M203 (grenade launcher)
The M203 grenade launcher is a single-shot weapon for 40 mm grenades , which is attached to the M16 assault rifle in its standard version and to the M4 assault rifle in the M203A1 version , but can also be attached to other long weapons with the appropriate adapters , thus increasing the firepower of the individual infantrymen equipped with it increased massively. However, the precision of the carrier rifle decreases because the additional weight makes stabilization difficult.
The infantrymen equipped with the M203 wear a special vest on which the different types of grenade are attached so that they can be quickly selected in battle. The tube of the M203 is unlocked and moved forward on the corrugated handle, a grenade is pushed into the tube from the rear, which is then pulled back on the handle and locked in the starting position. The magazine of the carrier rifle acts as the “pistol grip” of the grenade launcher. An additional sight attached to the carrier rifle helps the shooter to set the desired distance by lifting the rifle. The grenade is finally fired via a separate trigger on the M203. The recoil is relatively small because a special ignition system is used. The grenade is fired from the case with a relatively small amount of primer, whereby it develops secondary ignition gases through a system installed in the base of the grenade, which escape through large holes in the barrel. The grenade leaves the muzzle at around 70 m per second and the shooter can easily observe its trajectory. The detonator of the grenade is only activated after half a second, so that a safe distance of around 30 meters from the earliest explosion is maintained in order to avoid accidents. With explosive grenades, the effect on the target is roughly equivalent to the explosion of a hand grenade .
development
The M203 replaced the M79 grenade launcher ("Blooper"), which was a separate weapon , in the US military from the early 1970s . The M203 was developed so that a soldier could switch between assault rifle fire and HE shell fire more quickly. In comparison, however, the M79 was quicker to reload and more accurate under unfavorable conditions.
The M203 was introduced mainly as an attachment for the Colt M16 'Commando', the short version of the Colt M16A1 at that time and forerunner of today's M4 assault rifle . Due to its short barrel, the Commando has a 10 cm flash hider in which a recess was turned in which the front bracket of the M203 could be attached. The system was introduced after a successful test phase.
Heckler & Koch developed the successor AG36 , which replaced the M203 in the US inventory from 2006 under the American name XM320. It weighs more than the M203 but has been improved in several ways.
During the Afghan war, the Soviet army also introduced an underflow grenade launcher. In the meantime, the principle of the underflow launcher is used by various armies around the world.
Technical specifications
- Caliber : 40 × 46 mm grenade
- Function: single-shot rifle adapter for firing small grenades
- Length: 38.1 cm
- Barrel length: 30.5 cm
- Weight: 1360 g (unloaded), 1580 g (loaded)
- Weight with M16 (loaded): 5.0 kg
- Muzzle velocity : 71 m / s
- Range: 150 m (point fire), 300 m (area fire), 400 m (maximum)
- Rate of fire : 5 to 7 shots / min
Types of ammunition
- Tear gas
- Smoke / fog
- Explosive grenades (HE)
- Frag grenades (M67)
- armor-piercing shells
- Flares for battlefield lighting
- Signal flares
- Training grenades
- Flash grenades
Compared to the M79 , the maximum length of the cartridges is limited, as the barrel is opened by sliding it and cartridges that are too long cannot be loaded into the chamber through the opening that is created. In other comparable designs, the barrel is not shifted, but pivoted on a hinge , which means that there is no limit to the length of the cartridge.
See also
Web links
- M203 40mm underbarrel grenade launcher (USA) ( Memento from June 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- FAS.org - M203 (Eng.)