#M320

I’ve you’ve ever been itching to open-carry your personally owned M320 Grenade Launcher, there is now a safe, functional, and comfortable way to do so – the new Hercules Tactical Products G-Tech M320 Holster. This new holster offers multiple mounting solutions for already existing holster setups so that the M320 Holster can be swapped out quickly. In addition, the rig features a trigger guard and barrel plug to provide the user with a very secure fastening system to prevent the launcher from getting knocked loose or from accidentally discharging. Unfortunately for us, it looks like this particular holster is for LEO/MIL purchase only at this time, that being said, Hercules Tactical Products has received great feedback on the M320 Holster already and their ultimate goal is to have this holster adopted as standard issue with the M320 Grenade Launcher across all branches of service within the US Military.

The US Army is seeking to increase the lethality offered by its 40mm grenade launchers. For decades the M203 has been the US Army’s go-to under barrel grenade launcher, only recently has the M320 from Heckler & Koch surpassed it. Now the U.S. Army’s Army Contracting Command have launched a search for a new Precision Grenadier System or PGS.

This week it was announced that LMT Defense had gained a contract from the United States Army for $17,031,520 firm fixed price for a new production run of the M203/M203A2 40MM Grenade launcher. The order is estimated to be complete by September of 2025. The full press release from LMT Defense can be found below.

Engineers at the US Army’s Army Research Lab (ARL) at Aberdeen Proving Ground have filed a patent application for the Grenade Launched Unmanned Aerial System (GLUAS), a 40mm grenade launcher delivered drone, complete with camera. The GLUAS can be fired from an issue M320 or M203 launcher without modification.

The M320A1 was originally made by H&K. It is a 40mm grenade launcher that has been seen on M4s, G36s and as a standalone weapon system. Capco got the contract to manufacture US made M320A1 Grenade Launchers.

Back in March we reported that the USMC order just over 600 M320 grenade launchers. The Marine Corps has now confirmed that each squad will be equipped with three M320s – issued to specialised grenadiers who will be attached to the Marine Corps new three-man fireteams. This comes as the Corps transitions to a new 12-man Rifle Squad structure the result of a number of experimentation and evaluation programs including Marine Corps Force 2025 and Sea Dragon 2025.

The Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Estimates Justification Book for the United States Marine Corps procurement gives us some insight into the Corps small arms aims for the next couple of years. The Marine Corps looks set to begin its transition to the M320 40mm under-barrel grenade launcher next year.

At the 2017 National Defense Industry Association small arms conference in April, the US Army revealed its efforts to produce new improved varieties of 40mm low velocity ammunition for the M203 and M320 grenade launchers. Product Director for Medium Caliber Ammunition Christopher Seacord’s presentation at NDIA lists three new types of 40mm ammunition: XM1166 High Explosive Air Burst (HEAB), XM1167 Door Breach (DB), and XM1168 Short Range Anti-Personnel (SRAP):

Recent news coverage has made it explicitly clear that the U.S. Marine Corps is finally going to upgrade legacy 40x46mm low-velocity M203 under-barrel grenade launchers to the much more mobile and versatile Heckler & Koch M320s that the U.S. Army has successfully been using for a number of years to date. Current numbers indicate that 7,000 are wanted by at least 2019, and at the latest in the year of 2022 for a force-wide issue among both the Active Component in the Fleet Marine Force and in the Reserves as well. Currently an article on Marines.mil is showcasing elements from 2nd Combat Engineering Battalion at Camp Lejeune working with M320s as a test case.

Raytheon has tested a new missile that could give a long-range high explosive payload delivery capability to grenadiers in the Army’s infantry rifle squads. From Raytheon’s press release:

Larry Vickers’ TacTV YouTube channel has released a series of videos showcasing 40mm underbarrel grenade launchers, including uncommon footage of firing actual high explosive dual-purpose (HEDP) grenades. The videos are embedded below:

The Army Times reports that the H&K developed M320 will being replacing the M203 in February next year.

Matt recently comment on this post about the Australian AUG A4 (ADI Austeyr F88 A4):