China Lake Grenade Launcher

History of China Lake Grenade Launchers

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military attempted several notable efforts to provide a capable class bolt-action grenade launcher. The most successful of these was the 1961 M79, a braking system capable of firing various types of shells, although it was limited to single shots and required manual reloading of the weapon for each successive shot.

Another wartime development, the XM148 was a prototype 40mm grenade launcher in the mid-1960s. It was operationally evaluated during the Vietnam War, but never officially entered service.

The XM148 concept later evolved into the widespread and modern M203 single-engine undercarriage grenade launcher in circulation today.

China Lake Naval Weapons Center (China Lake Naval Weapons Center) was established on China Lake in California during World War II under the umbrella of the United States Navy. As the involvement of U.S. special forces in Vietnam increased, so did the need for specialized weapons systemsespecially members of the Navy SEALs. One of the requirements was a more reliable grenade launcher system that could surpass the capabilities of the existing M79 and prototype XM148 series. Work began in 1967 and fell to the Special Projects Department at China Lake, with the new design credited to Alfred F. Kermode.

Development culminated in an interesting final product, basically dubbed the "China Lake Grenade Launcher" due to the lack of an official designation (the launcher was never officially adopted).

China Lake grenade launchers were issued to SEAL units operating covertly during the Vietnam conflict. This is a bolt-action 40mm pump-action grenade launcher with combat shotgun-like characteristics and a relatively rugged design. The exterior configuration is very shotgun-like, featuring a solid wood shoulder rest with an integrated grip, a slender trigger ring big enough for gloved fingers, and a boxy aluminum receiver that houses the necessary inner workings. The front of the weapon features a traditional "up and down" shotgun configuration, with the barrel at the front of the receiver, mounted on a tubular magazine lined with a fin-like moving slider.

The overall length of the gun is just over 34 inches, with a barrel length of 14 inches. Due to its tubular magazine design, the launcher has the inherent capacity to hold up to 3 x 40 x 46 mm SR shells, with the fourth usually inserted into the firebox.

This allows operators to maximize their tactical value on the battlefield, repeatedly firing multiple rounds before being forced to reload.

The 40x46mm grenade became the primary weapon of US military operations during the Cold War. It represented low-speed development (as opposed to the high-speed 40x53mm series) and was used extensively during the Vietnam War - primarily with operators managing single-engine M79 systems. The China Lake design is unique in that it incorporates a pump slide function fed from a tubular magazine, requiring the operator to manage the slide as a new round is inserted into the chamber. As a result, a trained and experienced operator can fire up to 15 rounds per minute and conduct indirect or direct suppression fire on a target or target area within range. Effective range is within 350 yards and muzzle velocity is rated at 250 feet per second.

Aiming is achieved via a dual upper arm mount that includes an adjustable rear square notch rear sight (75 to 400 yards, +/- 25 yard adjustment) and a forward flip-up rear with a fixed square notch design glass.

A production Chinese Lake grenade launcher released in 1968, although fewer than 50 are believed to have been made. The launcher is known to have been used by Navy SEALs as well as some members of the U.S. Army Special Forces (5th Special Forces Group) and the U.S. Marine Corps Reconnaissance Force Intelligence during the Vietnam War.

In practice, this weapon proved to be a solid development, but for whatever reason it was never procured in acceptable quantities to standard problems. The launcher's repeatable firing characteristics are a perfect complement to existing special forces hardware. The gun is also light in the cargo hold, weighing about 8 pounds empty and about 10 pounds fully loaded. Thus, the weapon can be deployed by the operator who already carries the main weapon on the shoulder sling.

U.S. involvement in Vietnam eventually diminished, and several development or evaluation projects were abandoned. As a result, the China Lake grenade launcher failed to gain widespread acceptance in the ensuing years.

However, the design was given new life in 1992 by a private initiative. In a more refined form, the grenade launcher underwent promising capability tests, although the effort did not fail until 2009 due to a general lack of interest in promoting the type among major parties. The U.S. military has since adopted the modular German Heckler & Koch M320 40mm single-shot grenade launcher, which can be used as a stand-alone weapon (with an optical and foldable stock) or as an undergun accessory, and will replace the long-standing Underslung The M230-Series is totally timely. In addition, the US military is actively evaluating the South African Milk MGL multi-shot 40mm grenade launcher.

This weapon is in service with U.S. Army units in Iraq.

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