#Mk 19 grenade launcher mod#
#Mk 19 grenade launcher upgrade#

It is especially effective when used against enemy infantry formations. It can also punch through two inches of rolled homogeneous steel with a direct hit (0 Degree Obliquity), which means it can penetrate most infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. Upon impact, the grenade can kill anyone within the radius of five meters, and wound them within the radius of 15 meters. The primary ammunition for Mk 19 is the high explosive dual-purpose M430 grenade. The Mk 19 is a man-portable crew-served weapon that can fire from a tripod mounted position or from a vehicle mount (this being the preferred method as the weapon alone weighs 72.5 lbs). For night operation, an AN/TVS-5 night vision sight can be fitted. While the MK 19 has a flash suppressor, it serves to save the eyesight of its operator, and does not conceal the weapon's position. The nearest safe distance to launch the grenade is 75 meters during training. The Mk 19 is able to lob its grenade at a maximum distance of 2,212 meters, though its effective range for a point target is about 1,500 meters, since the large rear leaf sight is only graduated to 1,500 meters. The weapon operates on the blowback principle, which uses the chamber pressure from each fired round to load and re-cock the weapon. The Mk 19 fires 40 mm grenades at a cyclic rate of 325 to 375 rounds per minute, giving a practical rate of fire of 60 rounds per minute (rapid) and 40 rounds per minute (sustained). The Mk 19 is a belt fed, blowback operated, air cooled, crew served, fully automatic weapon that is designed not to cook off. military service during the Cold War, first seeing action during the Vietnam War and remaining in service today. The Mk 19 Grenade Launcher is a belt-fed automatic 40 mm grenade launcher or grenade machine gun that entered U.S.

#Mk 19 grenade launcher mod#

Mk 19 Mod 0, Mk 19 Mod 1, Mk 19 Mod 2, Mk 19 Mod 3 Saco Defense Industries (now a division of General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products), Combined Service Forces Vietnam War, 2006 Lebanon War, Gulf War, OIF, OEF Of the various upgrades, it’s notable that the program only includes an “updated mechanical sight” as a sighting system, eschewing the advanced fire control systems of the Mk 47 and other proposed upgrades for the Mk 19 and its foreign competitors.Ĭharlie Gao studied Political and Computer Science at Grinnell College and is a frequent commentator on defense and national security issues.This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.

#Mk 19 grenade launcher upgrade#

This is further supported by the announcement in 2016 that the Army was embarking on a program to upgrade the standard Mk 19 grenade launcher. While that shot may have been taken in the heat of the moment, it may suggest that the advantages the Mk 47 brings, while useful, are largely situational and not worth the additional cost of the launcher. Other shots show the Mk 47 being used to engage target through the LVS. In some shots, the Mk 47 is being fired with backup ladder sight used to aim, with the LVS pushed to the side. In the video, the Mk 47 is largely seen mounted to vehicles, where its weight advantage is less relevant. But why hasn’t the Mk 47 seen additional success?Ī controversial video of combat footage in Afghanistan may provide some answers. Various foreign customers like Israel and Australia have also adopted the Mk 47. Special Operations Command, General Dynamics has continued to provide the system in a slow trickle with continued small orders. After an initial contract in 2006 to equip the U.S. It also is lighter and features advanced sighting systems relative to the standard Mk 19.ĭespite its advanced features, adoption of the Mk 47 has been relatively slow. Designed with a laser rangefinder and programmable airburst grenades, the Mk 47 is designed to use airbursting ammunition to engage targets behind cover and achieve greater lethality against targets in the open. It’s estimated that 75 percent of targets on a battlefield will be using some form of cover.īut the newest American AGL, the Mark 47 Mod 0 solves this problem. While the low velocity of an AGL may allow a skillful operator to arc grenades over low cover, this is highly situational. While it can be emplaced in an infantry mount, it is more commonly seen on pintle mounts on vehicles.īut one area where the AGL falls flat is its ability to engage targets obscured by cover or terrain. In American service, the most common AGL is the Mark 19 Mod 3, a weapon that dates back to the 1970s.

Their ability to rapidly blanket an area with high explosive projectiles makes them incredibly deadly against infantry in most environments. Automatic grenade launchers (AGLs) are some of the most deadly weapons available to an infantry unit on a modern battlefield.