DISQUS

Defense Review: Airtronic USA China Lake Multi-Shot Pump-Action 40mm Grenade Launcher System for Special Operations

  • Mel Beaty · 4 months ago
    Fine idea. Want more rounds, extend the magazine tube like they do for tactical shotgun competitions. Want to use something other than what's in the magazine tube, have a manual interruptor to keep the next round in the tube from moving back to be fed to the chamber. Then manually insert the desired round and have the interruptor automatically retract when the inserted round is fired. As an aside would a longer barrel impart more velocity or do you get all the velocity available from the current barrel length?
  • DefRev · 4 months ago
    Mel,

    Your interruptor idea is interesting. I'll run it by Airtronic when I have a chance, and will update the article accordingly, based on their answer. I'm not sure a longer barrel would impart any extra velocity on the round, but remember that when you add length to the weapon, you also reduce mobility in tight spaces like you encounter in urban warfare environments and you also add weight overall and out front, making the weapon more difficult to hold up and steady. If the round doesn't burn up all its powder with the current barrel length, extra length would then most likely increase velocity. The question is, if that's the case, how much more velocity would you get, and is it worth the extra weight and length?

    I've already recommended to Airtronic that they make a box magazine-fed version of the launcher which would allow them to increase ammo capacity without increasing the weapon's length. This would also make the weapon faster to reload. The trade-off there is that the magazine would extend down, making firing from the prone position more difficult and giving you something else on the weapon to snag on things in the combat environment. Everything's a compromise, in a way.
  • Mel Beaty · 4 months ago
    Hope my suggestion is useful. I've thought about the barrel length idea and would guess that all propellant is burned before the projectile leaves the barrel. If what I think I know is correct, the weapon basically uses the high-low pressure idea that was developed by the Germans in WW2 to create a lightweight crew served weapon for 'use by airborne troops. Like the web site. Mel Beaty.
  • JonPaul Cottrell · 1 month ago
    SWEET!!!