🙀 🗣️ ◻️ Grenade launcher GP-25 💂 👨‍🔬 🙌🏽

In the Soviet Union, they became interested in under-barrel grenade launchers in the 60s, after information was received about the successful use of the M16 rifle with an XM148 model under-barrel grenade launcher during the conflict in Vietnam. The military leadership made several orders, and several prototypes were designed by various design bureaus. But they did not have the necessary operational and technical characteristics. So there was a grenade launcher for the machine gun - GP-25

Creation of GP-25

To create a single sample of this type of weapon in 1971, the corresponding assignment was given to the design bureaus of the entire Union. The project was called "ROC" Bonfire "". The Tula Design Bureau, which developed hunting and military weapons, assigned this task to V.N. Telesh, since he already had a similar experience behind him. He set to work together with the engineers of GNPP Pribor in Moscow. The result of this work was the adoption in 1978 of the GP-25 Bonfire grenade launcher. It was prescribed to use it together with AKM, AK-74, AKS-74 and AKMS assault rifles. When a grenade launcher appeared, it received the GRAU 6G15 index.

However, the mass supply of these weapons to the army began only in 1980, when the USSR fought in Afghanistan. As the experience of the first few months of the fighting showed, the troops really needed such weapons as an underbarrel grenade launcher.

general characteristics

GP-25 "Bonfire" is designed to defeat enemy manpower, which is located in open areas or in shelters (trenches, trenches), and thus cannot be hit from conventional small arms.

The weapon to which the grenade launcher can be attached is AK-74, AKM, AKMS and AKS-74U of 7.62 or 5.45 mm caliber. How does the whole assembly work? In this case, depending on the current situation in the battle, it is possible to fire both from a machine gun and from a grenade launcher.

Weapon design

GP (underbarrel grenade launcher) consists of such parts:

a barrel on which there are sights and an arm for attaching a grenade launcher to a weapon;
breech;
trigger mechanism with a body and a handle;
the grenade launcher itself on the machine.

Standard equipment grenade launcher includes the following items:

the grenade launcher itself;
carrying bag;
bag for grenade launcher shots;
rubber recoil pad and belt;
bannik.

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

For attaching weapons to the machine there is a bracket with a fence. To attach the grenade launcher to the AK, it is enough to fix the bracket from below to the forend, and the latch itself will fix it in a reliable position. The front of the bracket has a spring shock absorber.

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

There is a fuse located on the right side of the barrel. Two modes are provided - "PR" (fuse) and "OG" (fire). There is also another protective system: if the grenade launcher is improperly connected to the machine, the shot will not be fired. In both cases, the trigger locks securely.

Sights

Sights available for the grenade launcher allow firing both direct fire and half-direct. 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 needed, then aiming is done through the front sight and the rear sight. You can adjust the range. To do this, the cam moves the fly back and forth, so you can make corrections for the derivation of the grenade. For firing through half-direct aiming, two factors must be taken into account - direction and range. Aiming on the first is done through the rear sight and front sight, and on the second through the plumb line and distance scale (similar to the "quadrant" method). But the peculiarity of the semi-direct aiming is that it is needed only for mounted shooting.

The maximum range at which the GP-25 grenade launcher is capable of firing accurately 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 of no more than 6 meters, and along the front, this figure is 3 meters. It should be borne in mind that a lateral wind has a great influence. To do this, you need to adjust the front sight by its displacement.

Safety and ease of shooting

Since the underbarrel grenade launcher has a much greater return than the machine, devices are provided that allow you to fire with comfort for the shooter. A universal rubber recoil pad is attached to the butt, and its features are such that it can be adapted both to wooden and plastic stocks (like the AK-74 or AKM), and to folding stocks of AKMS or AKS-74 assault rifles. The body of the grenade launcher softens its effect on the forend, and its liner protects the receiver from blows.

Field tests revealed an unpleasant feature - during the shots the receiver cover often flied, which is usually fastened with the help of the spring return rod head. Therefore, a special rod was developed, in the design of which a hook was introduced. When installing a grenade launcher, the standard rod is replaced by it. In the design of the AK-74M, this feature has become standard, that is, all such tools are already available with a modified rod.

Ammunition and Shooting

The GP-25 grenade launcher is fired by the 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 instant fuse with a self-destructive weapon.

VOG-25 shot characteristic:

grenade weight - 250 g;
explosive weight - 48 g;
the radius of destruction by fragments is 6 meters.

Standard ammunition is 10 grenades, they are carried in the bag, which comes complete with a grenade launcher. It consists of two cartridges made of matter, each containing 5 ammunition. The peculiarity of wearing such a bag is that in whatever position the shooter is in, the cassettes are always in reach. In addition, many unloading vests used in the modern army have nests for carrying shots to the GP-25.

You can shoot from any position - even while standing, even sitting, even from the knee. Each soldier is taught how to shoot a grenade launcher correctly. Direct fire at distances of up to 200 meters is carried out with the butt of the machine gun in the shoulder, and for longer distances - "out of hand", that is, the butt is placed under the arrow of the arrow. If you need to shoot at targets covered from direct fire, the machine rests its butt on the ground.

Since the grenade launcher grenade launcher has a low initial speed, shooting at angles is quite convenient - the shot blows less the wind, the trajectory is not so steep and the flight time is reduced. However, with a headwind it is dangerous to open fire from a grenade launcher.

Some features

As you might guess, the grenade launcher makes the machine, to which it is attached, heavier. A fully-equipped AK-74 with a 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 a 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 skills available, it is possible to significantly increase the accuracy of the firing of an assault rifle, since weighting does not allow it to "rush" in different directions.

In units

According to the requirements, the modern motorized rifle division is equipped with two machine guns with GP-25, in addition to conventional AKs. In the context 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 facilitating the solution of certain tasks in battle for its unit.

Weapon options and modifications

Since the grenade launcher GP-25 also came into service with the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the question arose of how to turn it into a weapon that does not cause death. And they decided it quickly enough. The main changes, of course, affected the ammunition. For the grenade launcher, a special “Nail” cartridge was developed, which is equipped not with a standard fragmentation grenade, but with the same one equipped with CS type poison gas. The characteristics of such a shot are as follows:

weight - 170 g;
maximum firing range - 250 m;
minimum firing range - 50 m;
full gas evolution time - 15 sec .;
the volume of the cloud is 500 m ³ .

The original idea came 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, a special removable barrel with a caliber of 23 mm was developed. This system is called Larry.

In addition to standard models, a modified version is also made - GP-30. This is the same GP-25 grenade launcher, only lightweight, and the sights in it are placed on the right side. There is also a modification for export - GP-30U, which is intended for use with foreign automatic machines.