A U.S. Marine fires a Mk19 40mm grenade launcher in Quantico, Virginia in September 2000.
The Mk19 is a belt-fed, blowback-operated, air-cooled, crew-served, fully-automatic weapon that is designed not to cook off. It fires 40mm grenades at a cyclic rate of 325 to 375 rounds per minute, giving a practical rate of fire of 60 rounds per minute (rapid) and 40 rounds per minute (sustained). The weapon operates on the blowback principle, which uses the chamber pressure from each fired round to load and re-cock the weapon. The Mk19 can launch its grenade at a maximum distance of 2,212 meters (2,419yd), though its effective range to a point target is about 1,500 meters (1,600yd), since the large rear leaf sight is only graduated as far. The nearest safe distance to launch the grenade is 310 meters in training and 75 meters in combat. Though the Mk19 has a flash suppressor, it serves only to save the eyesight of its operator, not concealing the weapon's position. For night operation, a picatinny rail quadrant sight can be added for thermal and night vision optics.
The Mk19A is a man-portable crew-served weapon that can fire from a tripod-mounted position or from a vehicle mount, with the latter being the preferred method, as the weapon alone weighs 77.6 pounds (35.2kg). The primary ammunition for it is the high-explosive dual-purpose M430 grenade. On impact, the grenade can kill anyone within a radius of 5 meters (16ft), and wound them within a radius of 15 metres (49ft). It can also penetrate 2 inches (5.1cm) of rolled homogeneous armor with a direct hit (0-degree obliquity), which means it can penetrate most infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. It is especially effective when used against enemy infantry formations. The ammunition comes in cans that hold a 32- or 48-grenade belt weighing 42 and 60 pounds (19 and 27kg), respectively. Due to its low recoil and comparatively light weight, it has been adapted for use on many different platforms, including small attack boats, fast attack vehicles such as the Humvee (HMMWV), AAV and Stryker, military jeeps, and a large variety of naval mounts.
The Mk19 automatic grenade launcher replaced the earlier Mk 18 hand-cranked multiple grenade launcher. The 40mm ammunition used (40×53mm) is not interchangeable with that used in the M203 (40×46mm). The M203 ammunition develops a lower chamber pressure, and resultant lower muzzle velocity and range, compared to ammunition loaded for the Mk19. The Mk19 fires from an open bolt. The rounds are mechanically fed onto the bolt face with the pull of the charging handles. When the trigger is pressed, the bolt closes, and the firing pin is released. The recoil blows back the bolt, feeds a new round onto the bolt face, which pushes the expended casing off the bolt face.
In November 2014, General Dynamics entered into an agreement with Advanced Material Engineering Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Kinetics, to manufacture 40mm high-velocity airburst ammunition for the U.S. military. The 40mm airburst grenade uses a programmable, time-based fuse that computes and programs the detonation time into it, which counts down once fired to zero to detonate at the intended target point. The airburst ammunition is compatible with the Mk 19, which would give it greater effectiveness and lethality, particularly against concealed and defilade targets.
"Although the Mk 19 is a recent entry into the Army’s inventory, development
began in 1963. The first version was a hand-cranked, multiple grenade launcher
called the Mk 18. In 1966 the need for more firepower inspired the development of a
self-powered 40-mm machine gun called the Mk 19 MOD 0. This model was neither
reliable nor safe enough for use as a military weapon system. Product improvements
begun in 1971 resulted in the 1972 MOD 1, of which only six were produced. The
MOD 1 performed effectively in Navy riverine patrol craft and broader applications
for the Mk 19 were found. In 1973 the Navy developed the MOD 2, which featured
improved reliability, safety, and maintainability. In 1976 a complete redesign
resulted in the Mk 19, MOD 3, which the Army adopted in 1983. The Army now uses
the Mk 19 within the tactical environment for defense, retrograde, patrolling, rear
area security, urban operations, and special operations."[11]
- Department of the Army. November 2003 -
Users
Map with Mk 19 grenade launcher users in blue
GDOTS has built nearly 35,000 Mk19 Mod 3 systems for roughly 30 customers since 1984.[12] Users of the Mk19 include:
Israel:[15] Adopted by the Israeli Defence Forces (under the name "Maklar", for mikla rimonim or "grenade machinegun"), to be fielded in infantry and mechanized units. The Mk 19 was formerly manufactured locally.[19]
A Mexican Army Chevrolet Silverado equipped with a Mk19 at a military checkpoint in March 2009
Civilian Availability
A single transferable Mk 19 MOD 0 is on the American NFA registry, as it qualifies as both a destructive device (as per the NFA) and as a machine gun (under the Hughes Amendment) and was sold for over $500,000 in 2024.
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