BRIEF

40mm MGL-MK1

The weapon featured in this clip occupies an interesting place in the evolutionary chain of light grenade launchers—a type of weapon that has become increasingly popular in the last 60 years.

Launched grenades (which for the purposes of this brief are distinct from rocket-propelled grenades) were originally intended to fill the gap between the maximum distance a grenade could be thrown by hand and the minimum effective range of mortars. In the 1940s, rifle grenades, which attached to the barrel of a soldier's rifle and were launched by firing the rifle—either with a blank round or a regular bullet. These weapons were somewhat difficult to fire accurately and required precious time to properly mount on the rifle. Additionally, having the grenade attached meant that the rifle was not able to operate normally until the grenade was fired; if enemy troops suddenly appeared at close range, a soldier so equipped had no recourse but to fire the grenade at dangerously close distances or hastily try to remove the grenade while in close contact with the enemy.

These drawbacks contributed to the rise of dedicated grenade launchers, such as the U.S. M79. The M79 (and subsequent U.S. and NATO grenade launchers) fires a 40 mm shell with a smaller explosive shell than those on rifle grenades, but grenadiers could carry more of them. The M79 required less training to fire accurately, was simple, and reliable. It had a low rate of fire (though faster than that of a rifle-grenade system) did not solve the problem of denying the grenadier the use of a rifle, but the M79 was a popular weapon.

Subsequent designs have attempted to remedy these shortcomings. The M203 (and like designs), which hangs under the barrel of an assault rifle, preserves the grenadier's use of a rifle, but at the cost of added weight and bulk. Repeating models, such as the one featured in this clip, attempt to remedy the rate-of-fire issue.

With the variety of ammunition now available (both high explosive and incendiary are shown in the clip), this South African launcher in some ways straddles the first generation of launched grenades—rifle grenades and single-shot launchers—and next generation launchers that "smart" rounds that can be set, on the fly, to explode at a certain distance. Given the problems experienced by the grenade launcher component on the experimental OICW program, it may be a long while before we see smart launchers widely fielded—leaving a gap that weapons like the one featured in this clip may be called on to fill.

*Note: though not visible in this footage, the rounds fired from this (and all current 40mm grenade launchers) travel at a relatively low velocity and are visible in-flight to the naked eye.

Weapon featured in Arms Bazaar.