Infantry weapons / Grenade launchers / GMG
GMG
General Facts
- TYPE
Automatic grenade launcher - ORIGIN
Germany - NICKNAMES
GMG / Granatmaschinengewehr, grenade machine gun
C16 Close Area Suppression Weapon (Canadian service)
L134A1 (UK service)
40 KrKK 2005 (Finnish service) - DESIGNED
1992 - 1995 - DESIGNER
Heckler & Koch - PRODUCTION
1995 - present - PRODUCERS
Canada - Rheinmetall Canada
Germany - Heckler & Koch
Greece - EBO - QUANTITY
Unknown - UNIT COST
Unknown - CHARACTERISTICS
Good firepower
Accurate
High reliability
Expensive
Introduction
The GMG is a modern automatic grenade launcher of German origin. It was developed by Heckler & Koch as a private venture in the early 1990's. GMG stands for Granatmaschinengewehr, which is German for Grenade Machine Gun.
Design
The GMG uses blowback operation with advanced primer ignition, a method used in the original US Mk 19 but omitted in later models. It is a belt fed weapon that feeds from left to right. Iron sights are fitted, although usually a reflex or night vision sight is attached. The GMG can be used on a tripod but is usually vehicle mounted.
Firepower
The GMG fires 40x53mm high velocity grenades from belts, mostly of 32 rounds. The GMG is a select-fire weapon with a cyclic rate of fire of 350 rpm. The maximum range is 2.2 km, but the effective range is 1.5 km. The standard HEDP grenades have a lethal radius of 5 m, wounding radius of 15 m and will pierce the armor of most light armored vehicles.
Users
The first user for the GMG was the German army, which uses it on a variety of vehicles such as the Fennek and Dingo. The GMG has been sold to a variety of European nations and the US Special Forces.
GMG
The GMG is an automatic grenade launcher that fires 40x53mm high velocity rounds. The standard GMG model is the most common version. For infantry use on a tripod a lighter model was developed. This is known as the GMG light or GMW, which stands for Granatmaschinenwaffe. The GMW lacks a muzzle attachment, soft mount ability and ammunition box bracket.
- Specifications:
- GMG
| Type | Automatic grenade launcher |
|---|---|
| Caliber | 40x53mm NATO |
| Magazine | Belt fed, 32 rounds |
| Operation | Blowback with advanced primer ignition |
| Fire selector | 0-1-F |
| Rate of fire | 350 rpm |
| Barrel length | 415 mm |
|---|---|
| Rifling | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | 241 m/s |
| Stock | - |
| Length | 1.18 m |
| Width | 140 mm, 226 mm max |
| Height | 208 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 28.8 kg (gun only), 10.7 kg (tripod) |
| Sights | Iron sights, 100 to 1.500 m gradations, reflex or night vision sight |
| Remarks | - |
Mk 19 MOD 3
The GMG was developed for the same role as the widely used American Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher.
Fennek
The GMG was introduced in regular German army service as the primary armament of the new Fennek reconnaissance vehicle.