New Army "Caliber Configuration Study"

[Tony Williams]

JASmith - agreed concerning the grenade aspect...I seem to remember before it was killed off the OICW had a 20mm grenade launcher that had a greater range than the M203s 400m (800m maybe?), and I think H&K was messing around with a 25mmm version that had a max range of about 1000m.

HK developed the gun element of the US 25mm XM25 shoulder-fired grenade launcher, of which five prototypes have been made and tested in Afghanistan (the Army want's another 36 for more extensive trials). Max range c.700m.

The best we can do in the West at the moment is to step up in performance to 40mm Medium Velocity, which doubles the range of the usual Low Velocity UBGL fodder (to 700-800m maximum ballistic, rather less than that in effective range).

China (of all places) has the lead in portable grenade launchers at the moment. Google for the 35mm QLB-06: 9.1 kg (20 lb) semi-auto, with effective ranges of 600m against point targets and 1000m against area targets (maximum ballistic range 1,650m). These things (and the slightly heavier 12 kg automatic QLZ-87 firing the same ammo) are spreading all over the place - Africa, South America, the Middle East...