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The GP-25 Kostyor ("Bonfire"), GP-30 Obuvka ("Shoe") and GP-34 are a family of Russian 40 mm under-barrel muzzleloaded grenade launchers for the AK family of assault rifles.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> The acronym GP stands for Granatomyot Podstvolnyj,<ref name=":0" /> "under-barrel grenade launcher" in Russian, and was adopted by Soviet forces in 1978.
DevelopmentEdit
Template:Multiple image The development of a grenade launcher for the AKM assault rifle began in 1966 at the Central Design and Research Bureau of Sporting and Hunting Arms (TsKIB SOO). Development continued into the 1970s, and in 1978 it was accepted into service.<ref name=":0" /> The main production version was known as the GP-25, and could be attached to the AKM and AK-74 assault rifles. The GP-30 was made lighter and the aiming system was redesigned and moved to the right.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
GP grenade launchers are similar in appearance and fire the same Russian 40mm caliber ammunition. At the top of the barrel is the mounting hardware to attach the weapon to the underside of a rifle barrel, from which it is designed to fire. The GP barrel has a useful life of about 400 rounds.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The GP-30 first entered service in 1989,<ref name=":0" /> and is intended for use with the AK-100 series of assault rifles. The GP-30M is a grenade launcher of simplified model, consisting of a shorter 40mm rifled barrel in front of a basic trigger mechanism with minimal hand grip.
The current Izhmash-made version, the GP-34, has a further-redesigned sighting system located to the right side of the weapon and features the following advantages:
- Reliability: It is designed and tested specifically for the Kalashnikov assault rifles, fits such assault rifles directly without any adaptors or hand guard dismantling.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Improved safety: The design prevents a round from moving within or falling out of the barrel, even if the muzzle is pointed down. The GP-34 features an additional mechanism (firing pin safety lever) to improve safety during loading.<ref name=":1" />
VariantsEdit
- GP-25 at Tula State Museum of Weapons.jpg
GP-25.
- GP-30M Interpolitex-2012.jpg
GP-30M.
- VVday2015 56.jpg
GP-34.
- ГП-25 (GP-25), GRAU index: 6Г15 (6G15), nickname «Костёр» (Kostyor, "Bonfire")
- ГП-30 (GP-30), GRAU index: 6Г21 (6G21), nickname «Обувка» (Obuvka, "Shoe")
- ГП-34 (GP-34), GRAU index: 6Г34 (6G34)
UseEdit
A grenade is first loaded from the muzzle, the weapon is aimed, and then the double-action trigger is pulled to fire. This fires the percussion cap at the base of the grenade which activates the nitrocellulose propellant inside the grenade body.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The hot, expanding gas from the propellant is forced through openings in the base of the grenade that move it along the barrel and, at the same time, force the driving band to fit into the twelve grooves of the rifle. The rifling provides stabilizing rotation to the projectile.<ref name=":2" /> The grenade has a range of up to 400m.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web
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- Як артисти театру ім. Франка служили у Нацгвардії та каталися на танках 6933 (26939058010).jpg
GP-25 sighting system.
- Як артисти театру ім. Франка служили у Нацгвардії та каталися на танках 6937 (26939053640).jpg
GP-25 seen from the front.
- Як артисти театру ім. Франка служили у Нацгвардії та каталися на танках 6940 (26939054060).jpg
Explanation on the use of the GP-25.
AmmunitionEdit
GP grenade launchers fire multiple 40mm VOG-25 high-explosive fragmentation grenades, with a total range of 400 meters and an effective range of 150m.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> These Russian-Soviet 40 mm grenades are not compatible with Western 40x46mm grenades.<ref name=":0" /> Originally, the main grenade was the VOG-15 (7P17) fragmentation grenade, which has a lethal radius of six meters. Ammunition for the muzzle-loading GP-25 consists of a single piece containing propellant and charge, as opposed to the more traditional two-piece case and projectile design of comparable US 40x46mm ammunition used in breech-loading grenade launchers, such as the M203. This integral "caseless" design – with the propellant and primer contained in the base of the grenade – provides for when the grenade is fired nothing is left in the barrel, so the operator can load the next grenade.<ref name=":3" />
A bouncing grenade, the VOG-25P, is also available. On impact, a small charge in the nose of the grenade explodes; this raises the grenade 50cm to 1.5m in the air, before an impact delay fuse causes it to detonate.<ref name=":3" /> The VOG-25P also has a lethal radius of six meters. The new generation VOG-M and VOG-PM ammunition, with an increased effectiveness of no less than 1.5 times, are now serially available.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Smoke grenades are also available. The original GRD-40 grenade was replaced by a series of grenades designed for use at different ranges. These are the GRD-50, GRD-100 and GRD-200 intended for use at 50, 100 and 200 meters respectively. They are capable of producing a 20 cubic meter cloud of smoke that lasts for one minute in winds of up to five meters per second. A tear gas grenade called Gvozd ("Nail") and a stick grenade are also available.<ref name=":2" />
Today it is used primarily by the Russian Armed Forces in weapons such as the GP-34, BG-15 Mukha and RG-6. Several types exist but the most common version is the default VOG-25 high-explosive version<ref name=":35">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Ammunition dataEdit
| Version | Fuse arming range | Fuse self-destruction time | Weight | Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VOG-25 | 10–40 m (33–130 ft) | 14–19 s | 250 g (0.55 lb) | 48 g of A-IX-1 explosive |
| VOG-25P | 10–40 m (33–130 ft) | 14–19 s | 278 g (0.61 lb) | 37 g of TNT |
| GRD-50/100/200 | 10–40 m (33–130 ft) | 14–19 s | 265 g | 90 g |
UsersEdit
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See alsoEdit
- BS-1 Tishina
- QLG-10
- RGM-40 Kastet grenade launcher is a stand-alone version of GP-30 grenade launcher
- Wz. 1974 Pallad grenade launcher
