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AGS‑40 Balkan is a Russian 40 mm
AGS‑40 Balkan is a Russian 40 mm caseless
Caseless ammunition (CL), or rather caseless cartridge, is a configuration of weapon-cartridge that eliminates the cartridge case that typically holds the primer, propellant and projectile together as a unit. Instead, the propellant and primer ...
automatic grenade launcher and successor to AGS-17 and AGS-30, introduced and adopted by the Russian military.
Design
The AGS-40 uses 40 mm CL (caseless
Caseless ammunition (CL), or rather caseless cartridge, is a configuration of weapon-cartridge that eliminates the cartridge case that typically holds the primer, propellant and projectile together as a unit. Instead, the propellant and primer ...
) grenades with a range of 2,500 m (compared to the 30 mm grenades with range 1,700 for AGS-17 and 2,100 for AGS-30) and a rate of fire of 400 rounds per minute, with short burst (5 rounds), long burst (10 rounds), and continuous fire modes. The weapon is usually equipped with a tripod
A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...
and a PAG-17 2.7× telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a '' reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate ...
; it can also have back-up iron sights installed.
A unique feature of the AGS-40 is a detachable seat that allows for more stable shooting using the weight of an operator.
Ammunition
*Caseless
Caseless ammunition (CL), or rather caseless cartridge, is a configuration of weapon-cartridge that eliminates the cartridge case that typically holds the primer, propellant and projectile together as a unit. Instead, the propellant and primer ...
high-explosive
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...
-fragmentation 40 mm 7P39 grenades.
* 7P39P and 7P39U practice rounds
Development
Development of the AGS-40 started in 1980 but stalled after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the subsequent economic decline in Russia. However, the project was revived in the early 1990s under the codename "Balkan", and was put into operational evaluation in 2018. State tests were successfully completed and the weapon was recommended for introduction into service as of March 2021. The first serial batch was delivered in January 2022. AGS-40 can be installed on armored vehicles. The AGS-40 can be integrated with Kalashnikov MBDUremote weapon station
A remote controlled weapon station (RCWS), or remote weapon station (RWS), also known as a remote weapon system (RWS), is a remotely operated weaponized system often equipped with fire-control system for light and medium-caliber weapons which ca ...
.
Users
*See also
*GP-25
The GP-25 ''Kostyor'' ("Bonfire"), GP-30 ''Obuvka'' ("Footwear") and GP-34 are a family of Russian 40 mm under-barrel grenade launchers (''Granatomyot Podstvolnyj'') for the AK family of assault rifles. They were first seen by the West in ...
* AGS-30
* AGS-17
* Mk 19 grenade launcher
* Daewoo Precision Industries K4
* Mk 47 Striker
* Type 87 grenade launcher
* Type 04 grenade launcher
* Howa Type 96
* Vektor Y3 AGL
The Denel Y3 AGL is a South African-manufactured automatic grenade launcher currently manufactured by Denel Land Systems.
* SB LAG 40
* HK GMG, similar weapon
* XM174 grenade launcher
* Milkor MGL
The Milkor MGL (Multiple Grenade Launcher) is a lightweight 40 mm six-shot revolver-type grenade launcher (variations also fire 37/38mm) developed and manufactured in South Africa by Milkor (Pty) Ltd. The MGL was demonstrated as a concept to the ...
, another South African 40 mm grenade launcher
* RGS-50M
* RGSh-30
* RPO Rys
RPO "Rys" (Russian: реактивный пехотный огнемёт «Рысь» (РПО «Рысь»), Rocket-propelled Infantry Flamethrower "Lynx") is a napalm rocket-propelled grenade launcher classified as flamethrower by Russian milita ...
* MRG-1
References
{{Reflist Grenade launchers of Russia Automatic grenade launchers Caseless firearms Tecmash Military equipment introduced in the 2010s