Almost as if it were another victory, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense celebrated the shipment and reception of MK-19 grenade launchers. The weapon was dubbed the “Russian nightmare” for its offensive power. “Grateful to foreign partners for their support. It has already managed to become a ‘Russian nightmare’ for the occupants,” said the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Facebook in gratitude to the government of Joe Biden .
“To increase the effectiveness of inflicting fire damage on Russian troops, the grenade launchers were placed in the rear of 4×4 cars” , the Ukrainian authorities specified, later providing specific details about the operation of the “Russian nightmare” .
The grenade launcher fires a powerful 40-millimeter main ammunition. You can use the Oskolkovo-Fugasna M 430 grenade with a fragment exit radius of 15 meters or the Cumulative-Fugasic grenade, which is capable of penetrating armor up to 52 mm thick. The offensive power of the weapon is such that it is capable of destroying certain armored vehicles.
The MK-19 was adopted by the US Marine Corps in 1983. However, before that happened, the grenade launcher had to go through a difficult and thorny path for 20 years. During this time, the MK-19 underwent a number of major design upgrades.
How is the MK-19 grenade launcher
According to the specialized war weaponry site Miliary.com , the MK19 40mm grenade launcher is a fully automatic, air-cooled, metal-link belt-fed, blowback-operated weapon that is crew-transportable for short distances with limited amounts of ammunition. . It can fire a variety of 40mm grenades. The 40mm M430 HEDP grenade will pierce armor up to two inches thick and produce fragments to kill personnel within five meters and injure personnel within 15 meters of the point of impact.
- Manufacturer: General Dynamics Armaments
- Service: USAF, USMC, US Army, USN
- Gauge: 40mm
- Weight: 35 kilos without mount or tripod
- Length: 43.1 inches
- Maximum range: 2212m