Ukraine Starts Mass Production of 40x53mm Grenades
Ukrainian state-owned defense corporation UkrOboronProm has announced that a local munitions manufacturing company called “ Impulse” in cooperation with another domestic defense corporation called “ Kuznya on Rybalsky” will start the mass production of NATO standard high velocity 40x53mm grenades. These grenades are used in automatic grenade launchers such as the US Mk 19.
According to Yevgen Chernov, the CEO of Impulse, they have already set up the production process itself and now they are working on scaling it up and improving the quality of final products.
The company will manufacture high explosive PGOF-40 (ПГОФ-40) grenades as well as target practice marker rounds called PGI-40 (ПГІ-40). Besides the mentioned grenades for automatic grenade launchers, Impulse also started making VOG-25 caseless grenades for underbarrel grenade launchers (far right grenade on the top image of this article) such as the GP-25 and GP-30.
After starting the mass production of these grenades, I think Ukraine will also start widely deploying domestically made UAG-40 40mm grenade launchers which are designed and manufactured by the “Kuznya on Rybalsky” plant. Being a post-soviet country, Ukrainian armed forces are mainly armed with 30 mm Soviet/Russian grenade launchers like the AGS-17. However, considering that the country is moving towards NATO integration, it is probably a wise decision to gradually transition to weapons that use NATO standard ammunition which will make the logistics between the ally countries a much easier process. We have already seen this tendency in small arms development in Ukraine. Particularly, the AR-15 style WAC-47 rifle was designed to use both the 7.62x39mm ammunition and 5.56x45nn NATO cartridges changing between the two calibers in a matter of upper receiver swap. UkrOboronProm also notes that the 40x53mm grenades provide higher downrange efficiency compared to the currently used 30mm ones.
Sources:
“ШОСТКИНСЬКИЙ “ІМПУЛЬС” РОЗПОЧАВ СЕРІЙНЕ ВИРОБНИЦТВО 40-ММ БОЄПРИПАСІВ ЗА СТАНДАРТОМ НАТО”. (2018, July 18). UkrOboronProm. Retrieved from: http://ukroboronprom.com.ua/uk/media/shostkynskyj-impuls-rozpochav-serijne-vyrobnytstvo-40-mm-boyeprypasiv-za-standartom-nato.html
Images from www.ukroboronprom.com.ua
Managing Editor Being a lifelong firearms enthusiast, Hrachya always enjoys studying the history and design of guns and ammunition. Should you need to contact him, feel free to shoot him a message at Hrachya@TheFirearmBlog.com
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Finally. There are disappointingly few manufacturers of the HV 40x53mm, and as you note it's a large step toward NATO integration with regards to the Mk19.
Interesting that caseless 40mm rounds are (again?) being made there simultaneously, but the energetic package is more or less the same so it makes sense to supply the (understandably common) GP-25/-30/-30M/-34.
NATO standard - The NATO was rather busy in conducting safaris in some deserts lately...
The russian (soviet) 30mm automatic grenade launcher is better to integrate into the infantry, because it is much lighter and by this easier to carry.
The folks in the Donbass will transform the MRAPs (or wherever the Ukrainians want to install their automatic "NATO standard" grenade launchers on) into a pile of burning metal and flesh - they have advanced ATGMs, unlike the dudes in the NATO safari parks.