GP-25 / GP-30 GL

History

The GP series 40mm single-shot muzzle grenade launcher was developed in 1972 for the Soviet Army infantry. Work continued until 1978, with limited production under the KBP Instrument Design Bureau brand label.

Compatible with the Kalashnikov "AK" series of assault weapons, the type was designed to greatly expand the tactical range of the Soviet infantry - rivaling the American M203 armed infantry every time. The weapon is designed to fire standard FRAG (FRAGmentation) grenades, smoke, tear gas, riot batons and specialized "jump" grenades, so the GP launcher family can be required to use a variety of counter-handling personnel missions with varying lethality .

The GP is designed around a "high and low pressure system" where the recoil effects of firing a 40mm projectile can be managed without the need for a rocket-based propulsion system. The system was developed by German engineers late in World War II and subsequently adopted by the Soviet Union in the postwar world.

Likewise, the Americans used the same principle to develop their breech-loading 40mm single-shot M79 grenade launcher, which was widely used in the Vietnam War, and then the bottom-loading 40mm M203 series mated to the M16 assault rifle replaced.

The Soviet 40mm single-shot grenade launcher first appeared in limited form under the designation "BG-15", followed by the announcement of the final production designation "GP-25". A modernized and simplified form has since been introduced, the "GP-30", which more or less replaced the original aging GP-25 series. The original GP-25 weighed 3.3 pounds overall and had an overall length of 12.7 inches, while the updated GP-30 was lighter and shorter, weighing 3 pounds and measuring 10.8 inches in length. Both have the same barrel length, 4.7 inches, and the same muzzle velocity of 250 feet per second, roughly in line with Western products.

In the GP system, the 40mm grenade is driven by a shock cap-type base, which ignites the grenade's propellant and pushes the projectile out of the muzzle end of the barrel. The internal structure of the launcher barrel has been carefully designed to promote a rotational stabilization effect on the exiting cartridge, allowing for greater engagement range and range accuracy compared to smoothbore barrel types.

The construction of the GP series grenade launchers was considered to be extremely robust, allowing for extended service life in the harshest battlefield conditions - an integral part of the Soviet weapon design philosophy.

The GP-25/GP-30 follows the traditional design philosophy of firing a single shot from the well-accepted 40mm grenade. However, unlike the American M79 and M203 launchers, the Soviet Russian GP-25/GP-30 was eventually identified as a muzzle-loading weapon (as opposed to the American breech-loading method). The basic design features a tubular barrel attached to a short plate-side receiver assembly that combines a trigger ring and a pistol grip with a thumb hole.

The GP series mounts under the gauntlet of an AK-style weapon system, with the body of the assault rifle serving as the host system for the launcher, allowing the infantryman to fire the grenade launcher from the shoulder with a traditional three-point grip.

The GP family of grenade launchers are used worldwide, especially in the armies of countries whose political ties were (or still are) linked to the USSR/Russia. Rebel fighters in the Middle East and South Asia are known to prefer this type when it is available.

GP launchers are still present in the modern Russian army and have also been distributed to the armed forces of Georgia, Lithuania, North Korea, Pakistan, Ukraine and Vietnam. Georgia produces this type under license.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

PERFORMANCE

VARIANTS