Army and Weapons | Deadly Mk 19 grenade launcher | The Mk 19 grenade launcher is a belt fed by a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher or grenade machine gun entered U.S. military service during the Cold War, first seeing action during the Vietnam War and still in use today.
The Mk 19 is a belt fed, blowback operated, air cooled, crew served, fully automatic weapon that is designed not to cook off. It takes 40 mm grenades at a cyclic rate of 325 to 375 revolutions per minute, a rate of practice of fire 60 rounds per minute (fast) and 40 rpm (sustained). The weapon works on the principle of blowback, which uses the chamber pressure from each round of calculation and re-cock the weapon. The Mk 19 is able to throw the grenade at a maximum distance of 2212 meters, but its effective range of a target point is about 1500 meters, since the large sheet to back is graduated to 1,500 meters.
The nearest safe distance to launch the grenade is 310 meters in training and 75 meters in the fight. Although the Mk 19 is a flash suppressor, it only serves to save the sight of the operator, it does not hide the position of the weapon. For operation at night, a night vision sight AN/TVS-5 can be fitted.
The Mk 19 is a man-portable crew served weapon that can shoot from a position mounted on a tripod or a vehicle assembly (which is the preferred method as the weapon alone weighs 72 pounds , 5). The primary ammunition for Mk 19 is the explosive dual-purpose M430 grenade. Upon impact, the grenade can kill anyone in the radius of five meters, and the wounds within the range of 15 meters. It can also punch through two inches of homogeneous armor laminated with a direct hit (0 Obliquity degree), which means it can penetrate most infantry fighting vehicles and armored vehicles. It is particularly effective when used against enemy infantry formations.
The ammunition comes in 32 or 48 round boxes weighing 42 lb and 60, respectively. Thanks to its low recoil and relatively light weight, it has been adapted for use on many different platforms, including small attack boats, fast attack vehicles like the Humvee (HMMWV), AAV and Stryker, military jeeps and a variety of media yards.
The Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher replaced the earlier Mk 18 hand-cranked multiple grenade launcher. 40 mm ammunition used (40x53mm) is not interchangeable with that used in the M203 (40x46mm). M203 ammunition is developing a lower chamber pressure and the resulting speed lower muzzle and large, compared with ammunition for the Mk-19.
The Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher replaced the earlier Mk 18 hand-cranked multiple grenade launcher. 40 mm ammunition used (40x53mm) is not interchangeable with that used in the M203 (40x46mm). M203 ammunition is developing a lower chamber pressure and the resulting speed lower muzzle and large, compared with ammunition for the Mk-19.
The Mk 19 fires an open bolt. The towers are mechanically brought to the bolt face to the pull of the handle load. When the shutter button is pressed, the bolt closes, and the striker is released. The drop hits the lock, a new cycle feeds on the underside of the bolt, which pushes the spent casing out of the bolt face.
The Mk 19 is made by Saco Defense Industries (now a division of General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products).
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The Mk 19 is made by Saco Defense Industries (now a division of General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products).
