Editing Grenade launcher

{{short description|Weapon designed to fire large-caliber explosive, smoke, or gas projectiles}}
[[File:NARA 111-CCV-423-CC39152 Special Forces advisor providing M79 instruction to CIDG trainee 1967.jpg|thumb|A [[United States Army Special Forces]] advisor instructing a Vietnamese [[Civilian Irregular Defense Group program|Civilian Irregular Defense Group]] trainee on how to use an [[M79 grenade launcher]]]]

A '''grenade launcher'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=2944|title=Grenade Launchers and their Ammunition: International Developments|website=Small Arms Defense Journal|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211081647/http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=2944|archive-date=2017-12-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.quarryhs.co.uk/GRENADES%20WEB%20ARTICLE.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-12-17 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025235131/http://quarryhs.co.uk/GRENADES%20WEB%20ARTICLE.pdf |archive-date=2017-10-25 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/20161108.aspx|title=Weapons: Semi-Automatic Grenade Launchers}}</ref> is a [[weapon]] that fires a specially designed, large-caliber projectile, often with an [[explosive]], [[Smoke screen|smoke]], or [[tear gas|gas]] warhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated [[firearm]]s firing unitary grenade [[Cartridge (firearms)|cartridges]]. The most common type are man-portable, shoulder-fired weapons issued to individuals, although larger crew-served launchers are issued at higher levels of organization by military forces.<ref>Stuart Casey-Maslen, Sarah Parker, Gilles Giacca ''The Arms Trade Treaty: A Commentary'', Oxford University Press 2016, p. 115-116</ref>

Grenade launchers are produced in the form of standalone weapons (either single-shot or repeating) or as attachments mounted to a parent firearm, usually a [[rifle]]. Larger crew-served automatic grenade launchers such as the [[Mk 19 grenade launcher|Mk 19]] are mounted on tripods or vehicles.

Some [[armored fighting vehicles]] also mount fixed arrays of short-range, single-shot grenade launchers as a means of defense.

==History==

=== Early precursors ===

[[File:Grenade launchers 1747 France.jpg|thumb|French grenade launchers from 1747]]

The earliest devices that could be referred to as grenade launchers were [[Sling (weapon)|slings]], which could be used to throw early ''grenado'' fuse bombs. The ancestors of modern ballistic grenade launchers, however, were simplistic muzzle-loading devices using a stake-like body to mount a short, large-bore gun barrel into which an explosive or incendiary device could be inserted; these were later refined into shoulder-fired [[blunderbuss]]-like firearms referred to as "[[hand mortar]]s".<ref>[[Claude Blair]], Pollards History of Firearms Ed. 1983, pp 56-58, 92</ref> These weapons were not highly regarded due to their unreliability, requiring the user to ignite a fuse on the projectile before firing, and with a substantial risk of the explosive failing to leave the barrel; attempts to ignite the fuse on firing using the gunpowder charge resulted in weapons that would often force the fuse into the grenade and make it explode in the barrel.

=== Hand grenade launchers ===
[[Image:Sauterelle 1915.jpg|thumb|French soldiers with a [[Sauterelle]], {{Circa|1915}}]]

During the [[First World War]], several novel crew-served launchers designed to increase the range of infantry [[hand grenade]]s were developed, such as the [[Sauterelle]] crossbow, the [[West Spring Gun|West spring gun]], and the [[Leach Trench Catapult|Leach trench catapult]] devices. None were particularly effective, and such devices were ultimately replaced by light mortar systems such as the [[Stokes mortar]],<ref name="Britannica1922">{{cite book|title=The Encyclopædia Britannica: The New Volumes, Constituting, in Combination with the Twenty-nine Volumes of the Eleventh Edition, the Twelfth Edition of that Work, and Also Supplying a New, Distinctive, and Independent Library of Reference Dealing with Events and Developments of the Period 1910 to 1921 Inclusive, Volume 1|page=470|author=Hugh Chisholm|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Company Limited|year=1922}} **Please note a wikilink to the article "Bombthrowers" in [EB1922] is not available**.</ref> while the task of increasing the range of infantry explosive projectiles was primarily taken by rifle grenades.

A late example of such a system was the Japanese [[Type 91 grenade]], which could be used as a thrown hand grenade, or fitted with adaptors to either be fired as a rifle grenade or used as a projectile by the [[Type 89 grenade discharger]], a light infantry mortar.

=== Rifle grenades ===
{{Main article|Rifle grenade}}
[[File:M1 Garand rifgren-shooting line.jpg|thumb|Rifle grenade on an [[M1 Garand]]]]

A new method of launching grenades was developed during the First World War and used throughout [[World War II]]. The principle was to use the soldier's standard rifle as an ersatz mortar{{Clarify|date=December 2024|reason=unclear what an ersatz mortar is}}, mounting a grenade (in many older cases an infantry hand grenade) fitted with a propelling charge, using an adaptor or socket on the weapon's muzzle or inside a mounted launching cup, and usually firing with the weapon's stock resting on the ground. For older rifle grenades, igniting the charge generally required loading the parent rifle with a special blank propellant cartridge, though modern rifle grenades can be fired using live rounds using "bullet trap" and "shoot through" systems.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=a0e2f0e52cfbd2e696b608d30fb6260f&tab=core&tabmode=list&print_preview=1|title=13--Ammunition and Explosives - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116102636/https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=a0e2f0e52cfbd2e696b608d30fb6260f&tab=core&tabmode=list&print_preview=1|archive-date=2013-01-16}}</ref>

The system has some advantages; since it does not have to fit in a weapon's barrel, the warhead can be made larger and more powerful compared to that of a unitary grenade round, and the rifle's weight and handling characteristics are not affected as with underbarrel systems unless a grenade is actually mounted. While older systems required the soldier carry a separate adaptor or cup to attach to the rifle to make it ready to launch (such as the German'' [[Schiessbecher]]''), later rifle grenades were often designed to attach to the standard factory-mounted [[flash hider]] of the parent rifle; for example, the NATO-standardized [[22 mm grenade|22 mm rifle grenade]] can be mounted to most post-WWII Western military rifles without the need for an adaptor.

The disadvantage of this method is that when soldiers want to launch grenades, they must mount the grenade to the muzzle prior to each shot. If they are surprised by a close-range threat while preparing to fire the grenade, they have to reverse the procedure before they can respond with rifle fire. Due to the lack of a barrel, rifle grenades also tend to be more difficult to fire accurately compared to under-barrel or stand-alone designs.

Prior to the development of lightweight disposable antitank weapons such as the [[M72 LAW]], large {{Abbr|HEAT|high explosive antitank}} rifle grenades such as the [[ENERGA anti-tank rifle grenade|ENERGA]] were the preferred method for allowing infantry who were not part of dedicated antitank teams to engage vehicles. Rifle grenades have largely fallen out of favor since the late 1960s and early 1970s, replaced in most of their traditional roles by dedicated grenade launchers, though a recent resurgence in interest in such devices for special purposes has occurred.

== Types ==

=== Stand-alone ===
[[File:Gas gun.JPG|thumb|Israeli Border Guard with a [[Federal Riot Gun|Federal M201-Z]] 37 mm riot gun]]

The earliest examples of stand-alone grenade launchers in the modern sense were breech-loading [[riot gun]]s designed to launch [[tear gas]] grenades and [[baton round]]s, such as the [[Federal Riot Gun]] developed in the 1930s.  One of the first examples of a dedicated breech-loading launcher for unitary explosive grenade rounds was the [[M79 grenade launcher]], a result of the American [[Special Purpose Individual Weapon]] program (specifically the 40×46mm grenade round developed during [[Project NIBLICK]],<ref>R. Blake Stevens, Edward Clinton Ezell, ''The SPIW: The Deadliest Weapon that Never was'', Collector Grade Publications 1985, p.43</ref> applying the German-developed [[high–low system]] to produce manageable recoil). The goal for the M79 was the production of a device with greater range than a [[rifle grenade]] but more portable than a [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]].<ref name="Rottman2012">{{cite book|last=Rottman|first=Gordon|title=US Army Infantryman in Vietnam 1965-73|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zHu9L-D-z68C&pg=PT57|date=18 September 2012|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-78200-468-4|page=57}}</ref>  Such single-shot devices were largely replaced in military service with underbarrel grenade launchers, removing the need for a dedicated [[grenadier]] with a special weapon.  Many modern underbarrel grenade launchers can, however, also be used in standalone configurations with suitable accessories fitted; this is of particular preference for groups using [[submachine guns]] as their primary armament, since it is rarely practical to mount an underbarrel launcher on such a weapon.  Single shot launchers are also still commonly used in [[riot control]] operations.

Heavier multi-shot grenade launchers like the [[ARWEN 37]] are used as [[tear gas]] and smoke projectors in riot control, while military launchers like the [[Milkor MGL]] are used to provide heavy sustained firepower to infantry; most such devices, dating back to the [[Manville gun|Manville machine-projector]], use a revolver-style cylinder, though a handful of pump-action weapons built like oversized shotguns, such as the [[China Lake grenade launcher]] and [[GM-94]], also exist. Magazine-fed semi-automatic designs such as the [[Neopup PAW-20]] and [[XM25 CDTE]] have also been created for military use, using smaller rounds (respectively 20 and 25mm) for purposes of practicality in terms of the size of the magazine, and reduced collateral damage compared to 40mm rounds.

The arms manufacturer [[Rheinmetall]] plans to start serial production of their magazine-fed fully-automatic grenade launcher SSW40 later in 2025.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Triffaux |title=Rheinmetall Designs Modern Portable SSW40 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher for High Mobility Troop Support |url=https://armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/army-news-2024/rheinmetall-designs-modern-portable-ssw40-40mm-automatic-grenade-launcher-for-high-mobility-troop-support |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=armyrecognition.com |language=en-gb}}</ref>

=== Attached ===
[[File:Loading M203 40 mm grenade launcher attached to an M16 rifle.jpg|thumb|Loading an [[M203 grenade launcher|M203]] attached to an [[M16 rifle#XM16E1 and M16A1 (Colt Model 603)|M16A1]] with a practice round]]
Since grenade launchers require relatively low internal pressure and only a short barrel, a lightweight launcher can be mounted under the barrel of a traditional [[rifle]]; this type of device is referred to as an "''underbarrel''" or "''underslung''" grenade launcher.<ref>[http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/UBGL Acronym finder - UBGL, ''TheFreeDictionary''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827013249/http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/UBGL |date=2016-08-27 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.arsenal-bg.com/c/40-40x46-mm-underbarrel-grenade-launchers-50/40-mm-ubgl-1-12 40 mm ARSENAL Underbarrel Grenade Launcher UBGL-1] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813130144/http://www.arsenal-bg.com/c/40-40x46-mm-underbarrel-grenade-launchers-50/40-mm-ubgl-1-12 |date=2016-08-13 }}, ARSENAL Ltd, Kazanlak, Bulgaria</ref> This reduces the weight the soldier must carry by eliminating the grenade launcher's buttstock and makes the grenade launcher available for use at a moment's notice. Underbarrel 40&nbsp;mm grenade launchers generally have their own trigger group; to fire, one simply changes grips, disengages the safety, and pulls the trigger. In Western systems, the barrel slides forward or pivots to the side to allow reloading; most fire a [[40 mm grenade|40×46mm grenade cartridge]].<ref name="Clancy1996">{{cite book|last=Clancy|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Clancy|title=Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit|url=https://archive.org/details/marineguidedtour00clan|url-access=registration|year=1996|publisher=Berkley Books|isbn=978-0-425-15454-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/marineguidedtour00clan/page/86 86]–87}}</ref> Soviet and Russian launchers are instead loaded from the muzzle, with the cartridge casing affixed to the projectile in the style of a mortar shell. For aiming, underbarrel grenade launchers typically use a separate ladder, leaf, tangent or quadrant sight attached to the launcher or the rifle, either to one side of the handguard or on top of the handguard in between the iron sights. Modern launchers often have the option of mounting more sophisticated aiming systems, such as ballistic rangefinders and day / night sights.

As with the M79, the concept of mounting a dedicated grenade launcher to a service rifle has its roots in the [[Special Purpose Individual Weapon]] program; though the experimental Colt [[XM148 grenade launcher]] had been produced earlier, it had proved too problematic to adopt. One AAI submission for SPIW mounted a "simple" single-action, single-shot breech-loading underbarrel grenade launcher in lieu of the required semi-automatic multi-shot device. With refinement, this was adopted as the [[M203 grenade launcher]] in 1968.<ref>R. Blake Stevens, Edward Clinton Ezell, ''The SPIW: The Deadliest Weapon that Never was'', Collector Grade Publications 1985, p.99</ref> A variety of lengths of M203 are available along with numerous parts kits to fit it to various rifles aside from the AR15 pattern weapons it was designed for.

More modern Western grenade launchers address some of the shortcomings of the M203, such as the sliding breech limiting the weapon's ability to load outsize projectiles and the lack of factory-fitted sight mounts, with designs like [[FN Herstal]]'s [[FN SCAR#Enhanced Grenade Launcher Module|ELGM]] and [[Heckler & Koch]]'s [[Heckler & Koch AG36|AG36]] featuring a swing-out breech to provide better access, integral sight mounts, and built-in support for standalone conversion. A variant of the latter weapon, the [[M320 Grenade Launcher Module]], was salvaged from the failed [[XM8]] program and adopted in 2008 as the US military's replacement for the M203.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m320.htm M320] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711113059/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m320.htm |date=2007-07-11 }}, Globalsecurity.org</ref>

Soviet development of an underbarrel launcher for the AK rifle series began in 1966 and in 1978 produced the [[GP-25]], a muzzle-loading device for the [[AK-74]] rifle using a mortar-like grenade round which functions by venting its propellant through holes in the base; this is a variation of the high-low system used by Western rounds, with the base of the projectile acting as the high-pressure chamber and the launcher's barrel acting as the low-pressure chamber.<ref>https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/extended-range-vog-25-grenades-for-gp-series-grenade-launchers-44819809</ref> Further developments led to the [[GP-25|GP series]] of grenade launchers.

A number of experimental weapon systems have attempted to produce combination weapons which consist of a permanently attached grenade launcher and a carbine assault rifle, often with the rifle mounted underneath the launcher, most notably the [[XM29 OICW]],<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m29-oicw.htm XM29 OICW] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819153100/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m29-oicw.htm |date=2016-08-19 }}, Globalsecurity.org</ref> but so far the only such weapon to reach full production is the [[S&T Daewoo K11]], adopted in limited numbers by the South Korean military.<ref name="K11">{{cite web|url=http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/05/31/2010053100963.html |title=숨은 적 공격하는 K11 소총, 국내 본격 공급 |publisher=Yonhap |access-date=2016-08-12 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224152110/http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/05/31/2010053100963.html |archive-date=2013-12-24 }}</ref>

=== Automatic ===
[[File:MK19-02.jpg|thumb|[[Mk 19 grenade launcher]]]]
{{main article|Automatic grenade launcher}}

An ''automatic grenade launcher'' or ''grenade machine gun''<ref name="SmallArms">N. R. Jenzen-Jones, Jonathan Ferguson, Graeme Rice, [http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-48.pdf ''Research Notes, Weapons & Markets - Automatic Grenade Launchers''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316062439/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-48.pdf |date=2015-03-16 }}, Small Arms Survey, February 2015</ref> is a crew-served support weapon which fires explosive rounds in quick succession from an [[Belt (firearm)|ammunition belt]] or large-capacity [[magazine (firearm)|magazine]]. As most are heavy weapons, they are normally attached to a [[Weapon mount#Tripod|tripod]] or vehicle mounting, and as well as being used to provide heavy suppressing fire in the manner of a [[heavy machine gun]], also have sufficient firepower to destroy vehicles and buildings. Examples include the [[Mk 19 grenade launcher|Mk 19]], [[AGS-17]], and the [[HK GMG]].

Automatic grenade launchers generally use a higher-velocity round than infantry weapons; NATO launchers use a 40×53mm grenade round rather than the 40×46mm round used by infantry. There are exceptions to this rule: the crank-operated [[Mk 18 Mod 0 grenade launcher]], a unique example of an AGL which was not fully automatic,<ref name="SmallArms"/> and the [[Mk 20 Mod 0 grenade launcher]] both used the 40×46mm round, and the Chinese [[Type 87 grenade launcher]], a device intended to be employed like a [[general-purpose machine gun]], uses the same 35×32mm low-velocity grenade round as the [[QLG91B]] underbarrel launcher for the [[QBZ-95]] assault rifle.<ref name="Tucker2011">{{cite book|last=Tucker|first=Spencer C.|title=The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History &#91;4 volumes&#93;: A Political, Social, and Military History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qh5lffww-KsC&pg=PA431|date=20 May 2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-961-0|page=431}}</ref><ref name="Blasko2013">{{cite book|last=Blasko|first=Dennis J.|title=The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G1SauJF3GqwC&pg=PA168|date=17 June 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-51997-0|page=168}}</ref><ref name="Usa2009">{{cite book|last=Usa|first=Ibp|title=Us Future Combat & Weapon Systems Handbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lPmVrgeVoI0C&pg=PA265|date=30 March 2009|publisher=Int'l Business Publications|isbn=978-1-4387-5447-5|page=265}}</ref>

{{anchor|Smoke}}
===Fixed arrays===
[[File:Gepard 1a2 nebelw.jpg|thumb|76mm smoke grenade launchers on a German [[Flakpanzer Gepard]] [[Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon|anti-aircraft vehicle]]]]
Some [[armored fighting vehicles]] also mount fixed arrays of short range, single-shot grenade launchers as a means of defense.<ref>Gary W. Cooke, [http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/cv/weapon/launchers.html "U.S. Vehicle Grenade Launchers,"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516020727/http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/cv/weapon/launchers.html |date=2013-05-16 }} ''Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide''</ref> These devices usually fire smoke grenades to conceal the vehicle behind a [[smoke screen]], though can also be loaded with [[chaff (radar countermeasure)|chaff]], [[flare (pyrotechnic)|flares]], or [[anti-personnel]] grenades to repel [[infantry]] attacks. Vehicle-mounted smoke grenade launchers are also known as '''smoke''' ('''grenade''') '''dischargers'''. Some [[World War II]] examples of these devises are the German ''[[Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung]]'', ''[[Nebelwurfgerät]]'', ''[[Minenabwurfvorrichtung]]'' and ''[[Nahverteidigungswaffe]]''.

==Ammunition==

[[Image:M32 Grenade Loading.jpg|thumb|right|A [[USMC|U.S. Marine]] loading 40×46mm grenades into a [[Milkor MGL|Milkor MGL-140]]]]
Most grenade launchers are flexible in terms of the types of ammunition they can employ. In military use, the primary ammunition type for a grenade launcher is fragmentation rounds, with the most common grenade round in use by NATO the [[40 mm grenade|40&nbsp;mm fragmentation grenade]], which is effective against a wide range of targets, including infantry and lightly armored vehicles.<ref name="Zaloga2011">{{cite book|last=Zaloga|first=Steven|title=HMMWV Humvee 1980-2005: US Army tactical vehicle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HZdzFO0D_l4C&pg=PA10|date=19 July 2011|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84908-968-5|page=10}}</ref> The large size of the grenade projectile relative to a bullet also allows for payloads requiring a substantial mass of chemicals, such as flares, incendiary rounds, gas grenades and smoke grenades.<ref name="Gary">Gary W. Cooke, [http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/infantry/grenade/40mm_ammo.html "40mm Low-Velocity Grenades"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102185232/http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/infantry/grenade/40mm_ammo.html |date=2017-11-02 }} ''Gary's U.S. Infantry Weapons Reference Guide''</ref> Law enforcement users generally employ grenade launchers in riot control operations to project obscuring smoke or [[tear gas]]; [[less-lethal]] crowd control munitions such as baton and sponge rounds also exist for such use.

Lethal rounds are usually fitted with an inertial fuzing system which arms the warhead after it has rotated a set number of times, in order to prevent the user from harming themselves if a grenade encounters a nearby obstruction.<ref name="Gary" />

Western launchers are primarily either the [[37 mm flare]] caliber intended for civilian and law enforcement use, or the larger military 40 mm caliber. This is intended to prevent civilian-legal flare projectors being used to fire lethal military ammunition, since lethal rounds are not manufactured in 37mm caliber. The reverse is not true; a full range of less-lethal ammunition is available in 40 mm caliber, and an increasing number of law enforcement launchers not intended for the civilian market are chambered for 40×46mm rounds.<ref>A. Hunsicker, ''Behind the Shield: Anti-Riot Operations Guide'', Universal-Publishers 2011, p. 170</ref>[[File:XM25 July 2009.jpg|thumb|[[XM25 CDTE|XM25]] in use by a [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] soldier]]Recently militaries have paid great attention to the development of [[Airburst round|"smart" grenade systems]] with integrated sighting systems, which can be used as point-detonating rounds as normal, or fuzed to detonate in mid-air at a preset distance to engage targets in cover with their fragments. This ammunition was first developed as High Explosive Air Burst (HEAB) as part of the Small Arms Master Plan (SAMP) projects:<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/jssap.htm Joint Services Small Arms Program (JSSAP)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819144539/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/jssap.htm |date=2016-08-19 }}, Globalsecurity.org</ref> the [[Objective Individual Combat Weapon]] (20×28mm and [[25 mm grenade|25×40mm]] low-velocity) and [[XM307 Advanced Crew Served Weapon|Advanced Crew Served Weapon]] (25×59mm high-velocity) projects. The low-velocity round was to have been used by the [[XM25 CDTE]].<ref>[http://www.defensereview.com/prototype-atk-xm25-game-changing-semi-auto-25mm-grenade-launcherindividual-airburst-weapon-system-gets-fielded-the-skinny/ ATK XM25 “Game-Changer” Semi-Auto 25mm Airburst Grenade Launcher/Individual Airburst Weapon System (IAWS) Goes to Combat: DR Provides the Cool Skinny on this Potentially Revolutionary Infantry Weapon System] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417040827/http://www.defensereview.com/prototype-atk-xm25-game-changing-semi-auto-25mm-grenade-launcherindividual-airburst-weapon-system-gets-fielded-the-skinny/ |date=2016-04-17 }} - ''DefenseReview''</ref> Following the failure of the SAMP weapon programs, the United States developed 40&nbsp;mm grenades incorporating similar technology, including the 40×53mm MK285 Programmable Prefragmented High Explosive/Self-Destructible (PPHE/SD) round for the [[Mk 47 Striker]] AGL<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/mk285.htm MK285 40mm High Velocity Ammunition] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011162759/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/mk285.htm |date=2016-10-11 }}, Globalsecurity.org</ref> and more recently the [[40 mm grenade#SAGM|SAGM]] round for 40×46mm underbarrel launchers, an airburst-only computerized grenade which does not require an integrated sighting system.<ref>Eric Kowal, [https://www.army.mil/article/133029/Enhanced_grenade_lethality__On_target_even_when_enemy_is_concealed/ ''Enhanced grenade lethality: On target even when enemy is concealed''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827050514/https://www.army.mil/article/133029/Enhanced_grenade_lethality__On_target_even_when_enemy_is_concealed/ |date=2016-08-27 }}, Army.mil, September 4, 2014</ref> Other countries have also produced grenades using similar technology, including South Korea for the [[S&T Daewoo K11]], Australia during the [[Advanced Individual Combat Weapon]] program, and China for the [[QBZ-03#ZH-05|ZH-05]] grenade launcher module.

==Legality==
{{globalize section|date=August 2016}}
===United States===
In the U.S., under the [[National Firearms Act]] of 1934, breech-loading firearms with a barrel diameter of greater than .50 inches (12.7 mm) and no practical sporting use are classified as Title II "[[destructive device]]s", with ownership heavily restricted and banned entirely in some states; in addition, each individual round of explosive ammunition for a grenade launcher is ''also'' classified as a destructive device and subject to the same restrictions. The state of [[California]] additionally considers rifles with integral rifle grenade launching devices as destructive devices in accordance with the definition of such in section 16460 of the [[California Penal Code]].<ref>[https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/zastava Public Notice - Zastava SKS Carbines] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813205343/http://www.oag.ca.gov/firearms/zastava |date=2016-08-13 }} State of California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General</ref> However, it is legal for civilians to own 37mm flare launchers which are not regulated as firearms, some of which are designed to have a cosmetic appearance similar to a grenade launcher and use certain types of ammunition, as the [[BATFE]] has ruled that unless such devices are possessed along with direct-fire ammunition such as pellet or [[beanbag round]]s, they are not destructive devices.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ordnancegroup.com/the-law-and-37mm-launchers.html|title=The Law and 37mm Launchers|publisher=Ordnance Group LLC|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409070529/http://www.ordnancegroup.com/the-law-and-37mm-launchers.html|archive-date=2016-04-09}}</ref><ref>[https://www.atf.gov/file/55446/download ATF ruling 95-3] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006151234/https://www.atf.gov/file/55446/download |date=2016-10-06 }}, United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives</ref>  One result of this is that in American film productions, visually similar 37mm launchers are often substituted for 40mm weapons.

A "grenade launcher" or "grenade launcher mount" is usually included in the list of features defining an "[[assault weapon]]", though this is a legal definition which primarily affects firearms with flash hiders compatible with rifle grenades,<ref>[https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4269/text H. R. 4269 Assault Weapons Ban text] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103112412/https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4269/text |date=2016-01-03 }}, "(44) The term ‘grenade launcher or rocket launcher’ means an attachment for use on a firearm that is designed to propel a grenade, rocket, or other similar destructive device."</ref><ref>[http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/01/what-makes-a-gun-an-assault-weapon.html New York Magazine, "What Makes a Gun an Assault Weapon?"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160823005638/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/01/what-makes-a-gun-an-assault-weapon.html |date=2016-08-23 }} "Grenade launcher or rocket launcher: Attachments that allow grenades or rockets to be fired from the muzzle or a separate barrel."</ref> since firearms that are designed specifically for launching explosive grenade rounds and their ammunition are already federally restricted as destructive devices. Several state assault weapon bans extend this to include under-barrel 37mm flare launchers on the list of banned features.<ref>[http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmStatutesText.aspx?article=gcr&section=4-301&ext=html&session=2016RS&tab=subject5 Maryland CR § 4-301(e)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815061310/http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmStatutesText.aspx?article=gcr&section=4-301&ext=html&session=2016RS&tab=subject5 |date=2016-08-15 }}, General Assembly of Maryland</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Anti-materiel rifle]]
* [[Commando mortar]]
* [[Comparison of automatic grenade launchers]]
* [[List of grenade launchers]]
* [[Flare gun]]
* [[Kampfpistole]]
* [[Nahverteidigungswaffe]]
* [[Recoilless rifle]]
* [[Rocket-assisted projectile]]
* [[Rocket-propelled grenade]]
* [[Pike (munition)]]
* [[Raufoss Mk 211]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}<ref name=":0" />

== External links ==
{{commons category|Grenade launchers}}
* [http://world.guns.ru/grenade/gl00-e.htm Modern Firearms & Ammunition grenade launcher intro]
* [https://patents.google.com/patent/US1359425A/en "Bomb-thrower and bomb to be thrown thereby"—US Patent 1359425A]
* [https://patents.google.com/patent/US2454790A/en "Firing mechanism"—US Patent 2454790A]
* [https://patents.google.com/patent/US1299136A/en US1299136A - Projection of explosive shells, bombs and grenades]
* [https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/pre-1946-grenade-launchers.37474/ Pre-1946 Grenade Launchers]

[[Category:Explosive weapons]]
[[Category:Grenade launchers]]
[[Category:Grenades|Launcher]]