Specialists from NPO Pribor named after SS Golembiovsky (Moscow) are planning to develop a new automatic grenade launcher system of 40/45 mm caliber with air detonation of ammunition.

Work will start after the Russian army has adopted the 6S19 (6G27) "Balkan" complex.

This was reported to RT in the press service of Technodinamika JSC (part of Rostec), of which Pribor is a part.

"After the adoption of the automatic grenade launcher" Balkan "of 40 mm caliber, our next step will be to create on its basis a new grenade launcher of 40/45 mm caliber with air blasting grenades, which, in turn, will significantly increase efficiency in solving typical combat missions." , - said RT in the Tekhnodinamika holding.

"A significant step forward"

As Alexander Butyrin, a columnist for the Fire Frontier magazine, told RT in a commentary on RT, the air detonation scheme, which the Pribor specialists plan to implement, will significantly increase the firepower of a promising grenade launcher.

“Air blast allows you to hit the target more efficiently.

The bottom line is that there is a detonation of the ammunition in the air before contact with the target, the so-called proximity detonation.

With such a detonation, the affected area increases and the damaging elements are more evenly distributed.

On the whole, this is a significant step forward, which will make this complex a leader among foreign analogues, "Butyrin said.

As the military observer suggests, a promising 40/45 mm grenade launcher will be lighter, easier to operate, more convenient for transportation and carrying by military personnel in comparison with its predecessor.

The complex will also receive a wider range of ammunition, which will allow it to perform a variety of tasks in the theater of operations (theater of operations), Butyrin is sure.

Military expert Alexei Leonkov, in a conversation with RT, explained the need to create a new grenade launcher by the somewhat protracted development of the Balkan and the need to improve ammunition in order to increase their caliber and increase the destructive power, including by integrating the detonation mechanism in the air.

“Now, using a grenade launcher, it is not always easy to destroy the enemy's manpower, which is entrenched, for example, in a trench.

Ammunition may not fly, or, conversely, fly over.

In this situation, it is preferable to use projectiles with a detonation delay mechanism - they provide a detonation above the trench.

In this case, the infantry will definitely not avoid defeat, ”Leonkov explained.

At the beginning of November, Rostec released a material dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Pribor's activity (when it was founded in 1941 - plant number 398).

It reported that the company had developed a complex for remote control of the time of detonation of shells (KDUVPS).

This product was designed for the Terminator 30-mm tank support combat vehicle (BMPT).

But, as experts believe, the same technologies can be integrated into shells for a promising grenade launcher.

According to Rostec, the experiments showed a significant advantage of the controlled detonation complex over the standard complex with contact detonation of shells.

  • Army automatic grenade launcher

  • RIA News

  • © Ilya Pitalev

"The experimental assessment of the increase in efficiency in terms of the aggregate of combat missions was from 2.5 to 7 times," says the state corporation's material.

Currently, the Russian army operates 30 mm AGS-17 "Flame" and AGS-30 grenade launchers, which were put into service in the 1970s and 1990s, respectively.

In 2014, their arsenal was replenished with a new VOG-30D fragmentation projectile, which increased the firing range by 25% by optimizing the aerodynamic shape of the grenade.

“AGS-17 and AGS-30 are worthy examples of domestic weaponry.

For example, AGS-17 is still widely used in various local conflicts.

However, the evolution of means of protection for military equipment and infantry suggests the need to enlarge the caliber, increase the power of the warhead.

The power of the 30-mm ammunition is gradually losing its effectiveness on the battlefield, ”Leonkov stressed.

The unsurpassed "Balkan"

The experts interviewed by RT called the 40-mm Balkan complex the most modern automatic grenade launcher.

It is this weapon, according to analysts, is the most suitable model for the development of a new grenade launcher system.

In their opinion, today the 6S19 is the most effective weapon in the world in its class.

The mass of the "Balkan" on a machine with a sight without a cartridge box is 32 kg, the rate of fire is up to 400 rounds per minute, the guaranteed resource is 4 thousand rounds.

In the material of "Rostec", dedicated to the 80th anniversary of "Pribor", it was reported that in terms of firing range and the power of ammunition "Balkan" is almost twice as great as the best foreign counterparts.

At the same time, the mass of a 40-mm grenade launcher is almost the same as that of the AGS-17, made in a smaller caliber.

"Balkan" can fire in short (up to 5 shots) and long (up to 10 shots) bursts, as well as keep a continuous firing mode until the end of ammunition.

“6S19“ Balkan ”differs from its predecessor AGS-17, first of all, in its large caliber - 40 millimeters versus 30. According to this indicator, it also surpasses foreign counterparts….

The ammunition load includes three ammunition boxes of 20 rounds with a fragmentation grenade in each, ”the Rostec report says.

The Pribor's website says that their brainchild is intended to destroy enemy manpower and suppress its fire weapons located outside shelters, in open trenches (trenches) and “behind natural folds of the terrain”.

In addition, the combat power of the "Balkan" is sufficient to destroy "objects of military equipment" - cars, launchers, radar stations.

Shooting can be carried out both flat and mounted trajectories.

The ammunition load of the grenade launcher includes shots with a 7P39 fragmentation grenade with a maximum range of 2500 m, as well as a number of other ammunition.

  • Grenade launcher complex 6S19 (6G27) "Balkan"

  • © JSC NPO Pribor named after S.S.

    Golembiovsky "

Rostec notes that the creation of the Balkan was dictated by the need to equip the Russian army with an automatic grenade launcher of a larger caliber.

In 2016, a batch of six units of this weapon and 4 thousand ammunition was manufactured for experimental military operation.

To date, 6S19 is recommended for adoption.

As experts expect, the grenade launcher will officially arrive in the arsenal of the RF Armed Forces by the end of this year.

"In close combat"

According to Alexander Butyrin, grenade launcher weapons retain their former importance on the battlefield - the destruction of enemy personnel and firing points.

However, in modern conditions, it is often required that the grenade launcher can cause more serious damage, including military equipment - armored vehicles, armored personnel carriers and even infantry fighting vehicles.

Another important requirement for grenade launchers is compactness and mobility, notes Butyrin.

This criterion meets the small-sized grenade launcher (MGK) "Bur", presented in August at the international military-technical forum "Army-2021" at the stand of the holding "High-precision complexes".

The Bura weighs 3.5 kg, the maximum firing range is 950 m, the minimum is 25 m, the caliber is 62 mm, the permissible number of shots from one launching device is at least 500.

The holding calls the "Boer" "a new universal assault weapon".

Shots from it are fired by high-explosive and high-explosive fragmentation rockets.

They make it possible to disable infantry and lightly armored vehicles on an area of ​​at least 50 square meters.

m. and 80 sq.

m.

“Shooting from the Bura is practically devoid of recoil.

The complex is characterized by high reliability and safe handling.

The product is convenient for transportation, movement over rough terrain and airborne landing, "RT was told at Army-2021 in the press service of High-Precision Complexes.

As stated on the Rosobonexport website, with modest weight and size characteristics, MGK has a high destructive efficiency.

Alexey Leonkov said that the Bura designers borrowed a lot from the legendary Bumblebee infantry jet flamethrower.

"Bur" and AGS and "Balkan" are still different complexes, although they refer to grenade launcher weapons.

The difference between the MGK is that it is equipped with single-use rocket shots and has a shorter range.

But at the same time it is light and effective in various conditions of close combat, "concluded Leonkov.