Heckler & Koch HK69A1
Encyclopedia
The HK69A1 is a 40 mm
40 mm grenade
The 40mm grenade is a military grenade caliber for grenade launchers in service with many armed forces. There are two main types in service: the 40×46mm, which is a low-velocity round used in hand-held grenade launchers; and the high-velocity 40×53mm, used in mounted and crew-served weapons. The...

 grenade launcher
Grenade launcher
A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....

 developed and produced by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch GmbH is a German defense manufacturing company that produces various small arms. Some of their products include the SA80, MP5 submachine gun, G3 automatic rifle, the G36 assault rifle, the HK 416, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the USP series of handguns, and the high-precision...

 (H&K). The weapon was designed to engage enemy troops and strongpoints out to a distance of 350 m; it can also be used to deploy smoke grenade
Smoke grenade
Smoke grenades are canister-type grenades used as ground-to-ground or ground-to-air signaling devices, target or landing zone marking devices, or as screening devices for unit movements. Smoke grenades are normally considered non-lethal, although incorrect use may cause death...

s and illumination flares.

Development

The launcher’s history dates back to the late 1960s, when development began of a weapon intended to be fitted (using a special mount) under the barrel of the 7.62 mm G3A3
Heckler & Koch G3
The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ....

 rifle. In 1972 the prototype was unveiled of what would ultimately become the Granatpistole HK69. After being evaluated, the decision was made to develop an autonomous stand-alone version of the grenade launcher, which was created in 1979 and designated the HK69A1. In the 1980s the weapon was adopted into service with the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...

 as the Granatpistole 40 mm (known also in the abbreviated form GraPi). It is also used by the special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

 and security personnel of several other countries.

Design details

The grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, breech-loaded weapon that fires a projectile using the High-Low System
High-Low System
The High-Low system also referred to as the "High-Low Pressure system", the "High-Low Propulsion System", and the "High-Low projection system", is a design of cannon and antitank launcher using a smaller high-pressure chamber for storing the propellant...

. The main component is the frame that contains and integrates all of the weapon’s mechanisms and assemblies. The weapon features a rifled barrel, which is hinged at the front and tilted upward ("break action") for loading and removing spent shell casings. The barrel in the "combat ready" position locks into the frame with a rotary latch, mounted at the rear of the frame. The grenade launcher does not have an extractor; instead notches were cut into the base of the barrel that enable the operator to remove spent shell casings manually.

The HK69A1 has a single action firing mechanism with an exposed hammer that is cocked manually with the thumb after loading a round. A manual safety secures against accidental firing; the safety is ambidextrous and provides a lever on each side of the frame, above the trigger (the lever in the "S" position – indicates the weapon is safe; "F" – ready to fire).

The grenade launcher is aimed using iron sight
Iron sight
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...

s that consist of a front post (adjustable for elevation) and a rear sight that has a flip-up dual aperture for short-range engagements (50 and 100 m settings) and a folding ladder-type leaf sight for long distance firing (has notched steps for 150, 200, 250 and 350 m), that is folded down and over the barrel when stowed. The weapon has a synthetic pistol grip
Pistol grip
On a firearm or other tool, the pistol grip is that portion of the mechanism that is held by the hand and orients the hand in a forward, vertical orientation, similar to the position one would take with a conventional pistol such as the M1911....

, a lightweight telescopic metal stock with a rubber shoulder pad and sling swivels for use with a sling. The grenade launcher is typically carried in a thigh holster.

Variants

The HK69A1 is also available in a 40 mm police variant, called the MZP-1 (short for Mehrzweckpistole 1). It is equipped only with a flip sight with 50, 100 and 150 m range adjustments; the leaf sight was removed. The MZP-1 weighs 2.52 kg (5.6 lb), the remaining parameters are identical to those of the HK69A1.

A version fitted with a 37mm barrel (rifled rather than the typical smoothbore used with 37mm munitions) was adopted by Britain as the L104A1. The bore was rifled in order to increase the accuracy of the L21A1 plastic baton round, thus reducing the likelihood of unintentionally hitting a vulnerable part of the body and causing a fatal injury.

Based on the HK69A1 is the HK79 under-slung grenade launcher, designed to be mounted under the barrel of the G3
Heckler & Koch G3
The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ....

 and G41
Heckler & Koch G41
The G41 is a German 5.56mm assault rifle introduced in 1981 and produced in limited quantities by Heckler & Koch. It was designed to replace the 5.56mm HK33 in service providing a more modern weapon platform compatible with contemporary NATO standards. It is chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO...

 series of assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...

s (with the exception of the short, carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....

 versions). When attached, the HK79 does not
affect the accuracy of the rifle, since the barrel is free to oscillate. Handling and operating functions of the rifle are not affected by the presence of the launcher. The weapon is used by the armed forces of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

.
The HK79 is a single-fire, manually operated weapon, whose breech-loaded steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 barrel is tilted downward for loading and unloading (compared to the HK69A1, which hinges upward). The barrel in the closed position is locked into battery with a rear-mounted latch. The weapon lacks an extractor; cuts made into the barrel’s base assist the user in manually removing spent cartridges.

The HK79 is fitted with an internal, single-action firing mechanism that has a charging mechanism located at the rear of the frame (the mechanism is cocked manually after loading the weapon) and a trigger mechanism with a button-type trigger located on the left-hand side of the handguard. Safe operation is ensured by means of a cross-bolt manual safety catch (installed in the frame, forward of the cocking mechanism). The safety mechanism’s “safe” and “ready” positions are marked with red and white rings respectively; the weapon can be loaded and cocked with the safety set at either position. A quadrant sight is provided for aiming, fitted to the right side of the grenade launcher, providing a rotating frame with a post and notch sight, graduated for distances from 50 to 350 m, every 50 m. The launcher weighs 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) unloaded; the muzzle velocity using standard ammunition is approx. 76 m/s. The HK79A1 is a variant specially designed for installation on the HK33 assault rifle.

Both the HK69A1 and the HK79 use 40x46mm
40 mm grenade
The 40mm grenade is a military grenade caliber for grenade launchers in service with many armed forces. There are two main types in service: the 40×46mm, which is a low-velocity round used in hand-held grenade launchers; and the high-velocity 40×53mm, used in mounted and crew-served weapons. The...

 low-velocity grenade rounds. The DM41/DM51
Diehl DM-41
Diehl DM-41 HE-Frag Shell is the standard shell for use with the Heckler & Koch HK 69 Grenade launcher and HK 79 Underbarrel Grenade Launcher...

 HE-Frag grenade is the Bundeswehr's standard-issue ammunition for use with the weapon.

A development of the HK79A1 is the 40 mm under-slung SA80 grenade launcher, adapted for use on the British 5.56 mm
5.56x45mm NATO
5.56×45mm NATO is a rifle cartridge developed in the United States and originally chambered in the M16 rifle. Under STANAG 4172, it is a standard cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries. It is derived from, but not identical to, the .223 Remington cartridge...

 L85A1
SA80
The SA80 is a British family of 5.56mm small arms. It is a selective fire, gas-operated assault rifle. SA80 prototypes were trialled in 1976 and production was completed in 1994....

 assault rifle, where it is mounted by replacing the handguard in a similar manner to the early versions of the US-made M203
M203 grenade launcher
The M203 is a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilize the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low. Though versatile, and compatible with many rifle models, the M203 was...

. This was one of the early studies for an under-carried launcher to be mated to the SA80, and never acquired. The necessary step in equipping the SA80 rifles with an under-slung grenade launcher was made only in the year 2003 with the adoption of the L17A1/A2
Under-slung Grenade Launcher
- Examples : M203 AG36 GP-25/30 wz. 1974 GL1/ M320...

 (a variant of the AG36 launcher).

The HK69A1 was manufactured under license in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 by Luigi Franchi S.p.A. as the GL-40/90; it differs from the original German launcher as it features a modified sliding stock assembly and different grips and sights, all made of plastic. It is used by several Italian Law Enforcement agencies for riot control
Riot control
Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...

. No military use is made of this weapon in Italy as the Italian Military
Military of Italy
The Italian armed forces are the military of Italy, they are under the command of the Italian Supreme Council of Defence, presided over by the President of the Italian Republic. The total number of active military personnel is 293,202...

 is equipped with other types of grenade launchers such as the Singaporean CIS 40 GL
CIS 40 GL
The CIS 40 GL is a 40 mm autonomous grenade launcher, developed in the late 1980s and produced by the Singaporean defense firm CIS - Chartered Industries of Singapore . The launcher is employed primarily by the Singapore Armed Forces and the police and security forces of several other...

, again manufactured by Franchi under license, and the American M203 grenade launcher.

Users

HK69 variant.: MZP-1 variant is used by EKO Cobra
EKO Cobra
EKO Cobra is Austria's foremost counter-terrorism special operations tactical unit. It is not part of the Austrian Federal Police but is directly under the control of the Austrian Federal Ministry for the Interior.-History:...

.: HK69A1 is used by the Danish Police
Police of Denmark
The police of Denmark is the interior part of the Danish legitimate force providers...

 for launching tear gas grenades.: HK69A1 used by the Finnish Defence Forces
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of Finland. It is a cadre army of 15,000, of which 8,900 are professional soldiers , extended with conscripts and reservists such that the standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform...

 as the 40 KRPIST 2002 (Kranaattipistooli 2002).: The German Armed Forces
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...

, particularly the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...

, use the HK69A1 as "Granatpistole 40 mm. German State police forces
Landespolizei
thumb|[[Germany|German]] police officer in [[Hamburg]]The Landespolizei are the main police forces of Germany. They are under the sole jurisdiction, funded and operated by the states of Germany.-History:...

 use the MZP-1 with rubber bullets.: HK79 variant.: MZP-1 variant is used by the Unité Spéciale de la Police
Unité Spéciale de la Police
The Unité Spéciale de la Police is a special unit of the Grand Ducal Police that was created in Luxembourg in 1999. It is tasked with responding to especially dangerous situations such as hostage rescue operations, arrests of dangerous individuals, bomb threats, and dignitary protection duties...

intervention unit of the Grand Ducal Police
Grand Ducal Police
The Grand Ducal Police is the primary law enforcement agency in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The police is under the control of the Minister for the Interior of Luxembourg, although they operate in the name, and under the ultimate control, of the Grand Duke. Day-to-day executive control is...

.: HK79 variant.: HK69 variant.: HK69 variant.: Turkish Gendarmerie
Turkish Gendarmerie
The Turkish Gendarmerie is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces and it is responsible for the maintenance of the public order in areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of police forces , as well as assuring internal security and general border control along with carrying out other specific...

.

External links

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