The GP-25 ''Kostyor'' ("Bonfire"), GP-30 ''Obuvka'' ("Footwear") and GP-34 are a family of Russian 40 mm under-barrel
grenade launcher
A grenade launcher is a weapon that fires a specially-designed large-caliber projectile, often with an explosive, smoke or gas warhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated firearms firing unitary grenade cartridges. The mos ...
s (''Granatomyot Podstvolnyj'') for the
AK family of
assault rifles. They were first seen by the West in 1984 during the
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. The GP-30 was lightened and the redesigned sighting system was moved to the right.
The current
Izhmash
JSC Kalashnikov Concern (), known until 2013 as the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant (), is a Russian defense manufacturing concern and joint-stock company headquartered in the city of Izhevsk in the Republic of Udmurtia as well as the capital c ...
-made version, the GP-34, has an again redesigned sighting system on the right and features the following advantages:
* Reliability: It is designed and tested specifically for the Kalashnikov assault rifles, fits such assault rifles directly without any adaptors or forearm dismantling.
* Improved safety: The design prevents a round from moving within or falling out of the barrel, even if the muzzle is pointed down. The GP-34 features an additional mechanism (firing pin safety lever) to improve safety during loading.
Development
![VVday2015 56](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/VVday2015_56.jpg)
Development of a grenade launcher for the AKM assault rifle began in 1966 at the Sporting and Hunting Arms Central Design and Research Bureau. Development continued into the 1970s, and in 1978 it was accepted into service. The GP-30 first entered service in 1989, and is intended for use with the
AK-100 series of assault rifles. The GP-34 is designed to be a universal service model that can be fitted to the AKM / AKMS, AK-74 / AKs-74, AK-74M,
AK-101
The AK-101 is an assault rifle of the Kalashnikov series. It's marketed at those looking for a weapon that combines the logistical compatibility and familiarity of the 5.56×45mm NATO round with the reliability of a Kalashnikov. The design of t ...
,
AK-103
The AK-103 is a Russian assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov.
History
The AK-103 was officially offered for export in March 1993
Design details
It is an AK-100 derivative of the AK-74M that is chambered for th ...
, and
AN-94
The AN-94 (Russian: 5,45-мм автомат Никонова обр. 1987 г. / АН-94 «Абака́н», GRAU designation 6P33) is a Russian assault rifle. The initials stand for ''Avtomat Nikonova'' model of 1994, after its chief designer ...
rifles.
Description
The
grenade
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
launchers are similar in appearance and fire the same 40 mm caliber ammunition and use the same
High-Low System developed by Germany in late World War II to keep recoil forces low without a
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
or other type of
recoilless weapon
A recoilless rifle, recoilless launcher or recoilless gun, sometimes abbreviated "RR" or "RCL" (for ReCoilLess) is a type of lightweight artillery system or man-portable launcher that is designed to eject some form of countermass such as propel ...
back blast.
The GP-30(M) is a stripped-down model grenade launcher, consisting of a very short, 40 mm
rifled
In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the proj ...
barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
in front of a basic trigger mechanism with minimal hand grip. On top of the barrel is mounting gear to attach the weapon under the barrel of an AK-series assault rifle, from where it is designed to be fired.
A grenade is first muzzle loaded into the barrel, the weapon is aimed, then the self-cocking trigger is pulled to fire the weapon. This fires the
percussion cap
The percussion cap or percussion primer, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. This crucial invention gave rise t ...
at the base of the grenade which triggers the
nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...
propellant
A propellant (or propellent) is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or other motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicles, the e ...
inside the body of the grenade. The hot expanding gas from the propellant is forced through vents in the base of the grenade that move the grenade along the barrel, and at the same time force the driving band to engage with the twelve rifling grooves. The rifling imparts stabilizing spin to the projectile.
The barrel has a service life of about 400 rounds.
Ammunition
The grenade launchers fire a series of special 40 mm grenades. Originally, the main grenade was the VOG-15 (7P17)
fragmentation grenade
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
. This was superseded by the steel-cased VOG-25 fragmentation grenade. The VOG-25 has a lethal radius of six meters. Rounds for the muzzle-loaded GP-25 consist of a single piece containing both propellant and warhead, unlike the more traditional two piece casing-and-projectile design of the comparable American
40x46mm
40 mm grenade (also styled 40mm grenade) is a generic class-name for grenade launcher ammunition ( subsonic shells) in caliber. The generic name stems from the fact that several countries have developed or adopted grenade launchers in ...
round used in breech-loaded grenade launchers, such as the
M203
The M203 is a single-shot 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older stand-alone M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilizes the high-low propulsion system to keep recoil forces ...
.
A bouncing grenade, the VOG-25P, is also available. On impact, a small charge in the nose of the grenade is detonated; this raises the grenade 0.5 to 1.5 m in the air, before an impact delay fuse detonates it. The VOG-25P also has a lethal radius of six meters.
New generation rounds VOG-M and VOG-PM with an increased effectiveness not less than 1.5 times are now serially available.
Smoke grenades are also available. The original GRD-40 grenade has been replaced by a series of
grenades
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade gene ...
designed for use at different ranges. These are the GRD-50, GRD-100 and GRD-200 for use at 50, 100 and 200 meters respectively. They are capable of producing a 20 cubic meter cloud of smoke that lasts for one minute in winds of up to five meters per second.
A
CS gas
The compound 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called ''o''-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile; chemical formula: C10H5ClN2), a cyanocarbon, is the defining component of tear gas commonly referred to as CS gas, which is used as a riot control agent ...
grenade called the ''Gvozd'' ("Nail") and a baton grenade are also available.
Grenades
![VOG-25 7P17 - MAKS2015part7-50](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/VOG-25_7P17_-_MAKS2015part7-50.jpg)
* Fuse arming range: 10–40 m (33–130 ft)
* Fuse self-destruction time: 14–19 s
* VOG-25 specifications:
** Weight: 250 g (0.55 lb)
** Warhead: 48 g of A-IX-1 explosive.
* VOG-25P specifications:
** Weight: 278 g (0.61 lb)
** Warhead: 37 g of TNT.
* GRD-50/100/200 specifications
** Weight: 265 g
** Warhead: 90 g
Variants
* GP-25 Kostyor
* GP-30 Obuvka
* GP-34
Users
*
*
*
* : Used by Caatinga infantry
* : Made under license by
Arsenal AD
JSC Arsenal AD ( bg, Арсенал АД) is a Bulgarian joint-stock company based in Kazanlak, engaged primarily in the manufacture of firearms and military equipment. It is Bulgaria's oldest arms supplier.
History
The company's history can b ...
as the UBGL and the UBGL-1.
*
*
*
* : Made by
STC Delta
, type = State-owned enterprise
, industry = Defense
, founded =
, founder =
, hq_location_city = Tbilisi
, hq_location_country = Georgia
, area_served = Worldwide
, key_people ...
.
* : Used for the AK-74M.
*
* :
Mobile Brigade Corps
The Mobile Brigade Corps ( id, Korps Brigade Mobil) abbreviated Brimob is the special operations, paramilitary, and tactical unit of the Indonesian National Police (Polri). It is one of the oldest existing units within Polri. Some of its main ...
* : Used by
IRGC
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
* :
Lithuanian Armed Forces
The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force and the Lithuanian Air Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service (whi ...
*
[Jones, Richard D. ''Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010''. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). .]
*
*
* : Made under license by
Zastava Arms
Zastava Arms ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Застава oружје, Zastava oružje) is a Serbian manufacturer of firearms and artillery, based in Kragujevac, Serbia. It was founded in 1853 when it cast its first cannon. It is the leading producer of firear ...
as the PBG – 40 mm and the PBG 40 mm M70.
*
* : Uses both GP-25s and GP-30Ms.
*
*
See also
*
BS-1 Tishina
The BS-1 RGA-86 "Tishina" (''БС-1 "Тишина"''Тишина'' means silence in Russian'') / BS-1M 6S1 "Kanareyka" is a silenced Soviet 30mm grenade launcher. It was developed specifically for the Spetsnaz. It uses a bolt-action mechanism t ...
*
QLG-10
The QLG-10 and QLG-10A are a family of Chinese 35 mm under-barrel grenade launchers designed for QBZ-95 and QBZ-95-1 of assault rifles. The launcher fires 35mm caseless grenades, designated DFS-10.
Design and development
QLG-10 is a sing ...
*
RGM-40 Kastet
The RGM-40 Kastet (English: Brass knuckles) grenade launcher is a stand-alone version of the Russian GP-30 grenade launcher with a telescoping stock, AK-type pistol-grip and flip-up tangent sights. It is a single-shot muzzle loaded weapon with a s ...
grenade launcher is a stand-alone version of GP-30 grenade launcher
*
Wz. 1974 Pallad grenade launcher
References
External links
Modern FirearmsTechnical data, instructional images and diagrams of the GP-25
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gp-25
Grenade launchers of the Soviet Union
Grenade launchers of Russia
Cold War weapons of the Soviet Union
Kalashnikov Concern products
TsKIB SOO products
Caseless firearms
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1978