arms have an obvious limitation in firing range, and the effective firing range is relatively short. Among other things, conventional rifle caliber cartridges are ineffective against armored vehicles and do not form fragments. And various types of grenade launchers have a significant drawback in the form of a low rate of fire.
40-mm automatic grenade launcher HK GMG
All over the world, automatic heavy-duty grenade launchers have become the weapons that could combine the best properties of machine guns and grenade launchers, becoming an effective weapon for infantry fire support. Automatic fire and high rate of fire, long effective range, fragmentation effect and armor-piercing qualities of grenades make modern automatic grenade launchers a formidable weapon on the battlefield. The HK GMG grenade launcher, created by the designers of Heckler & Koch, also combines the above qualities. According to the manufacturer's assurances, HK GMG is one of the most technologically advanced automatic grenade launchers in the world. The statement is immodest, but the weapon certainly has an export potential and is in demand by the military of many countries.
The automatic heavy-duty grenade launcher HK GMG is designed to defeat enemy manpower located in open areas or in open shelters (trenches, trenches, terrain folds), as well as various unarmored and lightly armored enemy vehicles. The grenade launcher can be used both on a special tripod machine as an infantry weapon, and on a special mount that allows installation on various ground vehicles, as well as patrol boats. When installing an automatic grenade launcher on military equipment, the usual trigger mechanism is replaced with an electric trigger.
40-mm automatic grenade launcher HK GMG
The automatic grenade launcher developed by the Heckler & Koch company uses a self-closing automatic system, fire from it is fired from an open bolt. The mechanism for feeding shots from the tape was borrowed from the famous single MG42 machine gun, while the tape can be fed from both the left and right sides of the grenade launcher. To switch the direction of feeding the tape with grenades does not require the use of any special tool. The fuse is combined with the fire translator and has three positions: fuse, single-shot fire and automatic fire. When turned on, the grenade launcher fuse blocks the firing mechanism and additionally the bolt in its slightly open position. At the same time, the shooter can send a shot into the chamber, or remove it from there, without removing the weapon from the safety catch. In addition, the designers provided an automatic fuse, it blocks the drummer, before pressing the trigger. The cocking handle is located on the back of the receiver, at the bottom. In case of overheating, the barrel of the HK GMG automatic grenade launcher can be easily replaced with a spare, this feature also combines it with the single MG42 machine guns and its modern improved version of the MG3. At the rear of the automatic grenade launcher are two vertical fire control sticks with a trigger located between them.
Feed with shots is tape, while the supply of loose metal tape is possible from either side of the grenade launcher. For firing, standard NATO 40-mm ammunition is used, this makes the weapon compatible with the entire range of ammunition of this caliber produced in the world, including American rounds. The standard tape of the HK GMG grenade launcher holds 32 shots; it takes no more than 30 seconds to replace it.
40x53 mm is the standard size of American unitary rounds for automatic grenade launchers, first used during the Vietnam War. Over time, this unitary shot became the standard ammunition for automatic grenade launchers of all NATO countries. As of the beginning of 2015, 40x53 mm grenades were manufactured by 15 different companies in 12 countries of the world. At the same time, the development and manufacture of these ammunition for the needs of their own armies, as well as for export supplies, are concentrated mainly in the USA, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Singapore and South Africa.
Distribution in the world and a large number of manufacturers provide a wide range of available types of grenades, among which are high-explosive fragmentation, high-explosive fragmentation, lighting (red, green and white), training, as well as grenades with incendiary smoke composition, with special arrow-shaped striking elements, with a smoke-generating charge of green, red and yellow colors. At the same time, the most common unitary shots 40x53 mm include the high-explosive fragmentation tracer shot, created in 1996 by the German company Diehl Gmbh and designed to defeat the enemy's lightly protected manpower. One of the most modern 40x53 mm grenades are shots with a programmable remote fuse.
The HK GMG automatic heavy-duty grenade launcher provides single shots or bursts of fire. The effective firing range is 1500 meters, the maximum firing range is 2200 meters. At the same time, the grenade launcher stands out favorably for its high rate of fire - about 340 rounds per minute.
The HK GMG automatic grenade launcher can be installed directly on an infantry tripod machine, or on a machine mount on a vehicle, or using a special intermediate shock-absorbing cradle, which, although it increases the weight of the entire structure, however, reduces the impact of recoil from shots on the machine and the shooter himself, thus increasing the accuracy and accuracy of fire. At the same time, the cradle has additional horizontal fire control levers and an additional trigger.
Automatic grenade launcher HK GMG in the Finnish army
Most often, HK GMG automatic grenade launchers are equipped with a daytime collimator sight, which is used as a standard sight for firing at a distance of up to 1500 meters. Also on the weapon there is a conventional mechanical sector sight, which is designed for firing at a distance of up to 600 meters. In addition, there are mounts on the receiver cover that allow you to place optical sights and thermal imaging sights.
The performance characteristics of HK GMG:
Caliber - 40 mm.
Grenade - 40x53 mm.
Length - 1175 mm (without machine), 1505 mm (with machine)
Barrel length - 577 mm.
Height - 215 mm (without machine), 469 mm (with machine).
Width - 252 mm (without a machine tool), 797 mm (with a machine tool and a box with shots)
Weight - 29 kg (without a machine, sight and box with shots).
The weight of the tripod machine is 10.7 kg.
The mass of the shock-absorbing cradle is 8 kg.
The mass of the box with a curb tape of 32 shots is 20.2 kg.
Rate of fire - about 340 rds / min.
The initial speed of the grenade is 241 m / s.
Food - tape for 32 shots.
Effective firing range - 1500 m.
The maximum firing range is 2200 m.
