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Title: MGL-140 6-shot grenade launcher


City Hunter - December 7, 2004 12:20 AM (GMT)
Sorry newbie lang ako sa forum na ito. Inquire ko lang kung fielded pa ba yun MGL na mukhang malaking KG9? Haven't seen it again after an old defense exhibit. Masyado bang malakas ang recoil kasi?

tirad - August 10, 2005 03:34 PM (GMT)
Vintage manportable 90mm RCLR and jeep-mounted 106RCLR and the Cockerill 90-armed LAVs proved capable for bunker-busting in the quasi-conventional warfare scenario (eg, 2000 campaign vs MI static camps).

However, there seems to still be need for a PA/PMC truly manportable weapon that can provide anti-infantry explosive effects that extends beyond the capability of single-shot M203. That is, in the more usual engagement with opposing forces on foot. And, at a cost, for both the launcher and the rounds required, that we can deem affordable to deploy in sufficient numbers. (No, we’re still not likely to adopt the RPG.) Enter the…

Milkor MGL-140 6-shot grenade launcher.

user posted image

- Can fire 6 x 40mm grenade rounds in 3 seconds.

Lay down a barrage in a general area, such concentrated opposing troops or in the direction of that RPG backblast or MG muzzle flash.
Or be able to quickly “walk through” successive rounds onto a target.

As an additional platoon support weapon, can complement squads’ single-shot M203.
Maybe it can even be deployed at squad level (read somewhere as Malaysia has done with their MGLs). Say, replace one of two M203 grenadiers in a squad (operator will have to be issued with a compact carbine or PDW of some kind).

Can also complement the bullet hoses: take out opposing forces pinned down by MG fire, or expose them to MG/rifle fire as they fumble for cover from the barrage.

- Uses low-velocity 40mm grenade rounds of the M203 (and US replacement XM320).
Good ol' M203 rounds, a lot of them. Not pricey rockets, which are probably better suited for bunker-busting as noted previously.

- A poor man's XM25?

Slower to reload (revolver vs. clip-fed) but the same 6 grenade rounds available as in that futuristic US weapon. And it's the MGL140's 40mm vs. XM25's 20mm.

No airburst -- yet.
Israelis are developing airburst tech for their Refaim 40mm grenade rounds, which can be fired both as a rifle grenade or launched from the M203, so if that fire control system can be adapted to the MGL, that’ll also be six airburst shots.

- 13 lbs. empty, 16 lbs. fully loaded; one-man operation
- range: up to 400 meters vs area targets, 150m vs point targets; 30m minimum engagement.
- New MGL-140 improves over older MGL-1 (available since ‘80s)
IR-compatible 3X? optic, Picatinny sight and forearm rails, stainless steel instead of aluminum construction, longer cylinders to be able to use not just present M203 rounds but also future more capable (and longer) rounds, such as being developed for single-shot XM320.
- Used in 20+ countries, combat-proven from the bushlands of South Africa (where it originates) to the jungles of Colombia.

- and of course...cost: $6,000, as cited in (US) Armed Forces Journal site.

Much less than a $13-15T SMAW/Carl-Gustaf.

If we had opted (and maybe still can) for the $2T Ultimax as against the $5T Minimi, instead of just $30T worth of 6 Minimi/M249 SAW to a platoon, we could equip a platoon with 6 Ultimax as SAW and up to 3 MGL-140 for the same price (obviously less if we opt for just 1-2 MGLs).

Useful now in COIN.
And, with future targeting/priming tech developments, could be useful beyond too.

.Defense Review story
.MGL140 on Modern Firearms site
.snippet in AFJ site
.

saver111 - August 11, 2005 10:42 AM (GMT)
South Africa's upgraded original version:
user posted image
MGL M1
Soviet version:
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RG 6 with telescopic stock
U.S. version:
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MM1 12 shots (claims designed came from police teargas launcher prior WWII)
South Africa's latest model:
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MGL 140

Looking at it's simplicity in design, I believe we can make our own.
Project no. 2 for our Danao Gunsmiths. :specool:

City Hunter - August 12, 2005 01:02 AM (GMT)
Hmmm. What happened to that locally made magazine fed MGL that we had back then? The one that looks like a KG-9 on steroids?

spiderweb6969 - August 14, 2005 06:50 AM (GMT)
user posted image
40mm MGL is already with Malaysian Armed Forces for quite sometime ago and believe to be looking for another 200 more in the near future

tirad - August 14, 2005 01:47 PM (GMT)
QUOTE (spiderweb6969 @ Aug 14 2005, 02:50 PM)
40mm MGL is already with Malaysian Armed Forces for quite sometime ago and believe to be looking for another 200 more in the near future

spider,

I've read that somewhere, but can't seem to find it now, that Malaysia has an MGL -- and RPG -- at squad level. Would you know if that's that correct?

Also, any updates on Singapore's SSW? That could be another MGL worth looking at in a few years if it's still under development. (Still debatable whether that integral 4.6/5.7 PDW is a bonus or drawback though.)

spiderweb6969 - August 14, 2005 02:07 PM (GMT)
QUOTE (tirad @ Aug 14 2005, 09:47 PM)
QUOTE (spiderweb6969 @ Aug 14 2005, 02:50 PM)
40mm MGL is already with Malaysian Armed Forces for quite sometime ago and believe to be looking for another 200 more in the near future

spider,

I've read that somewhere, but can't seem to find it now, that Malaysia has an MGL -- and RPG -- at squad level. Would you know if that's that correct?

Also, any updates on Singapore's SSW? That could be another MGL worth looking at in a few years if it's still under development. (Still debatable whether that integral 4.6/5.7 PDW is a bonus or drawback though.)

yes it's confirm, they have both, infact they are buying 200 more MGL and 300 more RPG 7 launcher in the near future. according to the article "weight wise" their soldiers prefer the RPG's then the Carl Gustav. based on their believe at most engagement in their country will only be around 300 metres. so RPG's rather than other heavier equivalent make sense, the best part is it's cheap and idiot proof, it comes in many type of round (including thermobaric) for many type target to choose from and available anywhere including the black market.

I've posted someting here
http://pdff.sytes.net/index.php?showtopic=1931&st=15

spiderweb6969 - August 14, 2005 02:11 PM (GMT)
for our SSW, i dont know, i've seen it only once at the Asian Aerospace, look like a toy and very light, but im sure it's still an experimental rifle.

tirad - August 15, 2005 07:51 AM (GMT)
Thanks for the info, spider.

gritpaladin - March 15, 2006 11:22 PM (GMT)
Marines in Iraq Get 40mm Six-Shooter

March 15, 2006: Six shot, "revolver" type 40mm grenade launchers have been around for years. But the U.S. military has never adopted them, until now. The U.S. Marine Corps has, after several months of testing, issued these weapons to troops in Iraq.



The MGL-140 40mm, six shot, grenade launcher is now called the M32. This weapon is, literally, a shotgun size revolver that fires standard American 40mm grenades. Thus it has a minimum range of 30 meters, and a maximum range of 400 meters. The weapon is 32 inches long, and weighs 13.2 pounds empty, and 20.3 pounds loaded (40mm rounds weigh about 19 ounces each.) Like any 40mm grenade launcher, it can fire lethal and non-lethal (tear gas, Etc.) rounds, and fire all six of them in a few seconds. The M32 also has a rail for mounting various types of aiming devices (day and night scopes). M32s retail for $6,000 each, but the marines have gotten a volume discount.



Currently, each battalion has one M32, to be used to see how the weapon performs in combat. If user reports are positive, more will be issued. Marines and soldiers have used their single shot, 40mm grenade launchers, a lot in Iraq, and with much success. But the single shot 40mm launchers have been around since the 1960s, and the marines wanted to try something new. Weapons like the MGL-140 have been used by police and military organizations for years.

tirad - March 21, 2006 11:08 AM (GMT)
http://192.156.19.109/marinelink/...

Marines carry six-pack attack
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200631023356
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

CAMP MERCURY, Iraq (March 9, 2006) -- Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to want one.

Marines with Regimental Combat Team 5, based in Camp Fallujah, test-fired the latest in the Corps’ arsenal of weapons’ improvement, the M-32 Multiple shot Grenade Launcher. It’s a six-barreled, 40 mm beast of weapon that has just about enough attitude for Marines.

“I thought it was pretty bad the first time I saw it,” said Cpl. Jason H. Flanery, a 23-year-old mortarman from St. Louis, Mo., assigned to RCT-5’s Personnel Security Detachment.

The M-32 MGL looks like something straight out of an action movie or a weapon ginned up by designers of futuristic video combat games. It’s a bare-bones, shoulder-fired weapon with a bulging six-barreled cylinder. There’s no bones about it. This thing’s all business when the trade is knocking out bad-guys at a distance.

“You can put six rounds on target in under three seconds,” Flanery said. “I thought this thing was sick.”

Sick might be right for the insurgent on the other end of the sight. The M-32 MGL is step up from the M-203 grenade launcher Marines have used since post-Vietnam days. It fires similar 40 mm grenades and at similar distances. It just puts more rounds on the bad guys faster.

“The ‘203 has been around since the ‘60s,” explained CWO4 Gene A. Bridgman, the regiment’s gunner, or weapons expert. “It keeps improving. This is a progression in the weapons system.”

Flanery put the comparison of the two similar weapons in more simple terms.

“It makes it obsolete,” he said. “It’s that much better.”

The idea to bring M-32 was the brainchild of Marine gunners across the Corps, explained Bridgman, a 43-year-old from Garden City, Kan. During an annual symposium, they decided an improvement was needed over the M-203. One option was to bring back a rifle-grenade. The M-32, won out, however, and now each Marine battalion will field them as an experimental weapon.

Bridgman added the M-32 isn’t a new idea altogether, though. Brazilian, Italian and South African military have carried them in the field for years. Marines, though, took it one step further.

A fore-grip was added and a scope was mounted to the top, eliminating the old leaf sights like that of the M-203. The scope allows a Marine to follow the grenade to the target and immediately adjust and follow up with a lethal volley of indirect fire.

“The ‘203 was on shot at time,” Bridgman said. “The ‘203 became a signal weapon. This is more of an offensive weapon. With this, you shoot, adjust and fire for effect.”

The average Marine said it’s just about that easy to shoot. Lance Cpl. Alexandro R. Raymundo, a 20-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., isn’t an infantryman. He’s a network administrator by trade. He shot the M-203 before during initial training, but this was his first time picking up the M-32 MGL.

“I thought it might be like the ‘203,” Raymundo said. “But is shoots more rounds, faster. It’s really simple. I had ‘hands-on’ once. I picked it up really quickly.”

As far as how it felt shooting it, Raymundo said the weapon was about as beefy as it looks.

“I felt like there’s more recoil than the ‘203 and the trigger’s a lot heavier” he explained. “It’s heftier than the ‘203.”

His likes about the weapon included the small scope added to the rail-mount system on top of the weapon.

“The optic was nice,” he added. “It’s a lot easier to sight in.”

Of course, there’s the part about lots of things going “boom” downrange too.

“My favorite part was being able to fire out so many grenades and not have to reload between each shot.”

Sgt. David G. Redford, a 35-year-old from Kennebunkport, Me., has more practical experience when it comes to what grunts like in the field. He’s an infantryman by trade and has logged in his own hours carrying the M-203.

“I didn’t know what to think about it before we came out here, but it’s nice,” Redford said. “It’s easier to shoot. You don’t have to constantly load. If you run into something, you’re already loaded.”

Redford predicted that most infantry Marines will welcome the addition of the six-pack attack weapon.

That’s exactly the reaction Bridgman wants to see. Adding the M-32 MGL could realign the way Marines operate at the small-team level. Fire teams could become more lethal, more mobile and more independent. The idea of a dedicated grenadier might just be reborn.

“Now you have your own indirect fire support right in the fire team,” Bridgman explained. “You have someone who can lay down (high explosive rounds) against someone in a trench. It would be used against enemy in fighting holes or behind cars, because of the indirect nature of the weapon. It’s the only weapon aside from mortars,” at the small team’s disposal.

Still, Bridgman stressed the weapon is only experimental. Marines will be gathering data about its’ effectiveness and durability from experiences on the streets of Fallujah.

For Flanery, though, the M-32 is already welcome.

“I think it’s one of the most simple and effective weapons systems,” he said. “I just want buckshot rounds.”

user posted image

ian - March 22, 2006 02:22 AM (GMT)
It looks like a good replacement weapon for squad grenadiers. One of the two grenadiers should have one M32.

We should buy it outside instead of having it manufactured here though. If that will be manufactured in danao, no doubt the leftist and civilian/political armies and wannabies will buy too.

saver111 - March 22, 2006 06:21 AM (GMT)
QUOTE (ian @ Mar 22 2006, 10:22 AM)

We should buy it outside instead of having it manufactured here though. If that will be manufactured in danao, no doubt the leftist and civilian/political armies and wannabies will buy too.

Well, even though we don't manufacture it here, Danao are making copycats of the ingram, pistols and revolvers. Rebels are making their own RPGs and Grenade launchers. If some of our forces starts getting the original issue, for sure it will be copied by our gunsmiths.

srkali29 - March 25, 2006 04:35 AM (GMT)
That M32 may be a bit too heavy to carry in long range patrols but once the shooting starts, our soldiers would have a great advantage in the encounters. Maybe the PNP outpost in far-flung areas should have one of these since they are the favorite targets of the NPAs for their "agaw-armas" operations.

Since the NPAs usually attack in overwhelming odds against an Army/Police outpost, the M32 will definitely provide the needed firepower and deter the attackers from gaining the upper hand in the initial volley alone.




saver111 - March 25, 2006 04:52 AM (GMT)
Even just the MGL M1 model being used by the Malaysians will do (lower cost?). Looking at the difference between the 2, the M32 seems to be upgraded with add-ons that can be done by our troops.

saver111 - March 27, 2006 12:35 PM (GMT)
QUOTE (City Hunter @ Aug 12 2005, 09:02 AM)
Hmmm.  What happened to that locally made magazine fed MGL that we had back then?  The one that looks like a KG-9 on steroids?

I did remember seeing a photo of a magazine fed M-79, I just can't remember where I saw it but it's U.S. made. A prototype, side-magazine, 3 or 6 shots. I don't know if that was a field manual of the M-79 where it was discussing the R & D and upgrades of the weapon.

Maybe it's part of the collection of field manuals of our commandant. Should have photocopied them.

I've been scanning the net and this is what I found only.

http://www.securityarms.com/cgi-local/sa.c...rames;read=9105

saver111 - September 19, 2006 07:24 AM (GMT)
A Chinese reversed-engineering project

TYPE 87 (QLZ87) 35MM GRENADE LAUNCHER

user posted image

The Type 87 (QLZ87) 35mm automatic grenade launcher is the first of this type of weapon in service with the PLA. The launcher is available in two versions: the standard variant (right) and the heavy variant (left).

user posted image
user posted image
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QUOTE
The Type 87 (also known as QLZ87) is the 35mm automatic grenade launcher developed by NORINCO in the late 1980s. Designed to provide direct fire support for infantry troops, the Type 87 is the first grenade launcher that has entered service with the PLA as a standard weapon equipment. The weapon was described as “mini infantry artillery” and has been serving with the PLA infantry (including airborne forces and the Marine Corps) at platoon and company level since the mid-1990s.

PROGRAMME

The PLA began to study the use of grenade launcher in its infantry units in the 1970s. Reverse-engineering of the U.S. M-79 40mm grenade launcher and the Soviet AGS-17 35mm automatic grenade launcher was carried out in the late 1970s, but these weapons did not enter service. In the mid-1980s, NORINCO introduced the W87 35mm automatic grenade launcher for export market, and the weapon was widely seen as an indication of success in the Chinese indigenous grenade launcher programme. By the late 1980s, NORINCO introduced new improved version of the W87 for the use of the PLA. The weapon entered service with the PLA in the mid-1990s under the designation Type 87 (QLZ87).

The Type 87 is available in two variants: the standard variant and the tripod-mounted heavy variant. The standard variant with a combat weight of 12kg can be carried and fired by a single soldier and is mainly for the engaging targets within 600m distance. The heavy variant with a combat weight of 20kg is carried by a crew of three and has a longer range (>1,750m). The weapon delivers 25kg HE or HEAT grenades in either single or burst mode, with a sustained rate of fire of 45rds/min.

Compared to the U.S. MK19-3 40mm automatic grenade launcher, the Type 87 is inferior in range,  muzzle velocity, and rate of fire. However, the Chinese 35mm grenade, though lighter than the MK19-3’s 40mm grenade, has better performance in blasting radius (MK19-3: 7m; Type 87: 11m) and armour penetration (MK19-3: 51mm; Type 87: 80mm). Unlike the MK19-3, which can only be fired on tripod, the Type 87 can be carried and fired by a single soldier.

DESIGNS

The Type 87 is a manportable, gas-operated, air-cooled, fully automatic weapon. It fires 35mm HE and HEAT grenades in either single or burst mode. The grenades are fed to the weapon using 6-round (standard variant) or 15-round (heavy variant) cartridge drum. The weapon is equipped with an optical aiming sight. The standard and heavy variants are almost identical in basic designs. The standard variant has a foldable bipod for shooting, while the heavy variant is mounted on a tripod. If necessary, the weapon can also be mounted on vehicles or helicopters. As well as engaging ground targets, the weapon is claimed to be also capable of attacking low-flying airborne targets.

SPECIFICATIONS

Calibre: 35mm
Muzzle velocity: 200m/s
Firing mode: Single, burst
Max range: (standard) 600m; (heavy) 1,750m
Weight: (standard, with scope) 12kg; (heavy, with scope) 20kg
Elevation: (heavy, mounted on tripod) -10~70 degrees
Traverse: 360 degrees
Rate of fire: (sustained) 45 rds/min
Grenade weight: 250g
Ammunition: HE, HEAT

saver111 - September 19, 2006 07:33 AM (GMT)
QUOTE (saver111 @ Mar 27 2006, 08:35 PM)
QUOTE (City Hunter @ Aug 12 2005, 09:02 AM)
Hmmm.  What happened to that locally made magazine fed MGL that we had back then?  The one that looks like a KG-9 on steroids?

I did remember seeing a photo of a magazine fed M-79, I just can't remember where I saw it but it's U.S. made. A prototype, side-magazine, 3 or 6 shots. I don't know if that was a field manual of the M-79 where it was discussing the R & D and upgrades of the weapon.

Maybe it's part of the collection of field manuals of our commandant. Should have photocopied them.

I've been scanning the net and this is what I found only.

http://www.securityarms.com/cgi-local/sa.c...rames;read=9105

In reference to this long time post of mine, here's a photo of it

user posted image

http://www.g2mil.com/autogrenadegun.htm

Here's another version, like a tubular magazine fed shotgun 3 + 1 load

user posted image

EX-41 multi-shot grenade launcher (USA)

QUOTE
Caliber: 40x46 low velocity
Type: multi-shot, cartridge-firing, manually operated
Overall length: n/a
Weight: ~8.1 kg unloaded
Effective range: up to 300 m
Magazine capacity: 3 rounds

The idea of a multi-shot 40mm grenade launcher came of a combat experience, gained by US troops in Vietnam. They were using single-shot M79 grenade launchers to great effect, but often found M9 to be too slow in reloading, such as in ambush / counter ambush situations. Therefore, US Navy (which was responsible for armament of various special purpose troops like Navy SEALs) set to develop such weapon. The task has been handled to the China Lake Naval Research Facility, which turned out first prototypes in around 1968. This large weapon represented a typical American-style pump-operated shotgun with tubular magazine below the barrel. Submitted for field trials in Vietnam, this weapon apparently performed quite well with HE-Frag ammunition, but often chocked on close-combat ammunition loaded with buckshot or flechettes (small arrows). This was mostly because of stubby shape of these rounds, while HE rounds had nicely curved noses which assisted reliable feeding. Furthermore, the overall weight of the loaded weapon was quite significant, to say the least. Apparently, no more than couple of dozens of such weapons, designated as EX-41, were made before US Forces were withdrawn from Vietnam. It seems that no further development has occurred on this weapon since then.

EX-41 is a manually operated, magazine fed grenade launcher. It has a tubular magazine below the barrel which holds 3 rounds, plus one round can be carried in the barrel. magazine is loaded through the port at the bottom of the receiver, empty cartridge cases are ejected to the right via ejection window. Reloading mechanism is operated by the sliding handguard, which shall be pulled to the rear and then pushed forward to complete reloading cycle. EX-41 was fitted with wooden buttstock that had a rubber recoil pad. Sights were of open type, same as on M79 grenade launcher.



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