Denel PAW-20 Neopup

History

The Denel PAW-20 "Neopup" ("Personal Area Weapon, 20mm") of South African origin is a unique and advanced 20mm semi-automatic grenade launcher currently under development. The weapon uses a variety of 20mm pin detonators, fired from a detachable box (or drum) magazine via a rather unique receiver. Design work on the weapon began in 1999 and is ongoing at the time of writing (2012). The PAW-20 is intended to compete with currently popular varieties of 40mm grenade launchers, including the American M203 series and the German XM25.

The weapon was designed by Tony Neophytou, manufactured by Gemaco Elbree PTY Ltd, and marketed by South African defence company Denel PTY Ltd. Denel itself is made up of a number of divisions, including Denel Aviation, Denel Dynamics and Denel Land Systems.

The PAW-20 is designed to be a cross between a traditional assault rifle and a grenade launcher. It certainly shares many visual characteristics with modern assault rifles and is quite compact for this class of weapon. However, the chamber of the PAW-20 can accommodate the large 20mm bullet, which is commonly used in vehicle and aircraft guns. As such, the PAW-20 is a fairly destructive weapon, especially at the squad level, as it brings large-caliber firepower to the game alongside traditional automatic weapons.

The ability to fire a grenade at an enemy certainly has its own advantages over conventional bullets - grenades have a way of "spotting" targets that are out of sight due to their inherent "spray" properties. One must also consider the advantages of such a weapon over "light" infantry units such as special forces, airborne or reconnaissance units - all of which could benefit greatly from 20mm man-portable weapon systems and their automatic weapons.

The most unique aspect of the PAW-20's design is its overall layout. While the PAW-20 looks similar to today's assault rifles, the features it contains make it a completely unique weapon. This includes adjusting the pistol grip and trigger to the right side of the receiver.

The handle and trigger are covered by an extension cover that extends from the receiver itself. As with any rifle system, the operator traditionally controls the trigger and shoulders the stock before firing.

The other hand supports the front end of the gun like a normal "long gun" by means of a front handguard wrapped around the barrel and cylinder. The weapon's unique layout attempts to control the violent recoil inherent in firing such a large and powerful bullet. Therefore, the weapon is designed to recoil separately from the stock itself. Honestly, the recoil is manageable, but there is still some feel when firing 20mm projectiles.

The overall design is sleek and modern, with a solid black finish and a red-dot collimation sight mounted above the receiver (side-by-side Picatinny rails come standard with other professional optics). The large ejection port is located on the left side of the receiver and works like the ejection system of an assault rifle.

The magazine well accommodates a standard 7-round detachable box magazine or a 6-round drum, and a stock is mounted to the rear of the weapon for a solid "three-point" grip in the traditional sense.

The overall length of the gun is 845mm and the barrel is 375mm. The weight is 6 kg. The range is up to 1,000 meters, but this depends on the type of ammunition used and environmental factors. Typical ranges are under 400 meters, while point targets have ranges up to 600 meters.

The muzzle velocity is 984 feet per second.

A unique operational aspect of the PAW-20 is its ability to "fold" the front of the weapon onto itself, reducing the weapon's barrel length from 33.3 inches to 30 inches. This space-saving measure makes the system more compact overall, which is especially beneficial for infantry soldiers who must carry weapons for hours of patrolling.

In this mode, the weapon can still be effectively reloaded and cocked for readiness, although it will not fire until fully extended. Expansion is achieved by operating a simple release latch.

In general, the PAW-20 is essentially a conventional offensive weapon. An integrated rear-view mirror enables precise firing at long distances, while the firing process itself revolves around a proven gas operating system with a rotating bolt. This is in line with many assault rifles in vogue today. The firing action is semi-automatic in nature, requiring a trigger pull for each shot fired. While the basic design of the PAW-20 seems limited for lefties, the weapon can be fired from the left shoulder - using the right hand as the primary weapon and the left hand as the front support.

So the PAW-20 isn't really a dexterous weapon in this regard, but it's not strictly limited to right-handed shooters either.

The heart and soul of the PAW-20 system is undoubtedly its collection of 20x42mm point bombs (these were developed by the Denel PMP division). There are four different basic types of cartridges to choose from, including HEI (High Explosive, Incendiary), SAPHE (Semi Armor Piercing, High Explosive), APC (Armor Piercing, Capped) and Practice (PRAC) cartridges. Each has its own design and color to visually differentiate them. The HEI bullet has a brass short nose cap, and the yellow frame has a red strap. SAPHEI is similar but has a more tapered nose mask with a black finish.

APG cartridges are all black with a pronounced tip. The practice wheel features a blunt nose cap, light blue for quick identification.

The 20mm shell has been shown to cleanly cut wood and steel surfaces with relative ease, greatly expanding the weapon's tactical capabilities. This enables PAW-20 operators to deal with threats from entrenched enemy infantry, "technicians" and lightly armored vehicles. Denel will be using these 20mm grenades as a good alternative to the more popular 40mm type. The 20mm rounds fly on a straighter trajectory, have better range accuracy, and are a fraction of the weight of 40mm rounds - each 40mm round can carry three 20mm rounds.

Reloading can also be accelerated by using smaller cartridges (especially when deployed in magazine form), while further increasing the range. Having said that, 40mm grenade launchers are often deployed as secondary weapons alongside primary assault weapons such as the M16 rifle.

However, the PAW-20 itself is seen as a weapon designed to be the primary choice of trained dedicated infantry. A PAW-20 soldier will have the ability to carry as many as 60-80 grenades into combat, which is certainly an advantage over bullets given the dampening effect of grenades. Each 20mm shell also has an inherent "burst" effect independent of range - a target at 20m is just as susceptible to slaughter as a target at 40m, without the gunner having to make any adjustments.

Unlike conventional bullet cartridges, even in near misses, grenades can damage targets or target areas due to their explosive nature. As such, the PAW-20 can be used as a point target weapon, suppression effect weapon and area saturation weapon in natural terrain and urban environments as required. Denel's marketing materials also hint at the prospect of the PAW-20, a "non-lethal" riot weapon that fires applicable ammunition.

This can be used well for peacekeeping and security work.

Currently, the PAW-20 is designated as "advanced development" and has not yet been adopted by the national army. Its long-term growth and extremely focused role on the battlefield -- not to mention expected unit costs -- could hamper its overall clout in the lucrative military market.

However, as a very unique and powerful combat weapon system, the weapon fills a glaring void that seems to be really missing on the modern battlefield.

Denel PAW-20 Neopup Specification

ROLES

STRUCTURAL

PERFORMANCE

VARIANTS