Defense Blog reported that Ukrainian Armed Forces have obtained a brand new batch of MK19 40 mm computerized grenade launchers from the US to assist the nation fend off a possible Russian invasion. The U.S. Air Pressure launched pictures displaying new pallet a great deal of small arms ammunition, together with grenade launchers inside a Boeing 747 after it arrived at Boryspil Worldwide Airport. In accordance with the variety of “black pallets” within the pictures taken through the loading of the airplane, which was made public by the US navy, it may be concluded that solely on January 28 a number of hundred Mk19 grenade launchers have been delivered to Ukraine.

The Mk 19 grenade launcher (pronounced Mark 19) is an American 40 mm belt-fed computerized grenade launcher that was first developed through the Vietnam Struggle. The Mk19 MOD 3 variant was adopted by the U.S. Military in 1983 and stays in service to the current day. Normal Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Methods produces the MK19 MOD 3 40mm grenade machine gun, an air-cooled, blow-back operated, belt-fed weapon. Extremely moveable inside small soldier items, the weapon’s excessive lethality and broad versatility make it the prime selection of U.S. warfighters as a vital weapon in each offensive and defensive operations. As a part of Normal Dynamics’ normal 40mm machine gun providing, product enhancements embrace a set of 4 enhanced inside elements for elevated sturdiness and reliability.

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Pallets of ammunition, weapons and different gear sure for Ukraine are processed by the 436th Aerial Port Squadron throughout a overseas navy gross sales mission at Dover Air Pressure Base, Delaware, Jan. 27, 2022.(U.S. Air Pressure photograph by Mauricio Campino)

The U.S. Military at the moment makes use of the MK19 inside the tactical setting for protection, retrograde, patrolling, rear space safety, city operations, and particular operations. The MK19 is a dependable, moveable 40mm grenade weapon system fitted to gentle infantry autos and tripod functions. Firing M430A1 Excessive Explosive Twin Function grenades, the MK19 supplies deadly fireplace in opposition to a wide range of targets, together with frivolously armored autos and dismounted infantry. It’ll penetrate 75mm rolled homogenous armor at a most vary of two,050 meters. Dismounted personnel inside a radius of 15 meters from impression shall be immobilized by blast and fragmentation.

In November 2014, Normal Dynamics entered into an settlement with Superior Materials Engineering Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Singapore Applied sciences Kinetics, to fabricate 40 mm high-velocity airburst ammunition for the U.S. navy. The 40 mm airburst grenade makes use of a programmable, time-based fuse that computes and packages the detonation time into it, which counts down as soon as fired to zero to detonate on the supposed goal level. The airburst ammunition is suitable with the Mk 19, which might give it larger effectiveness and lethality, notably in opposition to hid and defilade targets. The U.S. Military plans to introduce a number of new options to the Mk 19 in an improve bundle that may very well be launched by late 2017.

MK19 Belt-fed Automatic Grenade Launcher
A Soldier assigned to third Particular Forces Group (Airborne) fires a MK 19 computerized grenade launcher throughout a coaching train at Camp McGregor, New Mexico March 26, 2020. The coaching train centered on enhancing all kinds of skillsets for the collaborating Inexperienced Berets and Troopers comparable to weapons coaching and medical coaching to arrange them for future operations. (U.S. Military photograph by Sgt. Steven Lewis)