This is a general collection of the world's many types of ammunition for grenade launchers in 40sigfig=3NaNsigfig=3 caliber.
Several countries have developed or adopted grenade launchers in 40 mm caliber.[1]
NATO currently uses three standardized 40 mm grenade families: 40 mm low velocity (LV), 40 mm medium velocity (MV), and 40 mm high velocity (HV). Low- and medium-velocity cartridges are used for different hand-held grenade launchers, while the high-velocity cartridge is used for automatic grenade launchers.
40×46 mm LV (low velocity) is a NATO-standard[2] high–low grenade launcher cartridge meant for hand-held grenade launchers, such as the M79, M203, Milkor MGL, Heckler & Koch AG36 and M320 Grenade Launcher Module.
The propellant has low pressure and gives the projectile an average velocity of NaNsigfig=3NaNsigfig=3 depending on the ammunition type.
| HE, high explosive | ||
|---|---|---|
| M381 HE, high explosive[3] Basic high-explosive shell. | ||
| M386 HE, high explosive[4] Basic high-explosive shell. | Missing image | |
| M406 HE, high explosive[5] Basic high-explosive shell. | ||
| M441 HE, high explosive[6] Basic high-explosive shell. | Missing image | |
| IL, illumination | ||
|---|---|---|
| M583A1 Illumination/signal flare, parachute star[12] (white flare) Flare grenade with parachute for illumination and signaling. | ||
| M585 Illumination/signal flare, cluster star[13] (white flare) Grenade containing five nose-ejected, free-falling pyrotechnic star pellets used for signaling. | Missing image | |
| M661 Illumination/signal flare, parachute star (green flare) Flare grenade with parachute for illumination and signaling. | Missing image | |
| M662 Illumination/signal flare, parachute star (red flare) Flare grenade with parachute for illumination and signaling. | Missing image | |
| M992 Infra-red illumination flare Flare grenade with parachute for infrared illumination. See main article: M992 (40mm munition). | ||
| S, smoke | ||
|---|---|---|
| M676 Smoke canopy (yellow smoke)[14] Smoke grenade with parachute for signaling and marking. | Missing image | |
| M680 Smoke canopy (white smoke)[15] Smoke grenade with parachute for signaling and marking. | Missing image | |
| M682 Smoke canopy (red smoke)[16] Smoke grenade with parachute for signaling and marking. | Missing image | |
| M713 Ground marker (red smoke) Smoke grenade for signaling and marking.[17] | Missing image | |
| M714 Ground marker (white smoke) Smoke grenade for signaling and marking. | Missing image | |
| M715 Ground marker (green smoke)[18] Smoke grenade for signaling and marking. | Missing image | |
| M716 Ground marker (yellow smoke)[19] Smoke grenade for signaling and marking. | Missing image | |
Besides combat ammo there also exists crowd control ammunition like sponge grenades.
Sweden currently operates the M203 grenade launcher (designated Swedish: Granattillsats 40 mm Automatkarbin in Sweden) and thus uses the 40 mm low-velocity cartridge.[23] [24] [25] Going against Swedish military tradition, the 40 mm low-velocity cartridge currently lacks a specified indigenous designation in Swedish service. Instead only the projectile types have designations.
Currently these projectile types can be found in Swedish service manuals.
Mockups and inert types also exist for loading exercises and educational purposes.
Romanian arms producer ROMARM has made a version of their 40 mm rifle-mounted grenade launcher AG-40 chambered in 40×46 mm NATO (then designated AG-40PN). Production of Romanian 40 mm low-velocity ammunition is handled by the arms factory Swedish: Uzina Mecanica Plopeni, a subsidiary of ROMARM. The projectiles seem to be of Romanian origin based on available information.
The United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) began development of a 40 mm smart airburst fuze (proximity fuze) in 2011 to improve the ability of grenade launchers like the M203 and M320 to engage targets in defilade. Called small arms grenade munitions (SAGMs), they double the lethality of the standard M433 grenade round by adding a small "smart" fuze sensor that detonates in the air to hit targets in cover or behind obstacles. The airburst function is similar to the XM25 CDTE, which has an onboard laser system to determine the distance to the target, but SAGMs are considered complementary to the XM25 rather than competing against it, as the XM25 provides low-angle fire while 40 mm launchers fire a lobbing trajectory. Integrated sensors and logic devices scan and filter the environment and then autonomously airburst the fuze without needing to be told to by the firer, thereby not requiring the soldier to carry extra weapon accessories. SAGMs enable soldiers to accurately incapacitate personnel targets in defilade at ranges between 50 and 500 meters. The round is engineered with three firing modes: airburst; point detonation; and self-destruct. A successful demonstration occurred in November 2013.[26] Although the SAGM sensor does not need a laser rangefinder or any pre-fire programming sequence, it does require some skill by the user to aim and fire the round correctly so that it can detect the wall or obstruction to detonate in the air. The SAGM was to undergo evaluation in July 2015 and, if successful, transition into an official Army Program of Record by the end of the year.[27] Not only does the fuze burst over walls, but it can detonate when passing cover like trees, bursting just as it senses and passes the trunk. The sort of sensor SAGMs use to differentiate clutter from triggering obstacles is highly classified, but shows airburst reliability of 76 percent.[28]
40×51 mm MV (medium velocity), also known as 40×51 mm extended range low pressure (ERLP),[29] is a NATO-standard[30] [31] high–low grenade launcher cartridge meant for hand-held grenade launchers. Its purpose is to be an intermediate cartridge between the 40×46 mm low-velocity and 40×53 mm high-velocity cartridges and is thus referred to as 40 mm medium velocity.
The propellant has medium pressure and gives the projectile an average velocity of 100sigfig=3NaNsigfig=3 depending on the ammunition type. It has a maximum range of 800 meters, exceeding conventional extended range low-velocity variants by up to 375 meters.
The 40×51 mm MV cartridge was designed by Rheinmetall Denel Munitions for the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) after a 2008 requirement for enhanced range and lethality from hand-held 40 mm grenades.[32] Rheinmetall answered by developing a new family of 40 mm grenades named 40 mm medium velocity and by 2019 the cartridge was undergoing NATO qualification.
Besides NATO the cartridge has been ordered by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as the cartridge for their next generation multiple grenade launcher, the Milkor Y4.[33] SANDF approved acquisition in February 2018 but deliveries could not be finished until the end of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
40×53 mm HV (high velocity) is a NATO-standard high–low grenade launcher cartridge meant for mounted or crew-served automatic grenade launchers, such as the Mk.19 AGL, Mk 47 Striker, HK GMG, STK 40 AGL, and Daewoo K4.
The propellant has high pressure and gives the projectile an average velocity of 241sigfig=3NaNsigfig=3 depending on the ammunition type.
| HE, high explosive | ||
|---|---|---|
| M383 HE, high explosive[34] High explosive shell filled with composition A5. (Comp 5A = hexogen + graphite according to Swedish manuals). Wound radius: 15 meters. Arms: 18-36 meters[35] | Missing image | |
| M384 HE, high explosive[36] High explosive shell filled with composition A5. (Comp 5A = hexogen + graphite according to Swedish manuals). | Missing image | |
| AB, air burst | ||
|---|---|---|
| XM1176 HEDP-AB, high-explosive dual-purpose air burst[40] Dual purpose shaped charge with programmable fuze for air burst functionality. | ||
| MK285 PPHE/SD, programmable prefragmented high explosive/self-destructible The MK285 is an anti-personnel cartridge designed for the Mk 47 Striker automatic grenade launcher. It consists of an electronic programmable fuze, a pre-fragmented warhead and a propulsion system. The fuze is programmed through the fire control of the gun. The fuze is mechanically armed at approximately 23 meters. The round is programmed to airburst over the target and the fuze counts down the programmed time via its built in electronics. If an unprogrammed round is fired, it will detonate on impact. The projectile has a built in self-destruct and can be fired by any automatic grenade launcher. | Missing image | |
| P, practice | ||
|---|---|---|
| M385, M385A1 P, practice[41] [42] M385: Training round featuring a solid metal projectile. M385A1: Updated M385 featuring an ogive equal to the M430 HEDP round. | Missing image | |
| M918 P, practice.[43] The M918 is a training practice cartridge that has the same muzzle velocity of 790 feet per second (fps), signature, and sound as the HE round. [44] | Missing image | |
| M922, M922A1 Dummy round[45] [46] Trainers use dummy rounds to check weapon function and to train crews.[47] | Missing image | |
| MK281 Mod 0, MK281 Mod 1 P, practice[48] MK281 Mod 0: Training round featuring an impact marker. MK281 Mod 1: Training round featuring a day-night marker. | Missing image | |
Sweden currently operates the Mk 19 grenade launcher (designated 40 mm granatspruta 92 in Sweden) and thus uses the 40 mm high-velocity cartridge.[49] [24] [25] Going against Swedish military tradition, the 40 mm high-velocity cartridge currently lacks a specified indigenous designation in Swedish service. Instead only the projectile types have designations.
Currently these projectile types can be found in Swedish service manuals.
| P, practice | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 ÖVNGR P, practice Name: 40 ÖVNGR, abbreviation for Swedish: 40 mm övningsgranat, Swedish for "40 mm practice grenade". Description: The type is a practice shell for combat training and practice shooting. It is probably equivalent to the American 40 mm M918. Construction: The shell has a flash charge instead of a combat charge. Marking: The shell is colored in NATO blue training color at the top.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 ÖVNGR 07 P, practice Name: 40 ÖVNGR 07, abbreviation for Swedish: 40 mm övningsgranat 07, Swedish for "40 mm practice grenade 07". Description: The type is a practice shell for combat training and practice shooting. Construction: The shell has a steel body with a plastic cap and is filled with orange signal chalk. Marking: The shell is colored in NATO blue training color. The side of the shell features a marking of the cartridges designation in white.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mockups and inert types also exist for loading exercises and educational purposes.
The MK281 is a new type of 40 mm target practice grenade ammunition that has been accepted for use into the United States Marine Corps and the United States Army. It is "green" because it is non-toxic and non-dud producing (since it is a training round), meaning that there is no unexploded ordnance left to clean up on the range and heavy metals in the fuze do not leak into the ground. The MK281 was introduced into parts of the U.S. Armed Forces because of an executive order mandating that they buy green ammunition. The MK281 is manufactured by an American subsidiary of the Rheinmetall Group.
The United States Army has a requirement for a non-dud producing 40 mm training ammunition in both high- and low-velocity variants. The Army awarded four contracts to three United States companies to test designs. The resulting ammunition will not contain explosive energetics and have day and night visible, infrared, and thermal signatures.
40×47 mm is a cartridge caliber produced in Poland for their Pallad wz. 74 rifle-mounted grenade launchers (used with the AK family of rifles in the Polish Army, like the AKM/AKMS, Tantal and Beryl) and Pallad-D wz. 83 grenade launcher (standalone variant fitted with standard pistol grip and folding stock from the AKMS assault rifle). The construction is similar to the one used in 40×46 mm grenades, but they are not interchangeable.
40×47 mm is a cartridge caliber produced in Romania for their AG-40 model 77 and model 80 (today AG-40P) rifle-mounted grenade launchers.[51] It features a casing with a high–low system. The propellant has low pressure and gives the projectile an average velocity of NaNsigfig=3NaNsigfig=3 depending on the ammunition type.
Production was originally handled by the arms factory Uzina Mecanica Filiasi, however production was later moved to the arms factory Uzina Mecanica Tohan Zărnești, today more commonly known as S. Tohan S.A.,[52] a subsidiary of ROMARM.
Several types of the Romanian 40×47 mm exist:
Tohan currently (2021) offers a 40×47 mm high explosive type called GETZ (Grenadă Explozivă Tohan Zărnești) and an inert version called GITZ (Grenadă Inertă Tohan Zărnești). Both cartridges are 105sigfig=3NaNsigfig=3 long, with GETZ weighing 0.26sigfig=3NaNsigfig=3 and GITZ 0.2sigfig=3NaNsigfig=3.
40×74.5 mm is a cartridge caliber produced in Romania for their AGA-40 Model 85 automatic grenade launcher. It features a casing with a high–low system. The propellant has high pressure and gives the projectile an average velocity of NaNsigfig=3NaNsigfig=3 depending on the ammunition type.
Production is handled by the arms factory Uzina Mecanica Plopeni, a subsidiary of ROMARM.
Three ammunition types are known:
The standard adopted by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in its Type 96 grenade launcher. It is manufactured by Daikin Industries and the '40 mm anti-personnel light armour-piercing round' (ammunition length 112 mm, weight 371 g) is a multi-purpose grenade with a moulded explosive charge. There is also a '40 mm training round' available. [53] [54]
40 mm VOG-25 (Russian Cyrillic: ВОГ-25) (GRAU-Index: 7P17 (Russian Cyrillic: 7П17)) is a unique type of 40 mm grenade designed in the Soviet Union for hand-held grenade launchers, such as the Soviet GP-25 Kostyor and GP-30 Obuvka.[55] Instead of a casing, the VOG-25 is caseless ammunition, featuring its propellant in an expansion chamber at the base of the projectile, functioning more like a mortar round than conventional cased ammunition.
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.
The VOG-25 is 103mm long, weighs 250g, and features a 48g explosive charge. It has a muzzle velocity of 76m/s and will self-destruct after 14 seconds.
During its time (1994–2012), Metal Storm Limited in Australia designed several automatic caseless 40 mm grenade launcher systems[56] [57] based on their own caseless ammunition weapon design.[58] Unlike common caseless ammunition and their weapon systems the Metal Storm design lacked a feeding magazine and instead stacked the projectiles in front of each other in the barrel with the propellant in between the projectiles. The system lacked moving parts and the propellant was electronically fired.The 40 mm grenades used in the systems were off the shelf existing warheads converted to function in the design.