The Mk 19 grenade launcher (pronounced
Mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* F ...
19) is an American
40 mm belt-fed
upright=1.35, An M60 machine gun belt loaded with 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges, aboard a U.S. Navy">7.62×51mm_NATO.html" ;"title="M60 machine gun belt loaded with 7.62×51mm NATO">M60 machine gun belt loaded with 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges, aboar ...
automatic grenade launcher An automatic grenade launcher (AGL) or grenade machine gun is a grenade launcher that is capable of fully automatic fire, and is typically loaded with either an ammunition belt or magazine.
These weapons are often mounted on vehicles or helicopt ...
that was first developed during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
.
Overview
![Richard Castanet fires Mark-19 in Quantico September 2000](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Richard_Castanet_fires_Mark-19_in_Quantico_September_2000.png)
The Mk 19 is a belt-fed, blowback-operated, air-cooled, crew-served, fully-automatic weapon that is designed not to
cook off. It fires
40 mm grenades at a cyclic rate of 325 to 375 rounds per minute, giving a practical rate of fire of 60 rounds per minute (rapid) and 40 rounds per minute (sustained). The weapon operates on the
blowback principle, which uses the chamber pressure from each fired round to load and re-cock the weapon. The Mk 19 can launch its grenade at a maximum distance of , though its effective range to a
point target
A point target is:
# A target of such small dimension that it requires the accurate placement of ordnance in order to neutralize or destroy it.
# A nuclear target in which the ratio of radius of damage to target radius is equal to or greater tha ...
is about , since the large rear leaf sight is only graduated as far. The nearest safe distance to launch the grenade is 310 meters in training and 75 meters in combat. Though the Mk 19 has a
flash suppressor
A flash suppressor, also known as a flash guard, flash eliminator, flash hider, or flash cone, is a muzzle device attached to the muzzle (firearms), muzzle of a rifle that reduces its visible signature while firing by cooling or dispersing the b ...
, it serves only to save the eyesight of its operator, not concealing the weapon's position. For night operation, a
picatinny rail
The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was o ...
quadrant sight can be added for thermal and
night vision optics.
The Mk 19A is a man-portable crew-served weapon that can fire from a tripod-mounted position or from a vehicle mount, with the latter being the preferred method, as the weapon alone weighs . The primary ammunition for it is the high-explosive dual-purpose M430 grenade. On impact, the grenade can kill anyone within a radius of five meters, and wound them within a radius of 15 meters. It can also punch through of
rolled homogeneous armor
Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) is a type of vehicle armour made of a single steel composition hot-rolled to improve its material characteristics, as opposed to layered or cemented armour. Its first common application was in tanks. After World ...
with a direct hit (0-degree obliquity), which means it can penetrate most
infantry fighting vehicles and
armored personnel carriers. It is especially effective when used against enemy
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
formations. The ammunition comes in cans that hold a 32- or 48-grenade belt weighing , respectively. Due to its low
recoil
Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, as according to Newton's third law the force r ...
and comparatively light weight, it has been adapted for use on many different platforms, including small attack boats, fast attack vehicles such as the
Humvee
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ...
(HMMWV),
AAV and
Stryker
The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. I ...
, military jeeps, and a large variety of naval mounts.
The Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher replaced the earlier
Mk 18 hand-cranked multiple grenade launcher. The 40 mm ammunition used (40×53 mm) is not interchangeable with that used in 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 ...
(40×46 mm). The M203 ammunition develops a lower chamber pressure, and resultant lower muzzle velocity and range, compared to ammunition loaded for the Mk 19. The Mk 19 fires from an
open bolt. The rounds are mechanically fed onto the bolt face with the pull of the charging handles. When the trigger is pressed, the bolt closes, and the firing pin is released. The recoil blows back the bolt, feeds a new round onto the bolt face, which pushes the expended casing off the bolt face.
Production of the Mk 19 is managed by
Saco Defense
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Unit ...
Industries (now a division of
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Un ...
).
In November 2014, General Dynamics entered into an agreement with Advanced Material Engineering Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of
Singapore Technologies Kinetics
ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd (STELS), doing business as ST Kinetics, is a strategic business area of ST Engineering and handles land systems and specialty vehicles.
In 2000, ST Engineering acquired the Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS ...
, to manufacture 40 mm high-velocity
airburst
An air burst or airburst is the detonation of an explosive device such as an anti-personnel artillery shell or a nuclear weapon in the air instead of on contact with the ground or target. The principal military advantage of an air burst over ...
ammunition for the U.S. military. The 40 mm airburst grenade uses a programmable, time-based fuse that computes and programs the detonation time into it, which counts down once fired to zero to detonate at the intended target point. The airburst ammunition is compatible with the Mk 19, which would give it greater effectiveness and lethality, particularly against concealed and
defilade
Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapon fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in de ...
targets.
The U.S. Army plans to introduce several new features to the Mk 19 in an upgrade package that could be introduced by late 2017. Initiatives include: increased muzzle velocity through a less resistant barrel; increased cyclic rate from an improved profile for the vertical cam to reduce the force needed to charge the weapon; enhancing reliability with a redesigned round-positioning block to decrease the chance of misfires; increased durability and shortened re-assembly time after maintenance from a new cocking cam and lever; and an updated mechanical sight utilizing up-to-date ammunition ballistic data to aid accuracy.
The Mk 19 is used as part of the Şahin
counter unmanned air system
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...
(C-UAS) developed by
Aselsan, which entered service with the
Turkish Armed Forces
The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; tr, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri, TSK) are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. Turkish Armed Forces consist of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces. The current Chi ...
in July 2022 and uses Atom 40 mm ammunition to detect and destroy mini and micro
UAVs
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...
out to 700 meters.
Users
GDOTS has built nearly 35,000 Mk 19 Mod 3 systems for roughly 30 customers since 1984. Users of the Mk 19 include:
* : Unknown numbers were given to the
Afghan army
The Army of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (), also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be tr ...
at an unknown period of time, captured and in use by the Taliban.
* :
Argentine Marines
The Naval Infantry Command ( es, Comando de la Infantería de Marina, COIM), also known as the Naval Infantry of the Navy of the Argentine Republic ( es, Infantería de Marina de la Armada de la República Argentina, IMARA) and generally referred ...
.
*
[Jones, Richard D. ''Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010''. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). .]
* : Used by the
Brazilian Marine Corps.
* : Used by the
Chilean Army
The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade.
In recent years, and ...
and the
Chilean Marine Corps.
* : Manufactured locally by Helwan.
*
*
* : Used by Iraqi special forces on Humvees.
* :
Adopted by the
Israeli Defence Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...
(under the name "Maklar", for ''mikla rimonim'' or "grenade machinegun"), to be fielded in infantry and mechanized units. The Mk 19 was formerly manufactured locally.
* :
Kosovo Security Forces.
*
*
* :
*:
Moroccan Army
zgh, ⵜⴰⵙⵔⴷⴰⵙⵜ ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⴰⵏⵜ
, image =
, caption = Flag of the Royal Moroccan Army
, start_date = active since: 1088 CE
current form: 14 May 1956
, ...
.
*
* : Used by the
Portuguese Army.
*
*
* : Designated ''Grsp 92''.
Used by
Kustjägarna
The 202nd Coastal Ranger Company ( sv, 202. kustjägarkompaniet, or , KJ) is an amphibious special operations capable ranger unit within the Swedish Amphibious Corps, which is the maritime land force arm of the Swedish Navy.
History
The embr ...
and
Amfibiebataljonen and also by the
31st Airborne Battalion
*
* : Produced under licence by
MKEK
The Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation ( tr, Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi or MKE for short), established in 1950, is a reorganization of government-controlled group of factories in Turkey that supplied the Turkish Armed Forces with mili ...
.
Used by
Turkish Land Forces
The Turkish Land Forces ( tr, Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), or Turkish Army (Turkish: ), is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the ...
.
*
* :
Currently in widespread use throughout the
U.S. Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
.
US Navy 030317-D-3645W-057 U.S. Navy reservists assigned to Naval Construction Force Support Unit Three and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Twenty Four (NMCB-24) fire the MK-19 40mm grenade launcher during MIL-EX 2003.jpg, U.S. Navy sailors fire a Mk 19 40 mm grenade launcher during a training exercise in March 2003.
Granatnik Mk. 19 Wojsko Polskie.jpg, Mk 19 in use by Polish Land Forces
Mexican troops operating at a random checkpoint 2009.jpg, A Mexican Army Chevrolet Silverado equipped with a Mk 19 at a military checkpoint in March 2009
See also
*
AGS-17
*
AGS-30
*
AGS-40
* ''
UAG-40''
*
List of grenade launchers
This article lists all forms of grenade launchers around the world, that is to say weapons that launch grenades with more accuracy, a higher velocity and to greater distances than a soldier could.''Small Arms Illustrated'', 2010
Below is the ...
*
Mk 47 Mod 0 Striker, U.S. military successor in limited service
*
U.S. Navy equipment designations
*
XM174 grenade launcher, predecessor used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War
References
External links
MK 19, 40-mm GRENADE MACHINE GUN, MOD 3 - Department of the Army, 2003
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mk 19 Grenade Launcher
Automatic grenade launchers
40×53mm grenade launchers
Grenade launchers of the United States
40 mm artillery
United States Marine Corps equipment
API blowback firearms
Military equipment introduced in the 1960s