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59-465: The HK69A1 is a 40 mm grenade launcher developed and produced by the German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch (H&K). The weapon was designed to engage enemy troops and strongpoints out to a distance of 350 m; it can also be used to deploy smoke grenades and illumination flares . The launcher's history dates back to the late 1960s, when development began of a weapon intended to be fitted (using

118-792: A Drehvisier a rotary rear drum and hooded front post. The rear sight is mechanically adjustable for both windage and elevation with the help of tools. This deliberately prevents non-armorers to (re)zero the iron sight line. The rotary drum features an open V-notch (numbered 1) for rapid target acquisition, close range, low light and impaired visibility use and three apertures (numbered 2, 3 and 4) used for: 200–400 metres (219–437 yd) in 100 metres (109 yd) increments for more precise aiming. The 1 V-notch and 2 or 200 metres (219 yd) aperture settings have an identical point of aim. The V-notch and apertures are calibrated for 5.56×45mm NATO ball ammunition. The receiver housing has recesses that work with STANAG claw mounts/HK clamp adapters (standard with

177-416: A single action firing mechanism with an exposed hammer that is cocked manually with the thumb after loading a round. A manual safety secures against accidental firing; the safety is ambidextrous and provides a lever on each side of the frame, above the trigger (the lever in the "S" position – indicates the weapon is safe; "F" – ready to fire). The grenade launcher is aimed using iron sights that consist of

236-401: A conventional hammer-type firing mechanism. In the standard version, the rifle comes equipped with an ambidextrous trigger group with a selector lever that is simultaneously the weapon's safety (it has three positions: "S" or "0"—weapon is safe, "E"/"1"—semiautomatic fire, "F"/"25"—continuous fire). The "safe" setting mechanically disables the trigger. The trigger groups can be swapped out to meet

295-527: A cross-bolt manual safety catch (installed in the frame, forward of the cocking mechanism). The safety mechanism's "safe" and "ready" positions are marked with red and white rings respectively; the weapon can be loaded and cocked with the safety set at either position. A quadrant sight is provided for aiming, fitted to the right side of the grenade launcher, providing a rotating frame with a post and notch sight, graduated for distances from 50 to 350 m, every 50 m. The launcher weighs 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) unloaded;

354-442: A front post (adjustable for elevation) and a rear sight that has a flip-up dual aperture for short-range engagements (50 and 100 m settings) and a folding ladder-type leaf sight for long distance firing (has notched steps for 150, 200, 250 and 350 m), that is folded down and over the barrel when stowed. The weapon has a synthetic pistol grip , a lightweight telescopic metal stock with a rubber shoulder pad and sling swivels for use with

413-553: A licence agreement. The rifle was also licence-built in Turkey by MKEK , and exported from France branded as MAS but actually made in Germany. The HK33 is a selective fire weapon with Heckler & Koch's roller-delayed blowback system of operation. It employs a two-piece bolt consisting of a bolt head with a pair of rollers and bolt carrier. Upon firing, the two cylindrical rollers in the bolt head are cammed inward by inclined surfaces of

472-570: 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. Although

531-428: A rifled barrel, which is hinged at the front and tilted upward ("break action") for loading and removing spent shell casings. The barrel in the "combat ready" position locks into the frame with a rotary latch, mounted at the rear of the frame. The grenade launcher does not have an extractor; instead notches were cut into the base of the barrel that enable the operator to remove spent shell casings manually. The HK69A1 has

590-685: A similar manner to the early versions of the US-made M203 . This was one of the early studies for an under-carried launcher to be mated to the SA80, and never acquired. The necessary step in equipping the SA80 rifles with an underslung grenade launcher was made only in the year 2003 with the adoption of the L17A1/A2 (a variant of the AG36 launcher). The HK69A1 was manufactured under license in Italy by Luigi Franchi S.p.A. as

649-465: A sling. The grenade launcher is typically carried in a thigh holster. The HK69A1 is also available in a 40 mm police variant, called the MZP 1 (short for Mehrzweckpistole 1 > "Multipurpose Pistol #1"). It is equipped only with a flip sight with 50, 100 and 150 m range adjustments; the leaf sight was removed. The MZP-1 weighs 2.52 kg (5.6 lb), the remaining parameters are identical to those of

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708-569: A special mount) under the barrel of the 7.62×51mm NATO G3A3 rifle. In 1972 the prototype was unveiled of what would ultimately become the Granatpistole HK69 . After being evaluated, the decision was made to develop an autonomous stand-alone version of the grenade launcher, which was created in 1979 and designated the HK69A1. In the 1980s the weapon was adopted into service with the German Army as

767-545: A vulnerable part of the body and causing a fatal injury. Based on the HK69A1 is the HK79 underslung grenade launcher, designed to be mounted under the barrel of the G3 and G41 series of assault rifles (with the exception of the short, carbine versions). When attached, the HK79 does not affect the accuracy of the rifle, since the barrel is free to oscillate. Handling and operating functions of

826-455: Is a 5.56mm assault rifle developed in the 1960s by West German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K), primarily for export. Building on the success of their G3 design, the company developed a family of small arms (all using the G3 operating principle and basic design concept) consisting of four types of firearms: the first type, chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO ; the second, using

885-686: 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

944-482: Is a cartridge caliber produced in Romania for their AG-40 model 77 and model 80 (today AG-40P) rifle-mounted grenade launchers. It features a casing with a high–low system . The propellant has low pressure and gives the projectile an average velocity of 78–120 m/s (256–394 ft/s) depending on the ammunition type. Production was originally handled by the arms factory Uzina Mecanica Filiasi , however production

1003-462: 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 216–223 m/s (709–732 ft/s) 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

1062-555: 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

1121-566: 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 . 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

1180-444: Is fed from 20- or 25-round steel magazines weighing 250 g or 40-round aluminum magazines (weighing 157 g). 30-round arch magazines were also introduced for use with the rifle. Turkish MKEK-made rifles are issued with 30-round polymer magazines. The barrel contains 6 right-hand grooves and terminates with a slotted flash suppressor that enables the use of rifle grenades and supports a standard G3-type bayonet that mounts above

1239-550: Is handled by the arms factory 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

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1298-412: Is limited by specific ammunition and arm parameters like bullet weight, propellant charge, barrel length and amount of wear. For obtaining a proper and safe functioning parameters bandwidth Heckler & Koch offer a variety of locking pieces with different mass and shoulder angles. The angles are critical and determine the unlock timing and pressure curve progression as the locking pieces act in unison with

1357-455: Is used for automatic grenade launchers . 40×46 mm LV ( low velocity ) is a NATO-standard 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 78–84 m/s (256–276 ft/s) depending on

1416-615: The GL-40/90 ; it differs from the original German launcher as it features a modified sliding stock assembly and different grips and sights, all made of plastic. It is used by several Italian Law Enforcement agencies for riot control . No military use is made of this weapon in Italy as the Italian Military is equipped with other types of grenade launchers such as the Singaporean CIS 40 GL , again manufactured by Franchi under license, and

1475-533: The Granatpistole 40 mm (known also in the abbreviated form GraPi ). It is also used by the special forces and security personnel of several other countries. The grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, breech-loaded weapon that fires a projectile using the High-Low System . The main component is the frame that contains and integrates all of the weapon's mechanisms and assemblies. The weapon features

1534-551: 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. 40 mm VOG-25 ( Russian Cyrillic : ВОГ-25 ) (GRAU-Index: 7P17 ( Russian Cyrillic : 7П17 ))

1593-782: The M16 , it was used in small numbers by SEAL teams due to its available 40-round magazine. In Myanmar, the Karen National Liberation Army fielded government-made HK33s. Thai government units fielded HK33s during the South Thailand insurgency . Some of these rifles were seized by groups such as the Patani United Liberation Organisation or the Gerakan Mujahidin Islam Patani . The Kurdistan Workers' Party often claimed it seized HK33s from

1652-825: 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 103 mm (4.1 in) long, weighs 250 g (8.8 oz), and features a 48 g (1.7 oz) explosive charge. It has a muzzle velocity of 76 m/s (250 ft/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 based on their own caseless ammunition weapon design. Unlike common caseless ammunition and their weapon systems

1711-600: The Soviet 7.62×39mm M43 round; the third, chambered in .223 Remington and 5.56×45mm NATO ; and the fourth type, chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge. Commercially the HK33 was a successful design but it did not sell as well as the G3. The HK33 series of rifles were adopted by the Brazilian Air Force ( Força Aérea Brasileira or FAB), the armed forces of Thailand and Malaysia where they were produced under

1770-465: The 40 mm high-velocity cartridge . 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. Mockups and inert types also exist for loading exercises and educational purposes. The MK281

1829-534: 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

Heckler & Koch HK69A1 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1888-411: 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 100 m/s (328 ft/s) 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

1947-474: The American M203 grenade launcher . 40 mm grenade Several countries have developed or adopted grenade launchers in 40 mm caliber. 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

2006-493: The HK33, G3, G3SG/1 and MP5 ) used to mount day (typically the Hensoldt 4×24 telescopic sight) or night aiming optics. The Hensoldt Fero 4×24 telescopic sight and mount assembly were developed for designated marksman use. The Fero elevation knob features Bullet Drop Compensation (BDC) settings for 100–600 metres (109–656 yd) in 100 metres (109 yd) increments calibrated for 5.56×45mm NATO ball ammunition. Included with

2065-517: The HK69A1. It is used as a tear gas grenade launcher. Dual use as signal-/flare launcher is possible but no longer common (German police). A version fitted with a 37mm barrel (rifled rather than the typical smoothbore used with 37mm munitions) was adopted by Britain as the L104A1. The bore was rifled to increase the accuracy of the L21A1 plastic baton round, thus reducing the likelihood of unintentionally hitting

2124-482: 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. Heckler %26 Koch HK33 The Heckler & Koch HK33

2183-602: 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. Not only does the fuze burst over walls, but it can detonate when passing cover like trees, bursting just as it senses and passes

2242-593: 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

2301-503: The ammunition type. AB, air burst Octol filled fragmentation grenade with a time fuze. The A1 has a different fuze from the regular M397. Besides combat ammo there also exists crowd control ammunition like sponge grenades . Sweden currently operates the M203 grenade launcher (designated Granattillsats 40 mm Automatkarbin in Sweden) and thus uses the 40 mm low-velocity cartridge . Going against Swedish military tradition,

2360-461: The barrel extension and impart a rearward motion on the locking piece, which also propels the bolt carrier rearward. This built-in mechanical disadvantage delays the movement of the bolt head relative to the bolt head carrier which is withdrawing at significant higher velocity of the bolt head. The rollers soon compress entirely into the bolt head, clearing the locking recesses of the barrel extension, and both parts now continue rearward together, opening

2419-428: The barrel extension recesses. Like the G3 bolt the HK33 bolt features an anti-bounce mechanism that prevents the bolt from bouncing off the barrel's breech surface. The "bolt head locking lever" is a spring-loaded claw mounted on the bolt carrier that grabs the bolt head as the bolt carrier group goes into battery. The lever essentially ratchets into place with friction, providing enough resistance to being re-opened that

Heckler & Koch HK69A1 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2478-402: The barrel's base assist the user in manually removing spent cartridges. The HK79 is fitted with an internal, single-action firing mechanism that has a charging mechanism located at the rear of the frame (the mechanism is cocked manually after loading the weapon) and a trigger mechanism with a button-type trigger located on the left-hand side of the handguard. Safe operation is ensured by means of

2537-411: The barrel. The barrel end of the chamber is fluted , which assists in the initial extraction of a spent cartridge casing (since the breech is opened under very high internal cartridge case pressure). revised to the faster 178 mm (1:7 in) twist rate (used to stabilize new, heavier NATO -standard SS109/M855 ammunition). The firearm is equipped with a relatively low iron sight line that consists of

2596-433: The bolt carrier does not rebound. The spring-powered claw extractor is also contained inside the bolt while the lever ejector is located inside the trigger housing (actuated by the recoiling bolt). Further like the G3 the HK33 also contains a spring extractor and a buffer. The ejector lever was installed in the trigger housing and is actuated by the recoiling bolt. The reliable functioning of roller-delayed blowback mechanisms

2655-502: The bolt head carrier. The HK33 is a modular weapon system. Its butt-stock, fore-stock and pistol-grip/fire-control assembly may be changed at will in a variety of configurations (listed below). Simple push-pins hold the components in place and removing them will allow the user to remove and replace parts rapidly. The rifle is disassembled into the following components for maintenance: the receiver/barrel, stock with return spring, bolt assembly and trigger pack in pistol grip. The HK33 has

2714-503: The breech and actuating the extraction and feeding cycles. The chamber is opened under high pressure, thus the chamber received a series of flutes in order to increase extraction reliability and prevent sticking of the spent casing to the chamber walls. The G3 roller-delayed blowback mechanism designed around 7.62×51mm NATO ammunition was downsized and revised for reliably using 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition. This required changing geometrical transmission ratio relationships between parts. Based on

2773-700: The cartridge for their next generation multiple grenade launcher, the Milkor Y4 . 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

2832-404: The geometric relationship arising from the angles of the roller contact surfaces of the locking piece and the barrel extension recesses, the recoil of the bolt head is delayed by a ratio of 3:1 for the 5.56×45mm NATO chambering. Thus during the same period of time, the bolt head carrier moves 3 times faster than the bolt head. This ratio is continued until the locking rollers have been withdrawn from

2891-540: 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

2950-510: The muzzle velocity using standard ammunition is approx. 76 m/s (249.3 ft/s). The HK79A1 is a variant specially designed for installation on the HK33 assault rifle. The DM101 A2 (IM) HE-Frag grenade statistics: Both the HK69A1 and the HK79 use 40×46mm low-velocity grenade rounds. The Diehl BGT Defence DM101 A2 (IM) HE-Frag grenade is the Bundeswehr's standard-issue ammunition for use with

3009-530: The projectile an average velocity of 241 m/s (791 ft/s) depending on the ammunition type. Armor penetration: 2 inches (51 millimetres). of steel armor at 0-degree obliquity Inflict personnel casualties: 15 meters from impact M430A1: Has a longer shaped charge than the M430 and penetrates more armor. Armor penetration: 3 inches (76 millimetres). Sweden currently operates the Mk 19 grenade launcher (designated 40 mm granatspruta 92 in Sweden) and thus uses

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3068-509: The rifle are a detachable bipod, bayonet (from the G3), sling, cleaning kit and a magazine loader. Additionally, the HK33 can be used to mount a 40 mm under-barrel HK79 grenade launcher or a blank-firing adaptor . During its production life the rifle has received several minor improvements (these modified weapons are sometimes referred to collectively as the HK33E ). The fixed stock was strengthened and

3127-443: The rifle are not affected by the presence of the launcher. The weapon is used by the armed forces of Nicaragua , Norway and Panama . The HK79 is a single-fire, manually operated weapon, whose breech-loaded steel barrel is tilted downward for loading and unloading (compared to the HK69A1, which hinges upward). The barrel in the closed position is locked into battery with a rear-mounted latch. The weapon lacks an extractor; cuts made into

3186-559: The synthetic forearm replaced with a handguard that allows a lightweight bipod to be attached and stowed into two grooves at the base. The shoulder pad in rifles fitted with a telescopic stock was changed to a concave type used thus far in the MP5 series. A copy of the Heckler & Koch HK33 was built under licence by Harrington & Richardson as T223 during the Vietnam War . Although heavier than

3245-416: The trunk. The sort of sensor SAGMs use to differentiate clutter from triggering obstacles is highly classified, but shows airburst reliability of 76 percent. 40×51 mm MV (medium velocity), also known as 40×51 mm extended range low pressure (ERLP), is a NATO-standard high–low grenade launcher cartridge meant for hand-held grenade launchers . Its purpose is to be an intermediate cartridge between

3304-483: The user's specific mission requirements. H&K offers several different trigger assemblies: a three-shot burst fire control group with selector lever/safety (selector settings: "0" weapon is safe, "1" single fire, "2" 2-round burst or "3" 3-round burst; the selector lever is ambidextrous); a "Navy" trigger unit (three settings: safe, semi and full auto fire) and a four-position trigger group (selector settings: safe, single fire, 3-round burst and automatic fire). The rifle

3363-514: The weapon. It was designed to contain most of its lethal fragmentation within a 5-meter area of effect, a measure meant to reduce "friendly fire" casualties during rapid assaults or close-in perimeter defense. A development of the HK79A1 is the 40 mm underslung SA80 grenade launcher, adapted for use on the British 5.56×45mm NATO L85A1 assault rifle, where it is mounted by replacing the handguard in

3422-596: 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. 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

3481-574: Was later moved to the arms factory Uzina Mecanica Tohan Zărnești , today more commonly known as S. Tohan S.A. , 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 105 mm (4.13 in) long, with GETZ weighing 0.260 kg (0.573 lb) and GITZ 0.200 kg (0.441 lb). 40×74.5 mm

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