The issue of fire support for infantry units on the battlefield has been and is facing any army in the world. The problem of large and small caliber, ammunition efficiency and maximum destructive power is a priority for all military personnel and designers.

In the offensive, as well as in the defensive, it was not always possible to provide effective support with something more serious than personal small arms. For these purposes, in the 1970s, the USSR began developing a new type of weapon for the country - the GP-25 under-barrel grenade launcher, which received the name “Koster”.

History of the Koster underbarrel grenade launcher

With the invention of grenades, the question arose about simple and effective delivery of them to the enemy. Hand-held mortars and bombards were ineffective due to heavy recoil or were difficult to use due to the weight and size of the ammunition.

New life this type of weapon was given by the First World War. Positional warfare required new types of weapons capable of firing a powerful charge along an overhead and straight trajectory.

Muzzle grenade launchers developed at the beginning of the 20th century had many disadvantages. The attached tromblon shot did not make it possible to quickly switch to fire with conventional ammunition, and an accidental shot with the wrong type of cartridge could lead to sad consequences for the shooter.

The samples used did not have enough good characteristics, in order to make a serious contribution to the picture of the battle or to occupy a worthy niche in the armament of the countries participating in the Second World War.

Only in the post-war period was the idea of ​​small rifle grenade launchers addressed again, using new technical ideas.

During the Vietnam War, the American army successfully tested a sample of the M203 under-barrel grenade launcher. This weapon, attached to an assault rifle, was a full-fledged automatic grenade launcher system, not ideal, but which contributed to the successful actions of the military.

Soviet intelligence immediately learned about the developments of the potential enemy, and the engineers were tasked with developing weapons of the same class. KB Iskra completed the task by 1978. In the same year it was adopted into service.

However, mass production was launched only in 1980, with the outbreak of hostilities in Afghanistan and the birth of new tactics of combat operations in the mountains. Tula gunsmiths took up production. The model was adjusted for all types of AK brand assault rifles used Soviet army.

Subsequently, taking into account the experience of the war, the Koster was upgraded to the GP-30 Obuvka. The already simple design was lightened and simplified.

Design features of GP-25

The Soviet model, in contrast to the American under-barrel grenade launcher, is distinguished by its simplicity of design. This is a single-shot model, muzzle-loading type. Barrel with 12 right-hand rifling, 40 mm caliber. The entire device is assembled from 3 parts, plus 2 additional parts. This:

• breech;
• barrel with mount and sight;
• trigger mechanism;
• rubber gasket for butt;
• weapon care tool.

Additionally, the kit included a reinforced AK return mechanism, since the standard AKM/AK-74 receiver covers were not designed for such loads and were torn off when fired from the GP-25.

For lighter weight, the grenade launcher has a plastic hollow handle.

Self-cocking trigger design with hammer. The shot is fired due to a hook moving in a straight line, pulling the trigger and activating the mainspring.

The trigger breaks, the firing pin fires, breaking the primer and releasing the grenade. There is a flag type fuse. A special mechanism has been developed that prevents a shot from being fired if the weapon is installed incorrectly. The block also operates in the event of incomplete charge delivery.

A special extractor makes it possible to discharge the “Bonfire” without firing a shot.

Fire can be fired at a distance of 400 meters, both with mounted and flat fire. The caseless nature also ensures a high rate of fire, 4-5 rounds per minute.

Shots to the grenade launcher

The main type of ammunition for the Bonfire is VOG-25, developed by the Snegirev Institute in Balashikha. 40 mm charge without a case, with a main part and an expelling charge. 48 grams explosive provide significant damage to enemy personnel, even hidden behind cover.

There are several known modifications of this shot:

• VOG-25IN, an inert model necessary for training, as well as samples of the attached GP-25;
• VUS-25, training model;
• VOG-25P, or “foundling”, with a device that provides “bouncing” of the charge for a larger radius of damage when bursting;
• "Nail", for shooting tear gas;
• VDG-40 for setting up smoke screens;
• ASZ-40, which is a light-noise design, as well as the smoke version, is not lethal;
• VOG-25PM, modernization, incorporating the experience of the best models of previous years;
• Several new developments related to signal lights and smoke screens.

New types of ammunition continue to emerge based on military needs and due to the high demand for a proven weapon addition.

Combat use of "Bonfire"

Since the 1980s, the grenade launcher has been involved in all conflicts on the territory of the USSR and countries that had supplies from the Soviet Union. The war in Afghanistan quickly revealed the advantages of weapons.

Thus, when shooting in the mountains, a fighter could easily cover an enemy located above with a well-aimed shot along an overhead trajectory.

As war participants noted, even a schoolboy could easily switch from automatic fire to an under-barrel grenade launcher. In battle, when split seconds count, a simple and reliable design saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers. The small weight and dimensions also added to the love for the GP-25.

The mass added accuracy when shooting. The heaviness prevented the AK barrel from jumping upward when fired, reducing a well-known unpleasant feature of the entire line of machine guns. To carry the shots, a special bag was required, two rows of cases containing 5 VOGs.

On combat missions, fighters took two of these, increasing the supply of shots to 20 pieces. According to the recollections of combat participants, no one complained about the grenade launcher, its quality or serious design defects.

They paid tribute to its simplicity and combat power, sincerely loving this weapon.

With the end Afghan war Kostra's career did not end. Chechnya again showed the advantages of grenade launchers. The replacement with “Obuvka” in the conditions of constant economic and political crises was not carried out in full, and “Bonfires” were not outdated models. Reliable when shooting, they again rescued the soldiers more than once.

So, in one of the episodes of the campaign, the unit Russian army in the absence of cartridges, it took 4 hours to fight off attacks with the fire of under-barrel grenade launchers. The high quality of Tula craftsmen made itself felt, the fighters received help and were saved.

Currently, the GP-25 underbarrel grenade launcher and its modifications are still in service with the Russian army. The quality is at the level of Western analogues, in some places even surpassing them. It is too early to talk about removing this simple but effective weapon from service.

Video

As a result of the work of the design teams of TsKIB SOO in Tula and State Research and Production Enterprise "Pribor" in Moscow, the 6G15 grenade launcher was developed, successfully tested, and in 1978, based on the results of the PI, the 6G15 grenade launcher was recommended for service with the SA (later assigned the index GP-25, theme "Bonfire") and shot at him with a VOG-25 fragmentation grenade.

The 40-mm grenade launcher GP-25 is an under-barrel grenade launcher, mounted under the barrel of a Kalashnikov assault rifle of all modifications, calibers 5.45 mm and 7.62 mm (except for AK74U), as well as a 5.45 mm Nikonov assault rifle (AN94, theme "Abakan", ind. 6PZZ) and is intended to combat open manpower, as well as manpower located in open trenches, trenches and on reverse slopes of terrain.

The grenade launcher includes the following main assembly units:

barrel with bracket; body with breech; receiver cover fixation unit; butt plate with belt.

The grenade launcher kit also includes a banner for cleaning and lubricating the barrel.

The grenade launcher is loaded with a shot from the muzzle of the barrel. The shot must be inserted into the barrel until it stops at the end of the breech. In this case, the shot in the barrel is fixed by a special lock, which, in turn, is connected to a transfer lever that blocks the trigger in such a way that if the shot is not fully fired, firing becomes impossible. The design of the grenade launcher also includes a device that blocks the trigger mechanism, which eliminates the possibility of firing from a grenade launcher that is not attached or incompletely attached to the machine gun (the locking mechanism is automatically turned off when the grenade launcher is correctly positioned and fixed on the machine gun).

The trigger mechanism of the grenade launcher is of the self-cocking type. In addition, the grenade launcher is equipped with a conventional flag-type fuse, which prevents accidental shots when the grenade launcher is loaded.

The grenade launcher uses an open-type mechanical sight, which allows targeted shooting at ranges from 100 m to 400 m. The sight is located to the left of the aiming line of the machine gun, the sight scale (discreteness 50 m) is located below, the sight is fixed at the desired angle using a "type" mechanism ratchets." The sight has a plumb line to give the grenade launcher barrel the required elevation angle when firing at an invisible target (for example, on the reverse slopes of a hill, etc.) and a scale for mounted firing (at barrel elevation angles of more than 45°) at ranges from 200 to 400 meters. In order to ensure mounted firing at a minimum range (100 meters), a crane device was introduced into the design of the grenade launcher. When the valve is open, part of the powder gases from the combustion of the propellant charge is discharged from the barrel bore into the atmosphere and, thereby, the initial flight speed of the grenade is reduced (from 76 m/s to 55 m/s). However, the results of military tests revealed the inappropriateness of having a crane and, subsequently, in the production of grenade launchers, the crane device was excluded from the design, and the minimum firing range for mounted firing increased to 200 meters.

Depending on the assigned combat mission, the firing range and the characteristics of the firing position, the machine gunner can fire from the following positions:

• lying down;
from the knee from the shoulder, from under the arm, with the butt resting on the ground; sitting under the arm or with the butt resting on the ground; standing from the shoulder or from under the arm.

If necessary, the grenade launcher can be easily discharged using a special extractor.

The standard 40-mm VOG-25 (7P17) shot is unitary in design and is made according to a “caseless” design, i.e. The propellant charge together with the ignition agent is located in the bottom part of the grenade body. This is the first time such a shot pattern has been used in domestic practice. It made it possible to greatly simplify the design of the grenade launcher and, accordingly, increase the reliability of the weapon, coupled with an increase in the combat rate of fire. The shot grenade is a fragmentation grenade with a steel body. Inside the grenade body (between the bursting charge and the body) there is a cardboard mesh for rational crushing of the body into fragments, which helps to increase the fragmentation effect. Here it is simply necessary to note that the VOG-25 round grenade is 1.5 times more effective at the target than the 30-mm OFZ round for the 2A42 cannon, which is equipped with the BMP-2.

The outside of the grenade body has ready-made rifling, which serves to give the grenade a rotational movement (the grenade is stabilized in flight due to rotation) as it moves along the barrel. The grenade fuse (index VMG-K) is a head, impact, instantaneous and inertial action, semi-safety type with pyrotechnic long-range cocking and self-liquidator. The cocking distance is from 10 to 40 meters from the muzzle of the grenade launcher. Such a significant spread is due to the temperature range of use of the weapon (from minus 40°C to 50°C). The response time of the self-destruction mechanism is 14-19 seconds.

In 1978, comparative tests of the GP-25 grenade launcher with the VOG-25 round and the 40-mm M-203 under-barrel grenade launcher mounted on the M16 rifle with the M-406 round were carried out. Tests have shown a significant advantage of the domestic grenade launcher and its shot over a similar system produced in the USA. To install the M-203 grenade launcher on the M16A1 rifle, partial disassembly of the latter is required, and to load the grenade launcher, three operations must be performed manually (unlike the GP-25, where for this purpose one operation is required - to send the grenade into the barrel): - disconnect the grenade launcher barrel from the breech, moving it forward (this removes the cartridge case from the previous shot); - insert a new shot into the barrel (shots for the M-203 grenade launcher are made according to the classic “unitary” scheme with a cartridge case that separates after the shot); - connect the barrel to the breech of the grenade launcher. It is quite obvious that performing three operations instead of one to load a weapon leads to a decrease in its rate of fire.

The VOG-25 and M-406 shots were compared by shooting at an area where a target environment was located, simulating openly located manpower (lying growth targets). During these tests, it was revealed that the frequency of hitting targets on the tactical field from the explosion of a grenade from a VOG-25 shot is 3-4 times higher than from the explosion of a fragmentation grenade from an M-406 shot.

While the designers from TsKIB SOO were designing the GP-25 grenade launcher, namely in 1974, their colleagues from the Pribor State Research and Production Enterprise were given a new task. It was necessary to develop a new 40-mm shot for an under-barrel grenade launcher with increased fragmentation efficiency against manpower lying down and in unprotected shelters from above (trenches, trenches, stones, etc.), compared to the VOG-25 shot grenade, 1 .5-2 times (without reducing the effectiveness of fragmentation against growth targets). This, frankly speaking, difficult technical problem was brilliantly solved by the team of designers from the Pribor State Research and Production Enterprise. In 1979, a new 40-mm shot with a fragmentation grenade VOG-25P (“Foundling”, index 7P24) was presented for field testing, and in the same year the new shot was recommended for service with the SA. The main and main difference of the new shot was the head fuse, which received the VMG-P index.

An expelling charge and a pyrotechnic moderator were introduced into the design of the VMG-P fuse, ensuring that the grenade “bounces” after hitting the ground and explodes in the air when firing at all ranges combat use grenade launcher The height of the grenade burst when fired at medium-hard soil was 0.75 m, which made it possible to increase the effectiveness of the fragmentation action in comparison with the VOG-25 shot grenade.

The Soviet Union became interested in under-barrel grenade launchers in the 60s, after information was received about the successful use of the XM148 model with an under-barrel grenade launcher during the conflict in Vietnam. The military leadership made several orders, and several prototypes were constructed by various design bureaus. But they did not have the necessary operational and technical characteristics. This is how the under-barrel grenade launcher for the machine gun appeared - GP-25

Creation of GP-25

To create a single model of this kind, in 1971, the design bureaus of the entire Union were given the appropriate task. The project was called "OCR "Bonfire"". Tula Design Bureau, which developed hunting and military weapon, entrusted this task to V.N. Telesh, since he already had similar experience behind him. He set to work together with engineers from the Pribor State Research and Production Enterprise in Moscow. The result of this work was the adoption in 1978 of the GP-25 Koster under-barrel grenade launcher. It was prescribed to be used in conjunction with AKM and AKMS assault rifles. When the grenade launcher appeared, it received the GRAU 6G15 index.

However, they began to supply the army en masse only in 1980, when the USSR fought in Afghanistan. As the experience of the first few months of fighting showed, the troops really needed such weapons as an under-barrel grenade launcher.

general characteristics

GP-25 "Koster" is designed to destroy enemy personnel located on open area or in shelters (trenches, trenches), and thus cannot be hit from conventional small arms.

Weapons to which the under-barrel grenade launcher can be attached are AK-74, AKM, AKMS and AKS-74U in 7.62 or 5.45 mm caliber. How does the entire structure work when assembled? In this case, depending on the current situation in battle, it is possible to fire from both a machine gun and a grenade launcher.

Weapon design

GP (under-barrel grenade launcher) consists of the following parts:

• a barrel on which there are sighting devices and a bracket for attaching the grenade launcher to the weapon;
• breech;
• trigger mechanism with housing and handle;
• the grenade launcher itself is automatic.

The standard equipment of the grenade launcher includes the following items:

• the grenade launcher itself;
• carrying bag;
• bag for grenade launcher shots;
• rubber butt plate and belt;
• banner

The weapon has a fairly long (205 mm) barrel, in which there are 12 screw rifling (right-handed). In order to load the weapon, a grenade is inserted into the barrel, which is held inside using a special lock. If necessary, it can be removed back - for this purpose a special extractor has been invented with a key that needs to be pressed with your finger.

There is a bracket with a guard to attach the weapon to the machine gun. To attach a grenade launcher to an AK, it is enough to attach the bracket from below to the forend, and the latch itself will fix it in a secure position. There is a spring shock absorber on the bracket at the front.

The weapon has a self-cocking trigger mechanism. The principle of its operation is quite simple. Pressing the straight trigger pulls the hammer back using a special hook, while the mainspring is also compressed. If you press the trigger further, the trigger will come off the hook. At the same time, it acts on the firing pin, which breaks the capsule of the shot grenade.

There is also a fuse located on the right side of the barrel. There are two modes - “PR” (fuse) and “OG” (fire). There is also another protective system: if the grenade launcher is incorrectly attached to the machine gun, the shot will not be fired. In both cases the trigger is securely locked.

Sights

The sighting devices available on the grenade launcher allow both direct and semi-direct fire. They are mounted on the left side of the bracket, the distance scale is made in the form of an arc. If direct fire is necessary, then aiming is done through the front sight and folding rear sight. The range can be adjusted. To do this, the cam moves the front sight back and forth, so you can make corrections for the derivation of the grenade. To fire through semi-direct fire, two factors need to be taken into account - direction and range. Aiming for the first is carried out through the rear sight and front sight, and for the second - through a plumb line and a distance scale (similar to the “quadrant” method). But the peculiarity of semi-direct fire is that it is needed only for mounted shooting.

The maximum range that the GP-25 underbarrel grenade launcher is capable of firing accurate shooting, is 400 meters. Firing range (subject to mounted fire) is approximately 200 meters. However, the accuracy of fire is quite high. At a distance of 400 meters, the grenade deviates in range by no more than 6 meters, and along the front this figure is 3 meters. It must be taken into account that side winds have a great influence. To do this, you need to adjust the front sight by shifting it.

Safety and convenience when shooting

Since the under-barrel grenade launcher has much greater recoil than that of an assault rifle, devices are provided that allow firing with comfort for the shooter. A universal rubber butt pad is attached to the butt, and its features are such that it can be adapted both to butts made of wood and plastic (like AK-74 or AKM), and to folding butts of AKMS or AKS-74 assault rifles. The grenade launcher body softens its impact on the fore-end, and its insert protects the receiver from impacts.

Tests in the field revealed an unpleasant feature - when fired, the receiver cover, which is usually secured with the head of the return spring rod, often flew off. Therefore, a special rod was developed, the design of which included a hook. When installing a grenade launcher, the standard rod is replaced with it. In the design of the AK-74M assault rifle, this feature has become standard, that is, all such weapons are produced with a modified rod.

Ammunition and shooting

The GP-25 grenade launcher fires VOG-25 and VOG-25P rounds, as well as their improved versions - VOG-25M and VOG-25PM. All of them have a fragmentation grenade, which is equipped with an instantaneous fuse with a self-destructive device.

Characteristics of the VOG-25 shot:

• grenade weight - 250 g;
• weight - 48 g;
• The radius of damage from fragments is 6 meters.

The standard ammunition load is 10 grenades, they are carried in a bag that comes with the grenade launcher. It consists of two cassettes made of matter, each holding 5 ammunition. The peculiarity of wearing such a bag is that no matter what position the shooter is in, the cassettes are always within reach. In addition, many unloading vests used in the modern army have sockets for carrying rounds for the GP-25.

You can shoot from any position - even standing, sitting, or kneeling. Every soldier is taught how to fire an under-barrel grenade launcher correctly. Direct fire shooting at distances of up to 200 meters is carried out with the butt of the machine gun resting on the shoulder, and at longer distances - “from under the hand”, that is, the butt is placed under the shooter’s arm. If you need to shoot at targets shielded from direct fire, the machine gun rests its butt on the ground.

Since the grenade from an underbarrel grenade launcher has a low initial velocity, shooting at angles is quite convenient - the shot is less blown away by the wind, the trajectory is not so steep and the flight time is reduced. However, when there is a headwind, it is dangerous to open fire from a grenade launcher.

Some features

As you might guess, the grenade launcher weighs down the machine gun it is attached to. A fully equipped AK-74 with GP-25 weighs approximately 5.1 kg. However, this is only beneficial. The center of gravity of the weapon shifts forward and down, that is, if you attach an under-barrel grenade launcher, the AK-74 begins to “lower.” Therefore, the shooter will need some time to get used to the changes in his weapon. However, with the proper level of skill, you can significantly increase the accuracy of a machine gun’s fire, since the weight prevents it from “throwing” in different directions.

In departments

According to the regulations, the modern one is equipped with two assault rifles with GP-25, in addition to conventional AKs. In the conditions of modern tactics and methods of warfare, this makes even the smallest unit quite independent, because an assault rifle with an under-barrel grenade launcher plays the role of an assault weapon, thereby making it easier for its unit to solve certain tasks in battle.

Weapon variants and modifications

Since the GP-25 under-barrel grenade launcher also entered service with the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the question arose of how to turn it into a non-lethal weapon. And it was resolved quite quickly. The main changes, of course, affected the ammunition. A special “Nail” cartridge has been developed for the grenade launcher, which is equipped not with a standard fragmentation grenade, but with the same one, but filled with CS type poison gas. The characteristics of such a shot are as follows:

• weight - 170 g;
• maximum shot range - 250 m;
• minimum shot range - 50 m;
• time of complete gas release - 15 seconds;
• cloud volume - 500 m3.

Original idea originated from the designers of the Research Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was decided to adapt the GP-25 for firing ammunition from the KS-25 carbine - with gas, rubber or plastic bullets. For this purpose, a special removable barrel with a caliber of 23 mm was developed. This system is called "Larry".

Besides standard models, a modified version is also produced - GP-30. This is the same GP-25 underbarrel grenade launcher, only lighter, and its sighting devices are located on the right side. There is also a modification for export - GP-30U, which is intended for use with foreign assault rifles.

Underbarrel grenade launcher GP-25 - technical characteristics

So, the characteristics:

• caliber - 40 mm;
• total length - 323 mm;
• barrel length - 205 mm;
• total width - 76 mm;
• height - 120 mm;
• weight (without butt plate) - 1.5 kg;
• maximum firing range (sighting) - 400 m;
• rate of fire - 4-5 rds/min;
• ammunition - 10 shots;
• the initial speed of the grenade is 76 m/sec.

The GP-25 Koster under-barrel grenade launcher is in service with the Russian Army, as well as a number of armies of other countries to this day. It gained its popularity due to its reliability, convenience and good tactical and technical characteristics.

In the 1960s of the twentieth century, development of options for an under-barrel grenade launcher began - after reports of the use of the American 40-mm XM148 in Vietnam.

Several samples of SGC for AK were created:

In 1971, an order was issued to develop a 40-mm under-barrel grenade launcher for the Koster design and development project. At the Central Design and Research Bureau of Sports and hunting weapons(TsKIB SOO, Tula) this work was headed by designer V.N. Telesh, who already had experience in creating the SGC. The work was carried out jointly with the Pribor State Scientific and Production Enterprise (Moscow). The result was the adoption in 1978 of the single-shot GP-25 Koster grenade launcher, intended for use in conjunction with AKM, AKMS, AK-74 and AKS-74 assault rifles. However, mass deliveries of grenade launchers to the troops began only in 1980 - this was required by the experience of the first months of fighting in Afghanistan. The production of the grenade launcher was established by the Tula Arms Plant.

The 40-mm underbarrel grenade launcher GP-25 is an individual weapon and is designed to destroy open manpower, as well as manpower located in open trenches, trenches and on reverse slopes of terrain.

The grenade launcher is used in combination with 7.62 mm and 5.45 mm Kalashnikov assault rifles (AKM, AKMS, AK74 and AKS74). With an attached under-barrel grenade launcher, the machine gunner, depending on the task at hand, can fire both from a grenade launcher and from a machine gun.

For firing from an under-barrel grenade launcher, VOG-25 (7P17), VOG-25P (7P24 "Foundling"), VOG-25M, VOG-25PM rounds with a fragmentation grenade equipped with an instantaneous head fuse with a self-liquidator are used.

The grenade launcher consists of 3 main parts:

barrel with sights and bracket for mounting a grenade launcher on a machine gun
breech
trigger mechanism housing with handle

The grenade launcher kit consists of:

Grenade launcher GP-25
Rubber butt pad with strap
Recoil Spring Guide Rod with Latch
Grenade launcher bag(GRAU index 6Ш47)
Shot bag(GRAU index 6Ш48)
Bannik

The barrel has a length of 205 mm (about 5 calibers of a grenade launcher), in its bore there are 12 helical riflings of right rotation. The shot inserted into the barrel is held in it by a spring-loaded latch. If necessary, the shot can be removed from the barrel using an extractor - a special rod with a finger button. By pressing the extractor on the latch, the grenade is released and removed from the barrel.

A bracket with a guard is used to mount a grenade launcher on a weapon - it is installed on the forend of the machine gun, and its latch fixes the position of the GP-25 under the barrel. At the front, the bracket has a spring shock absorber.

The trigger mechanism is self-cocking, hammer type. When you press the straight-moving trigger, it uses its hook to pull the trigger back, compressing the mainspring. When the trigger is pulled further back, the trigger breaks off the hook. Turning, he sends forward a firing pin hinged to him, breaking the capsule of the shot. On the left side of the case there is a fuse box with two positions - “PR” (safety) and “OG” (fire). In the "PR" position, the safety locks the trigger. There is also a kind of automatic safety: a special system of levers blocks the trigger if the GP-25 is incorrectly connected to the machine gun.

The GRAU index of the GP-25 grenade launcher is 6G15. The GP-25 grenade launcher project was named "Bonfire".

Specifications

For ease of shooting, a plastic hollow pistol grip with a hole for the thumb is attached to the body of the trigger mechanism. A right-handed shooter “works” with the handle and trigger with his left hand. Sights designed for direct or semi-direct fire. They are installed on the left wall of the bracket, and there is also a distance scale in the form of an arc with divisions. For direct fire, a folding rear sight and a movable front sight are used. When setting the sight at a distance, a special cam slightly shifts the front sight body to the side: thus, a correction is introduced for the derivation of the grenade. Semi-direct aiming is carried out: in direction - using the rear sight and front sight, in range - using a remote scale and a plumb line suspended on the axis of the sight (the "quadrant" method). Semi-direct aiming is carried out during mounted shooting. The maximum sighting range of both flat and mounted firing is 400 m, the minimum range of mounted firing is 150-200 m. The accuracy of fire can be judged by the following figures: at a distance of 400 m, the median deviations of grenade impact points are: by range - 6.6 m, along the front - 3 m. For comparison: firing from a 30-mm automatic grenade launcher AGS-17 "Plamya" at the same range gives median deviations: 4.3 m along the range and 0.2 m along the front. It should be taken into account that with a steep trajectory, the side wind has a great influence on the flight of the grenade and the results of firing. Corrections for crosswinds can be made by shifting the front sight.

Special measures have been taken to mitigate the impact of the grenade launcher's recoil on the shooter and on the machine gun. A rubber butt pad is attached to the butt of the machine gun; Moreover, the design of the butt plate allows it to be mounted both on the wooden or plastic butt of the AKM and AK-74, and on the folding butts of the AKMS and AKS-74. The housing frame of the GP-25 trigger mechanism protects the machine's fore-end from damage, and the elastic frame insert softens the impact on the receiver when fired from a grenade launcher. When testing the GP-25, the troops revealed another unpleasant recoil effect - when fired from a grenade launcher, the cover of the machine's receiver, held, as is known, by the head of the return spring rod, was torn off. It was necessary to introduce a special rod with a hook into the grenade launcher accessory, which replaces the usual one when installing the GP-25. For the new AK74M assault rifle, such a rod has become standard.

Ammunition of 10 shots is carried by the shooter in a “bag”, which is two fabric cassettes with sockets for shots, 5 in each. Cassettes are located on belts on both sides of the shooter's body, so shots are available no matter what position the shooter is in. Unloading vests can also have special pockets for GP-25 rounds. Fire from the GP-25 is carried out from a standing, kneeling or sitting position. Direct fire, along a flat trajectory, is usually carried out: at a distance of up to 200 m - with the butt resting on the shoulder, 200-400 m - "from under the hand", i.e. with the butt tucked under his arm. Shooting along a steep trajectory - with the butt resting on the ground, side or roof of the infantry fighting vehicle (armored personnel carrier). The GP-25 motorized rifle squad is armed with two riflemen, so the “grenade launchers” make the smallest units more independent, serve as a means of support and as an “assault weapon” in close combat, playing biggest role in modern tactics.

The low initial speed of the grenade facilitates firing at large angles - the trajectory does not rise too high, flight time is reduced and the grenade is less blown away by the wind. But with a headwind, blowing away a grenade becomes dangerous for the grenade launcher. A grenade launcher not only increases the total weight of the weapon (an AKM or AK-74 assault rifle with a GP-25 weighs 5.1 kg), but also shifts the center of gravity forward and down. Accordingly, the average point of impact also shifts downwards - the weapon begins to “lower”, especially when shooting without a rest. The grenade launcher should get used to shooting from his machine gun. However, having adjusted, he may find that burst fire has become much more crowded - a natural result of the weighting of the weapon and the indicated shift in the center of gravity.

The GP-25 also entered service with the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This caused changes in the grenade launcher's ammunition load. In particular, a “Nail” shot with a gas grenade loaded with an irritating toxic substance CS has been developed for the GP-25. The weight of the grenade is 170 g, the maximum firing range is 250 m, and the minimum permissible is 50 m, the gas release time is up to 15 s, the volume of the formed cloud is 500 cubic meters. At the Research Institute of Special Equipment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they decided to adapt the “Koster” for shooting ammunition with gas grenades, plastic and rubber bullets from the 23-mm special carbine KS-23: this is how the insert (or replaceable) 23-mm rifled barrel “Larry” appeared.

Poster dedicated to GP-25:

General structure of GP-25:

Grenade Launcher Bags:


Operation of the trigger mechanism and blocking device GP-25:

Sectional diagram of GP-25:

Using a plumb line when aiming for mounted shooting from the GP-25:

Setting up for firing from the GP-25 with the emphasis on the ground:

Photo of GP-25 produced in the Republic of Bulgaria:

Underbarrel grenade launchers as a class of support weapons, they have not very long, but very interesting story. The combat experience of World War II showed that hand grenades as an additional weapon for an infantryman are simply irreplaceable in close combat - on city streets, in narrow trenches and in buildings. But even the most physically developed soldier is unlikely to be able to throw a grenade further than 25-30 m. And in battle, sometimes it becomes necessary to hit a target located at a distance of 100-300 m with a grenade, despite the fact that for some reason it is impossible to get closer . Accordingly, something other than the usual “pocket artillery” is required here.

Back in 1916, Staff Captain M. G. Dyakonov developed a rifle grenade launcher in the form of a mortar mounted on the barrel of a conventional Mosin infantry rifle. Such grenade launchers were produced in the USSR and were in service with the Red Army in the 1920-30s. Similar experiments with light infantry support weapons were carried out in other countries, but for a number of reasons such weapons did not become widespread at that time.

During the fighting in Vietnam, the American army actively used the 40-mm M-79 hand-held anti-personnel grenade launcher. This weapon was, in fact, a breakthrough large-caliber hunting rifle.

The simplest “fracture” scheme ensured the design’s reliability and low production cost. The M-79 could send a fragmentation grenade 350-400 m into the jungle, making it very popular among American soldiers. By the way, this weapon is still used today. The M-79 also managed to get onto the big screen: we can see it, for example, in the hands of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film “Terminator 2”.

However, for all its advantages, such a grenade launcher had one significant drawback: a soldier armed with it could no longer carry his service weapon, it became burdensome. Therefore, US military experts eventually achieved the removal of the M-79 from service.

At the end of the 1960s. The American company AAI, based on the M-79 design, developed the M-203 under-barrel grenade launcher, which is in service with many countries to this day. This lightweight, single-shot weapon has a movable barrel (it moves forward for loading) and a fairly simple trigger mechanism. Unitary shots are used for shooting for various purposes: training, high-explosive, lighting, signal and cassette. Fire from the M-203 is most effective against point targets at distances of up to 150 m, and against area targets - up to 350 m.

The M-203 can be attached to all modifications of the M-16 assault rifle, as well as to some Western-made assault rifles and submachine guns, for example, Steyer AUG, IMI Tavor TAR21, H&K MP5.

In the Soviet Union, after the Dyakonov rifle grenade launcher was removed from service, this type of weapon was not used for almost three decades. But when it became known about the use American soldiers in Vietnam, under-barrel grenade launchers, work began on creating their own weapons of this type. By 1978, the Tula Design Bureau (TsKIB) had created and put into production the 40-mm grenade launcher GP-25 (“Koster”), intended for installation on Soviet assault rifles AKM, AKMS, AK-74 and AKS-74. The new weapon arrived just in time for the start of the war in Afghanistan, where it received its baptism of fire. The Tula Arms Plant (TOZ) began producing the GP-25.

The most unusual thing about the design of the GP-25 grenade launcher is that it is loaded from the muzzle of the barrel. WITH mid-19th V. muzzle-loading weapons are a thing of the past, but “Bonfire” became further proof that everything new is well-forgotten old.

The underbarrel grenade launcher itself consists of three parts: a barrel with a sight and bracket, a breech and a trigger mechanism in a separate housing. For ease of carrying, the weapon is divided into two parts, which are placed in a canvas bag. The 205 mm long barrel has 12 right-hand rifling to stabilize the grenade in flight. The VOG-25 shot itself is inserted into the barrel from the muzzle and is held in it from falling out by a special lock. If you need to remove the shot, the shooter presses the extractor - a special rod with a button - and, pressing the latch, releases the grenade, which freely comes out of the barrel.

The bracket with a guard is designed for mounting the GP-25 on a weapon - it is installed on the forend of the machine gun, and the latch reliably fixes the position of the grenade launcher under the barrel.

The trigger mechanism is designed quite simply: a straight-moving trigger with its hook pulls the trigger back, simultaneously compressing the mainspring; further pressing of the trigger causes the trigger to fall off the hook. Turning on an axis, it sends forward the drummer connected to it, which breaks the primer of a grenade launcher shot.

The grenade launcher has a flag-type fuse located on the left side of the weapon body. When turned on (that is, when set to the “right” position), the safety simply locks the trigger. In addition, the trigger mechanism contains a device that makes firing from a grenade launcher impossible if the GP-25 is not attached to the machine gun or the shot is not completely fired into the barrel.

The small handle of the grenade launcher causes some inconvenience. Moreover, when shooting, the shooter must hold on to it with his left hand - with his right he holds the machine gun by the pistol grip, and with his left he fires a shot. The trigger mechanism of the GP-25 is self-cocking and, as a result, quite tight. The sighting devices - a folding rear sight and front sight - are located on the left side of the weapon, so to aim you have to move your head to the side, which also does not add comfort.

One more nuance. The protrusion of the rod of the return mechanism of Kalashnikov assault rifles, which holds the receiver cover, is not designed for such recoil force, so the cover simply flies off when firing from a grenade launcher. In order to eliminate this defect, the GP-25 kit includes a special rod with a reinforced hook. This, of course, is not very convenient. However, on later modifications of the Kalashnikov assault rifle - AK-74M and AK “hundredth” series, this problem has already been eliminated.

The domestic “grenade launcher” weighs one and a half kilograms and is only 323 mm long. Its rate of fire is low - 4-5 rounds per minute, but this is enough for a grenade launcher. Typically, a grenade launcher carries up to ten rounds with him. Direct fire is carried out up to 200 m - this makes the grenade launcher most convenient in close combat. Of course, the weapon allows you to shoot at a distance of up to 400 m, it is also possible to fire “mortar style” - along a steep trajectory, resting the butt on the ground (for this purpose there is a special plumb line on the sight), but in real conditions this is done extremely rarely.

Another characteristic point: a grenade launcher installed on a machine gun not only increases the weight of the weapon, but also changes the average point of impact - this is the result of a shift in the center of gravity. Most often, the machine gun starts to hit lower, which must be taken into account when firing with the GP-25 installed.

For firing from an under-barrel grenade launcher, two main types of shots are used - VOG-25 and VOG-25P.

The VOG-25 fragmentation shot combines a grenade and a cartridge case with a propellant charge into one whole. This decision by the designers made it possible to significantly simplify the design of the weapon itself: since the cartridge case leaves the weapon along with the grenade, there is no need to extract it. The radius of continuous destruction by fragments when a grenade falls is approximately 10 m. If a grenade falls into water, snow or soft ground, then after 14 seconds the self-destructor is activated. For safety reasons, the grenade fuse is cocked only after it flies 10-15 m from the muzzle. In order for the fired grenade to receive rotation, stabilizing it in flight, it has in its middle part a leading belt with twelve leading protrusions (the barrel also has the same number of riflings). The fact that some of the powder gases break through the rifling when fired is not something terrible, since the grenade does not need a high initial speed. VOG-25 weighs 255 g, has a length of 106.7 mm, and the initial speed of a fragmentation grenade in flight is 76 m/sec.

VOG-25P is sometimes called a “frog”: when it falls to the ground, it is thrown up by an expelling charge and explodes at a certain height. This is done to increase the damaging effect. The height of the grenade burst when fired at medium-hard soil is 0.75 m, which significantly increases the effectiveness of fragmentation in comparison with the VOG-25 grenade against lying targets by 1.7 times, and against targets located in a trench by 2 times.

For the use of under-barrel grenade launchers in special operations carried out by internal affairs bodies, the “Nail” shot was developed, which has a gas grenade equipped with an irritating substance CS. After the explosion of such a grenade, a gas cloud with a volume of up to 500 m3 is formed.

Interestingly, back in 1978, comparative tests were carried out of the GP-25 grenade launcher with the VOG-25 round and the 40-mm M-203 grenade launcher mounted on the M16 rifle with the M-406 round. These tests showed the advantage of the domestic grenade launcher and its shot over a similar US-made system. For example, to install the M-203 grenade launcher on the M16A1 rifle, it is necessary to partially disassemble the latter. And to load a grenade launcher, you need to perform three manual operations: disconnect the grenade launcher barrel from the breech, moving it forward (this removes the cartridge case from the previous shot); insert a new shot into the barrel (shots for the M-203 grenade launcher are made according to the classic “unitary” scheme with a cartridge case that separates after the shot); connect the barrel to the breech of the grenade launcher. Obviously, performing three operations instead of one to load a weapon leads to a decrease in its rate of fire.

For the GP-25, only one operation is required for loading - sending the grenade into the barrel, and to attach the grenade launcher to the machine gun, disassembling the weapon is not required at all.

The VOG-25 and M-406 shots were compared by firing at an area where a target environment was located, simulating openly located manpower (lying growth targets). During these tests, it was revealed that the frequency of hitting targets on the tactical field from the explosion of a grenade from a VOG-25 round is 3-4 times higher than from the explosion of a fragmentation grenade from an M-406 round.

Grenade launcher GP-30

Some of the GP-25's shortcomings, mentioned above, were clearly visible from the very beginning, so already in 1985 a decision was made to modernize it. As a result of the development work carried out in 1989, the GP-30 (“Obuvka”) was put into service. The fundamental differences between the GP-30 and its predecessor are a reduction in weight (by 250 g), less labor intensity during production, and a change in the design of the sight (now it is located on the right, which simplifies aiming).