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This is a general collection of the world's many types of ammunition for grenade launchers in 40 mm (1.57 in) caliber.
Several countries have developed or adopted grenade launchers in 40 mm caliber.[1]
NATO
NATO currently uses three standardized 40 mm grenade families: 40 mm low velocity (LV), 40 mm medium velocity (MV), and 40 mm high velocity (HV). Low- and medium-velocity cartridges are used for different hand-held grenade launchers, while the high-velocity cartridge is used for automatic grenade launchers.
40×46 mm LV (40 mm low velocity)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Loading_M203_40_mm_grenade_launcher_attached_to_an_M16_rifle.jpg/220px-Loading_M203_40_mm_grenade_launcher_attached_to_an_M16_rifle.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Marines_launch_grenades_during_live-fire_exercise_130514-M-SO590-016.jpg/220px-Marines_launch_grenades_during_live-fire_exercise_130514-M-SO590-016.jpg)
40×46 mm LV (low velocity)[2] is a NATO-standard[3] high–low grenade launcher cartridge meant for hand-held grenade launchers, such as the M79, M203, Milkor MGL, Heckler & Koch AG36 and M320 Grenade Launcher Module.
The propellant has low pressure and gives the projectile an average velocity of 78–84 m/s (256–276 ft/s) depending on the ammunition type.[4]
40 mm low-velocity ammunition types (NATO)
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HE, high explosive | |
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M381 HE, high explosive[5] Basic high-explosive shell.[5] |
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M386 HE, high explosive[6] Basic high-explosive shell.[6] |
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M406 HE, high explosive[7] Basic high-explosive shell.[7] |
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M441 HE, high explosive[8] Basic high-explosive shell.[8] |
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AB, air burst | |
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M397, M397A1
AB, air burst[9][10] |
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DP, dual purpose | |
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M433 HEDP, high-explosive dual-purpose[11] Shaped charge with ability to damage soft targets and penetrate armor.[11] Armor penetration: 2.5 inches (63 millimeters).[12] |
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MP, multiple projectile | |
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M576 MP-APERS, multiple projectile anti-personnel Buckshot cartridge with twenty 24-grain bullets.[13] |
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IL, illumination | |
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M583A1 Illumination/signal flare, parachute star[14] (white flare) Flare grenade with parachute for illumination and signaling.[14] |
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M585 Illumination/signal flare, cluster star[15] (white flare) Grenade containing five nose-ejected, free-falling pyrotechnic star pellets used for signaling.[15] |
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M661 Illumination/signal flare, parachute star[14] (green flare) Flare grenade with parachute for illumination and signaling.[14] |
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M662 Illumination/signal flare, parachute star[14] (red flare) Flare grenade with parachute for illumination and signaling.[14] |
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M992 Infra-red illumination flare Flare grenade with parachute for infrared illumination. |
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S, smoke | |
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M676 Smoke canopy (yellow smoke)[16] Smoke grenade with parachute for signaling and marking.[16] |
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M680 Smoke canopy (white smoke)[17] Smoke grenade with parachute for signaling and marking.[17] |
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M682 Smoke canopy (red smoke)[18] Smoke grenade with parachute for signaling and marking.[18] |
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M713 Ground marker (red smoke) Smoke grenade for signaling and marking.[19] |
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M714 Ground marker (white smoke) Smoke grenade for signaling and marking. |
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M715 Ground marker (green smoke)[20] Smoke grenade for signaling and marking.[20] |
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M716 Ground marker (yellow smoke)[21] Smoke grenade for signaling and marking.[21] |
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G, gas | |
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M651 CS gas[22] Tear gas grenade.[22] |
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TB, thermobaric | |
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XM1060 Thermobaric[23] The XM1060 is a 40 mm thermobaric grenade developed by Picatinny Arsenal.[23] |
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P, practice | |
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M781 P, practice[24] Training ammunition consisting of a steel body filled with orange signal chalk capped with a plastic ogive cap.[24] |
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Besides combat ammo there also exists crowd control ammunition like sponge grenades.
40 mm low-velocity ammunition types (Sweden)
Sweden currently operates the M203 grenade launcher (designated Granattillsats 40 mm Automatkarbin in Sweden) and thus uses the 40 mm low-velocity cartridge.[25][26][4] Going against Swedish military tradition, the 40 mm low-velocity cartridge currently lacks a specified indigenous designation in Swedish service.[26][4] Instead only the projectile types have designations.
Currently these projectile types can be found in Swedish service manuals.[4]
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40 GSGR HE, high explosive Name: 40 GSGR, abbreviation for 40 mm gevärsspränggranat, Swedish for 40 mm rifle high-explosive grenade. The fuze is designated ÖHKBAR 40 GSGR, abbreviation for ögonblickligt högkänsligt basanslagsrör + shell designation, Swedish for 'instant high sensitivity base impact fuze'.[26][4] Description: The type is a high-explosive grenade meant against soft targets. Construction: The shell consists of a fragmentation body outfitted with internal steel balls for extra fragmentation damage. A highly sensitive, zero-delay fuze is located at the bottom of the shell.[26][4] Marking: The shell has a yellow head and green body. The side of the shell features the marking "ST" in yellow, which stands for stålkulor ('steel balls').[26][4]
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40 GPSGR HEDP, high-explosive dual-purpose Name: 40 GPSGR, abbreviation for 40 mm gevärspansarspränggranat, Swedish for "40 mm rifle high explosive anti-tank grenade".[26][4] Description: The type is a high-explosive dual-purpose grenade meant for use against both soft and lightly protected targets. It is probably equivalent to the American 40 mm M433.[11] Construction: The shell consists of a fragmentation body, a high-explosive charge and a shaped charge.[26][4] Marking: The shell has a green head and green body. The side of the shell features the marking "RSV" in yellow, which stands for riktad sprängverkan ("shaped charge", lit. "directed explosive effect").[26][4]
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40 GÖVNGR 07 P, practice Name: 40 GÖVNGR 07, abbreviation for 40 mm gevärsövningsgranat 07, Swedish for 40 mm rifle practice grenade 07.[26][4] Description: The type is a practice shell for combat training and practice shooting. Construction: The shell has a steel body with a plastic cap and is filled with red signal chalk.[26][4] Marking: The shell is colored in NATO blue training color.[26][4]
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Mockups and inert types also exist for loading exercises and educational purposes.
40 mm low-velocity ammunition types (Romania)
Romanian arms producer ROMARM has made a version of their 40 mm rifle-mounted grenade launcher AG-40 chambered in 40×46 mm NATO (then designated AG-40PN). Production of Romanian 40 mm low-velocity ammunition is handled by the arms factory Uzina Mecanica Plopeni,[27] a subsidiary of ROMARM. The projectiles seem to be of Romanian origin based on available information.[27]
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Grenade 40 NATO Exploziva HE, high explosive Description: Romanian 40×46 mm low-velocity high-explosive cartridge.[27] Construction: The shell is made of steel and has a point fuze. The main explosive charge is located at the bottom of the shell. Below the main explosive charge is a layer of metal balls for extra fragmentation damage.[27]
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Grenade 40 NATO Inerta P, practice Name: The cartridge is named Inerta (inert), but the cartridge is live. Inert refers to the projectile, which is a solid material projectile.[27] Description: Romanian 40×46 mm low-velocity practice cartridge.[27] Construction: The shell is solid in construction and made of duralumin.[27]
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SAGM fuze
The United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) began development of a 40 mm smart airburst fuze (proximity fuze) in 2011 to improve the ability of grenade launchers like the M203 and M320 to engage targets in defilade. Called small arms grenade munitions (SAGMs), they double the lethality of the standard M433 grenade round by adding a small "smart" fuze sensor that detonates in the air to hit targets in cover or behind obstacles. The airburst function is similar to the XM25 CDTE, which has an onboard laser system to determine the distance to the target, but SAGMs are considered complementary to the XM25 rather than competing against it, as the XM25 provides low-angle fire while 40 mm launchers fire a lobbing trajectory. Integrated sensors and logic devices scan and filter the environment and then autonomously airburst the fuze without needing to be told to by the firer, thereby not requiring the soldier to carry extra weapon accessories. SAGMs enable soldiers to accurately incapacitate personnel targets in defilade at ranges between 50 and 500 meters. The round is engineered with three firing modes: airburst; point detonation; and self-destruct. A successful demonstration occurred in November 2013.[28] Although the SAGM sensor does not need a laser rangefinder or any pre-fire programming sequence, it does require some skill by the user to aim and fire the round correctly so that it can detect the wall or obstruction to detonate in the air. The SAGM was to undergo evaluation in July 2015 and, if successful, transition into an official Army Program of Record by the end of the year.[29] Not only does the fuze burst over walls, but it can detonate when passing cover like trees, bursting just as it senses and passes the trunk. The sort of sensor SAGMs use to differentiate clutter from triggering obstacles is highly classified, but shows airburst reliability of 76 percent.[30]
40×51 mm MV (40 mm medium velocity)
40×51 mm MV (medium velocity),[2] also known as 40×51 mm extended range low pressure (ERLP),[31] is a NATO-standard[32][33] high–low grenade launcher cartridge meant for hand-held grenade launchers. Its purpose is to be an intermediate cartridge between the 40×46 mm low-velocity and 40×53 mm high-velocity cartridges and is thus referred to as 40 mm medium velocity.[2]
The propellant has medium pressure and gives the projectile an average velocity of 100 m/s (328 ft/s) depending on the ammunition type.[2] It has a maximum range of 800 meters, exceeding conventional extended range low-velocity variants by up to 375 meters.[2]
The 40×51 mm MV cartridge was designed by Rheinmetall Denel Munitions for the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) after a 2008 requirement for enhanced range and lethality from hand-held 40 mm grenades.[34] Rheinmetall answered by developing a new family of 40 mm grenades named 40 mm medium velocity[34] and by 2019 the cartridge was undergoing NATO qualification.[32]
Besides NATO the cartridge has been ordered by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as the cartridge for their next generation multiple grenade launcher, the Milkor Y4.[2][31] SANDF approved acquisition in February 2018 but deliveries could not be finished until the end of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[31]
40×53 mm HV (40 mm high velocity)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/M430a1.png/220px-M430a1.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/An_airman_picks_up_M-430_High_Explosive_dual-purpose_grenade_rounds_from_their_case_on_Ali_Air_Base.jpg/220px-An_airman_picks_up_M-430_High_Explosive_dual-purpose_grenade_rounds_from_their_case_on_Ali_Air_Base.jpg)
40×53 mm HV (high velocity)[2] is a NATO-standard[3] high–low grenade launcher cartridge meant for mounted or crew-served automatic grenade launchers, such as the Mk.19 AGL, Mk 47 Striker, HK GMG, STK 40 AGL, and Daewoo K4.
The propellant has high pressure and gives the projectile an average velocity of 241 m/s (791 ft/s) depending on the ammunition type.[4]
40 mm high-velocity ammunition types (NATO)
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HE, high explosive | |
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M383 HE, high explosive[35] High explosive shell filled with composition A5.[35] (Comp 5A = hexogen + graphite according to Swedish manuals).[4] Wound radius: 15 meters. Arms: 18-36 meters[36] |
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M384 HE, high explosive[37] High explosive shell filled with composition A5.[35] (Comp 5A = hexogen + graphite according to Swedish manuals).[4] |
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DP, dual purpose | |
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M430, M430A1 HEDP, high-explosive dual-purpose[38] M430: Shaped charge with ability to damage soft targets and penetrate armor. It arms within 18 to 30 meters of the gun muzzle and has a point-initiating, base-detonating (PIBD) fuze. Armor penetration: 2 inches (51 millimetres).[38] |
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CA, canister | |
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M1001 HVCC, high-velocity canister cartridge[40] Canister shot containing several flechettes. Produces a 3 to 4 ft (0.91 to 1.2 m) wide dispersion pattern at 50 m (164 ft).[40] |
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AB, air burst | |
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XM1176 HEDP-AB, high-explosive dual-purpose air burst[41] Dual purpose shaped charge with programmable fuze for air burst functionality.[41] |
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MK285 PPHE/SD, programmable prefragmented high explosive/self-destructible The MK285 is an anti-personnel cartridge designed for the Mk 47 Striker automatic grenade launcher. It consists of an electronic programmable fuze, a pre-fragmented warhead and a propulsion system. The fuze is programmed through the fire control of the gun. The fuze is mechanically armed at approximately 23 meters. The round is programmed to airburst over the target and the fuze counts down the programmed time via its built in electronics. If an unprogrammed round is fired, it will detonate on impact. The projectile has a built in self-destruct and can be fired by any automatic grenade launcher. |
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